Nov. 26, 2005

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Four Vikings scored in double figures and Cleveland State used a 16-0 run centered around the halftime break to break open a close game and claim a 76-43 victory over Rochester College on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 26) in historic Woodling Gym.

The game was designated as Old School Hoops Day with CSU playing in Woodling Gym for the first time in 14 years as part of the 75th season of basketball celebration at CSU.

And like the Kevin Mackey-led Vikings of the late 1980's, the present day Mike Garland coached squad used a pressure defense to frustrate the Warriors, who have won back-to-back USCAA national titles.

Cleveland State turned 25 Warrior turnovers into 32 points in the game, making seven blocked shots with a Horizon League season high 15 steals. The Vikings were effective offensively, shooting season-bests from the field (25-53, .472), three-point (5-11, .454) and line (21-30, .700).

"This was a real good preview of what I am expecting out of this team," Garland said. "We can be a very balanced team. We have a lot of capable scorers. We can do some damage, both inside and out.

"I thought that one of the biggest differences tonight was that we were able to get inside first, and that created a situation offensively for us where they had to dig down and give help inside. That gave our shooters that split-second that they needed to knock down some shots outside."

Junior point guard Carlos English led CSU with 12 points, five assists and four steals before leaving the game early in the second half with leg cramps. Victor Morris and Justin Henderson added 11 points and six rebounds each while Raheem Moss scored 10 points with five rebounds.

Rochester took an early 4-2 lead in the contest, but the Vikings used an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to take the lead for good. J'Nathan Bullock, Carlos English and Patrick Tatham each scored inside to start the run before Justin Henderson ran off the next five points to give CSU a 13-4 advantage with 13:51 left.

Cleveland State would lead by as many as 13 in the first stanza, that coming when Steve Gansey and Raheem Moss connected on back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to 23-10 with 10:43 left.

Rochester fought back, closing the gap to 33-28 with 3:59 left before the Vikings ran off the final seven points of the half, all coming at the foul line, to head to the locker room with a 40-28 lead.

Cleveland State came out of the halftime on fire, scoring the first nine points of the half to take control of the contest, making it a 16-0 run over a 9:22 period around halftime.

Rochester finally ended the run when Rob Fragosso connected on a three-pointer with 14:37 left, but the Vikings ran off eight straight to put the contest away.

The 33-point margin of victory, the most for CSU in the three seasons under Mike Garland, was the largest victory since a 37-point 90-53 win over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 22, 2001.

The game marked the first time since late in the 1990-91 season that Cleveland State played a game in historic Woodling Gym, which served as the home of Viking basketball from the 1972-73 season until the Wolstein Center opened prior to the 1991-92 season. The win raised CSU's all-time record in the building to 123-21.

"I guarantee that if you were to ask our players, they would prefer to play here every night," Garland said. "Players love gyms. Playing in the big arena is great, but there is nothing like a gym. We have one of the nicest arenas in the nation, but this (Woodling Gym) is what basketball is all about."

The Vikings return to action on Wednesday night (Nov. 30) when CSU hosts Central Michigan beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center.