Feb. 3, 2005

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brandon Morris scored a season-high 20 points, including a pair of baskets during an 11-0 Phoenix run to open the second half as UW-Green Bay handed Cleveland State a 69-62 loss on Thursday night in the Wolstein Center.

Omari Westley paced Cleveland State with 24 points and 12 rebounds for his league-best seventh double-double this year. Walt Chavis added a season-high 14 points while Raheem Moss and Frashon McGee added 10 points each.

The loss ended Cleveland State's winning streak at three games, dropping the Vikings to 7-11 overall and 4-6 in Horizon League play. UW-Green maintained its hold on second place in the league standings, improving to 15-6 overall and 8-3 in conference action.

"Green Bay did a great job of taking us out of what we have been doing successfully the last few games," head coach Mike Garland said. "Once the game became very physical, they became the aggressors and the momentum swung their way.

"It took us too long to fight back and they are a very hard team to come back against. Once they had the lead late, they spread the floor, forced us to take chances defensively and took advantage of those opportunities.

"This was another page in the book on the process of building this program, and it is something that we have to learn from. We were playing the second place team in the conference, a team that was playing in a must-win situation. I don't think we fully understood how ready that they would come to play."

After CSU took a 30-28 lead into the intermission following a first half that featured six ties and lead changes, the Phoenix took control of the game at the start of the second half, holding the Vikings scoreless for the first 5:36. When Westley went coast-to-coast for a dunk off his own steal, the two-point halftime lead had turned into a 39-32 Phoenix lead.

UW-Green Bay would continue to control play, shooting 54-percent from the field in the second half while making 11-of-13 free throws. The Phoenix extended its lead to as many as 14 (58-44).

The Vikings would mount a comeback however, as Chavis scored five straight points with Westley adding a basket in the lane to pull CSU to within 62-58 with 2:14 left. The Vikings had an opportunity to come closer, but a Westley baseline jumper with 1:17 left was short and CSU was forced to foul.

Cleveland State would come no closer.

UW-Green Bay's Benito Flores, who was inserted into the starting lineup for only the second time this season, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Even more important was the defensive effort that he had on Westley, making seven steals and holding the Viking senior to just eight-of-18 shooting.

Cleveland State resumes play on Saturday (Feb. 5) with a 5:30 p.m. home game against Detroit.