Cleveland State men’s basketball hosted two teams in Woodling Gymnasium throughout the holiday week, the first being on Wednesday, Nov. 22 against East Tennessee State, followed by a head-to-head with Alabama A&M on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The Vikings came away with a 72-70 comeback victory in a thriller duel with the Buccaneers. Cleveland State struggled early on from the field, but continued to play with purpose to make the difference in the final remaining minutes.
With nine minutes left in the first half, the Vikings went on a 9-0 run that would ultimately chip away at East Tennessee’s lead, closing the first half with a score of 34-31.
The second half of play was nothing less than intense, with both teams shifting in momentum. In the fourth quarter, the two teams tied with 28 seconds left in the game.
Enaruna drove to the basket to put up a layup that would give CSU a two-point lead to win the game. CSU senior Tristan Enaruna put up 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. It is to note that the senior scored 18 of those points in the second half.
The Vikings came into the second game of the week against Alabama A&M strong, emerging victorious yet again with a score of 86-59.
The first half started off competitive on both ends. However, in the 14th minute, CSU went on a 0-5 run to give them a lead that they would build upon as the game furthered. The first came to a close with a 17 point gap in CSU’s favor, with a score of 43-26.
The second half began with a 0-8 run for the Vikings. As the minutes dwindled down the gap between the two teams would grow, leading CSU to a 27 point victory. The teams’ stats were evenly distributed across the board, making this game a true team contribution.
The leading scorers for the Vikings were Drew Lowder (18 points), Tae Williams (18 points), and Tevin Smith (16 points).
The CSU men’s basketball team is currently ranked second in the Horizon League standings, with an overall of 5-3. The team is undefeated at home, though fell to Youngstown in an away match to kick off Horizon League play on Wednesday night.
CSU will return home for a 3 p.m. match against Detroit Mercy this weekend at the Wolstein Center. Tickets can be purchased here.