Feb. 23, 2005

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Blake Schilb scored 27 points, the most points by a Horizon League player against CSU this year, as Loyola rallied in the final five minutes to claim a 67-63 win over Cleveland State in the Wolstein Center.

Raheem Moss led Cleveland State with 18 points, including five three-pointers, while Patrick Tatham added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

"We lost this game on the offensive end," head coach Mike Garland said. "this was one of our better defensive games, but we turned the ball over at critical times.

The loss dropped the Vikings to 9-15 overall and into a seventh place tie with Butler with a 6-9 record. Loyola improved to 8-8 and assured itself of a first round home game in next week's American Family Insurance Horizon League Championship.

The loss also severely hampered the Vikings chance of hosting a first round tournament game. With only Saturday's home game against regular season champion UW-Milwaukee remaining, Cleveland State must defeat the Panthers and Wright State (7-8) must lose at home on Sunday (Feb. 27) to UW-Green Bay. CSU would then tie the Raiders for seventh place and win the tiebreaker by virtue of the win over UW-Milwaukee.

Cleveland State played the game without leading scorer Omari Westley, who sat out after missing two days of practice. "There was a violation of team rules and the young man (Westley) didn't agree with it. He took off, left, and I haven't seen or heard from Omari in the last two days. I will meet with him tomorrow and we will discuss his future at CSU."

The Vikings did not seem to miss Westley in the opening minutes, scoring the first seven points of the game and opening a 15-5 advantage with 14:35 left in the half.

The bench did most of the damage during the run. After starters Moss and Tatham staked CSU to a 5-0 lead, reserves Victor Morris and Justin Henderson combined to score the next 10 points, Henderson's coming on two baskets in the lane while Morris tallied three baskets on a pair of jumpers and a driving layup.

Loyola fought back to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:23 left and moments later, took its first lead (23-21, 5:33) when Dave Telander hit a jumper.

The Vikings answered with a Henderson short jumper and a a pair of Moss three-pointers to pull back ahead, 29-25 with 2:21 left, but Loyola scored the last six points of the half to lead, 31-29 at the break.

Tatham and Moss scored to open the second half to give CSU the lead, the first of five lead changes in the first five minutes. Trailing 38-36, the Vikings ran off seven straight points, the last three coming on a Mike Redell trey with 14:24 left, to pull ahead, 43-38 with 14:24 remaining.

Cleveland State would retain the lead for the next nine minutes until DaJuan Gouard scored back-to-back baskets and Tom Levin scored in the lane to put the Ramblers ahead for good, 55-51 with 4:17 left.

The Vikings would stay in the game but never get an opportunity to take the lead down the stretch as Loyola made seven straight free throws to lead, 66-59 with 36 seconds left.

Schilb proved to be the difference in the game, going five-of-seven from three-point to finish with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. It was the most points by a league opponent against CSU this year, bettering the old mark of 23 points set two weeks ago by UIC's Cedrick Banks.

"I watched him on film this week and he scared me to death," Garland said. "He is playing as well as anybody in the league right now."

Cleveland State closes the regular season at home against UW-Milwaukee on Saturday (Feb. 26) . The game will serve as Fan Appreciation Day with a number of prizes being given away to fans in attendance.