Cleveland State Splits Weekend Games; In Second Place in Horizon League

Cleveland State split two games over the weekend, losing a half-game’s worth of ground in their pursuit of the top spot in the Horizon League. They lost a heartbreaker in the closing seconds at Detroit Friday night, but rebounded to defeat Illinois-Chicago Sunday behind a strong second half.

The Vikings’ record now stands at 16-11, 10-3 in the Horizon League. Valparaiso sits atop the conference at 11-2 (24-4 overall), with Green Bay just behind the Vikings at 9-3 (20-6).

The Vikings will be hard-pressed to catch Valpo. The Crusaders’ next two games are versus Wright State and at Detroit, who own a combined 23-31 record. Valparaiso and CSU will square off in the final game of the regular season on February 27. Green Bay’s remaining games are home against Detroit and CSU, at Illinois-Chicago, and home against Oakland.

A second-place conference finish would still be significant for the Vikings. The Horizon League teams with the top two regular season records get a double bye in the conference tournament, immediately putting them into the semifinals. The league has nine teams, which necessitates some unusual bracketing. The regular season champ hosts the second and third rounds, while the championship game is played at the higher seed’s gym.

The Vikings’ quest for the top spot took a hit Friday night at Detroit’s Calihan Hall, where CSU fell to the Detroit Titans 66-65. Cleveland State won narrowly at the Wolstein Center on January 23, and another close game was in the cards in the return matchup.

Juwan Howard, Jr. nailed a 30-foot three-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in the game to put the Titans ahead. Cleveland State nearly pulled out the victory, but Charlie Lee’s left-handed runner rimmed out as time expired.

Howard, the Horizon League’s leading scorer, struggled in the teams’ first contest, but played up to his pedigree on his home court. He scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 7 of Detroit’s final 9 points. He hit a jumper with 19 seconds left to keep the Titans alive after two Charlie Lee free throws put CSU ahead 64-61.

The first half was a rock fight. The score was just 2-0 after four minutes of play, and Cleveland State didn’t get on the board until Trey Lewis scored on a layup with 14:44 left in the period. The Vikings committed four turnovers and five fouls before notching their first points.

The Vikings did well to make it close after struggling early on. CSU went into the half trailing by 8 points, and were behind by as much as 15 in the second half. Trey Lewis scored 23 to lead the comeback, but the early errors proved too much for Cleveland State to overcome.

♦♦♦

Sunday was senior day at the Wolstein Center, and the Vikings celebrated by defeating Illinois-Chicago 67-59. The scoring was balanced for CSU, with six players scoring at least 8 points, led by Trey Lewis’ 18.

It was a tale of two halves for the Vikings. The first was disjointed, especially on the offensive end. UIC committed to closing off the lane, doubling hard on Anton Grady and forcing CSU to operate from the perimeter. The Vikes got open looks and shot 7-of-12 from beyond the arc in the period, and that hot shooting masked their shortcomings.

The Flames pounded Cleveland State on the glass early and often, totaling 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. Illinois-Chicago shot just 32 percent in the first half, but the Viking defense was not at its best—it wasn’t forceful or dictatorial, but reactive and backpedaling.

That changed after the intermission. The Vikes forced 9 turnovers, blocked 10 shots, and held UIC to just 8-of-33 shooting in the second half. They scored 7 fast break points after netting zero in the first half, and they scored 20 points in the paint after just six in the opening period.

Anton Grady and Marlin Mason led the block party inside. Grady scored a modest 9 points, but he grabbed 13 rebounds and tied a career-high with 6 blocked shots, 5 of which came in the second half. Mason played just three first-half minutes after picking up two fouls, but he made the most of his time in the second. He finished with 11 points, 3 blocks, and the highlight of the game on an alley-oop connection with fellow senior Charlie Lee:

The loss to Detroit is disappointing, and a shot across the bow of the Vikings’ postseason hopes. Matchups with Valpo and Green Bay will be potentially make-or-break contests, and Milwaukee is no pushover. In something of a scheduling oddity, their next game is a non-conference visit to the Western Carolina Catamounts of the Southern Conference.

Cleveland State has a lot of work to do before they can put on their dancing shoes. But with a few more wins, they can at least start planning their outfit.

UPDATE: CSU’s game at Western Carolina has been cancelled due to the weather. From the school’s press release:

Due to poor travel and weather conditions in North Carolina, the Cleveland State men’s basketball game at Western Carolina scheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 17) has been cancelled.

CSU was scheduled to fly out on Monday afternoon, but the charter flight was cancelled. The Vikings were rescheduled to fly out on Tuesday morning, but poor travel conditions also cancelled that flight.

The Vikings return to action on Friday (Feb. 20) when CSU plays at Green Bay at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.