Jan. 29, 2011
By: Robert Ivory
CHICAGO, Illinois- When the Cleveland State Vikings and the Loyola Ramblers met Saturday afternoon at Gentile Center in Chicago, something had to give as CSU entered the game winning their last four and the Ramblers won their last three-in-a-row.
When it came down to it, the Vikings were able to outshoot, overcome an early first half deficit, and hold off the Ramblers out of the break to sweep the season set with the Ramblers with a 81-70 win.
"I don't think we played well on the defensive end," head coach Gary Waters said. "We did not have the pressure we normally have and gave up too many looks. We gave up nine three pointers and when you do that you usually end up losing, so we were fortunate."
"We helped ourselves offensively and got good balance though our lineup and when we do that, we are really hard to beat. Loyola is a good team,especially at home. You cannot take any opponent for granted on the road in the Horizon League because they are going to give you thier best shot."
With the win, the Vikings move to 20-3 on the year and 9-2 in league play. CSU has now won at least 20 games in each of the past three of four seasons.
Trevon Harmon led the Vikes with 21 points (8-14 from the field and three of five from beyond the arc), as Aaron Pogue collected a double-double with a dozen points and 10 rebounds (five offensive).
"Aaron really controlled the inside today," Waters said. "To get a double-double on the road is hard, but that shows Aaron's intenstiy."
Norris Cole added 17 and Tim Kamczyc had a good night shooting, as he scored 11, and Jeremy Montgomery added 10.
After the Ramblers got within four with 15:36 left in the game, Norris Cole hit three straight points to get the Viking offense going and help CSU to put the game away.
"I think we caught them napping a few times," Waters said. "Norris' speed and decision making led to a couple of easy baskets. That may have been the differnce tonight."
Cleveland State shot 8-12 from beyond the arc in the first half alone, shot 52.6% for the game, and collected 40 points in the paint.
The Vikings hit their first six of nine from beyond the arc to start the game. Tim Kamczyc helped CSU by hitting his first three shots beyond the arc and Kamczyc also had three assists at the half.
The Ramblers took an early 16-9 at the 13:43 mark of the half and Loyola would extend their lead to 18-12 at the 13-minute mark. The Vikings then went on a 12-0 run under three minutes to take the 24-18 CSU lead.
After Geoff McCammon hit a jumper at the 13:01 mark, Loyola would not score a field goal until Denzel Brito hit a three with 8:48 left in the half.
Montgomery would hit a three on the transition from Norris Cole with 2:05 left in the half to give the Vikes their biggest lead of the afternoon to that point, leading 45-33. That three made CSU 8-11 from the arc (72.7%) in the first half.
"When we get open looks like that, we have five or six players that can make them," Waters said. "I was not surprsied how well we shot in the first half. I liked how we attacked them, especailly in transition."
Kamczyc, Harmon, and Montgomery were a combined seven-of-eight from three after the three.
Cleveland State did their defensive best, as Loyola turned the ball over eight times at the break and the Vikes scored 14 off those turnovers as CSU led 47-35 at the break.
At the break, CSU had six scorers with five points or more, as Kamczyc's threes helped him lead the Vikes with nine, as Cole, Montgomery, and Harmon had eight a piece. As a team, Loyola shot 12-24, but the Vikings were hotter as they went 18-31 (58.1%) from the field.
The Ramblers shot out from the start of the half, as they easily got the deficit of a dozen down to four at the 15:36 mark.
After the Ramblers got within four, the Vikings ran off eight straight points to return them to a 12-point lead. Norris Cole started the Viking offense, as he hit a free throw and a jumper to restart the Vikes.
After CSU got that lead, they led comfortably and retained at least a nine-point advantage down the stretch.
Loyola got within seven with 1:01 left in the game as Walt Gibler hit a pair of free throws and tied a career-high of 23 points, finishing with 25.
But McCoy hit a free throw, Harmon hit a pair, then Cole hit three out of four in the final minutes to collect the win.
After CSU got that lead, they led comfortably and retained at least a nine-point advantage down the stretch.
Loyola got within seven with 1:01 left in the game as Walt Gibler hit a pair of free throws and tied a career-high of 23 points, finishing with 25.
But McCoy hit a free throw, Harmon hit a pair, then Cole hit three out of four in the final minutes to collect the win.
"We have a tough schedule this week," Waters said. "We need to focus on Valpparaiso and be ready for Thursday night."
The Vikings return home for a two-game swing against the two teams in their near-rearview mirror starting Thursday (Feb 3) when they host the Crusaders of Valparaiso at 7:00 p.m. The Vikings then welcome the Butler Bulldogs for a noon matchup on Saturday (Feb 5) at the Wolstein Center. .
