CSU men’s basketball shines to take exhibition opener against Baldwin Wallace

The Cleveland State men’s basketball team defeated Baldwin Wallace 74-52 in front of a crowd of 1,825 at the Wolstein Center. 

Four Vikings finished the game in double figures, led by junior forward Tristan Enaruna, who had 15 points. Enaruna recorded a double-double in his first outing for the Green and White, adding to his total of 13 rebounds. Joining Enaruna in double figures was Jason Drake with 11 points, Drew Lowder with 10 points, and Deshon Parker with 10 points. 

CSU dominated the glass, outscoring the Yellow Jackets in rebounds 52-36. 22 of those rebounds came on the offensive end, amounting to 19-second chance points. CSU added 42 points in the paint throughout the contest.

Enaruna led the Vikings’ offense early, scoring 5 points in a row to put them ahead 17-7 headed into the under-12 timeout of the first half. He followed with a putback layup to widen the lead to 26-10 before the 10-minute mark. The two teams traded baskets throughout the later part of the half, making the score 35-23 headed into the break. 

Tae Williams also had a productive first half, scoring all eight of his points in the first 20 minutes. He added three rebounds to his final numbers and an assist while logging 14 minutes. 

The Vikings came out strong in the second half, ballooning the lead to 20 at the 14:34 mark. Drew Louder quickly converted four points, lobbing in back-to-back fast break layups. 

Altogether, 12 Vikings saw the floor in the game, and no player logged more than 30 minutes. Cleveland State finished 28-68 from the field, for a 41% total, and the Vikings shot a solid 72% from the charity stripe (13-18). 

Jackson Simmons led the charge for Baldwin Wallace, scoring 15 points on 6-12 shooting. The Yellow Jackets finished 18-58(31%) from the floor, and the two teams finished dead even in the turnover margin, with 16 each. 

The Vikings will now prepare for the regular season opener on Monday at the Wolstein Center against Notre Dame College. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off and will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. Viking fans can also listen to the game on 1350 AM The Gambler.