As of last Thursday, the Cleveland State men’s basketball team is currently fifth in the Horizon League standings, with an overall of 14-9 and a conference record of 7-5. The team has a nearly spotless 11-1 record at home and hopes to improve their overall performance through the season’s second half.
CSU started its 2023-24 season off strong with a record of 3-1, averaging 83 points per game to start. A noteworthy game to mention was a November thriller against Canisius. The first half was nothing less than combative with both teams taking the lead at multiple timestamps. The Vikings, however, quickly set the tone in the second half, scoring two back-to-back threes. CSU seniors Tristan Enaruna and Drew Lowder were huge contributors to the Viking’s lead of seven in the first two minutes of the half. With 13 minutes left in the game, Canisius cut the Vikings lead to one. However, they couldn’t catch up with the Vikings, who responded with a 10-0 run, expanding their lead to double digits to finish off the game with a 71-61 win.
Throughout the holiday week, CSU men’s basketball hosted two teams in the Woodling Gymnasium. 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–though it didn’t go without any initial struggle. CSU struggled early on from the field but continued to play with purpose to make the difference in the final remaining minutes.
Coming into the second game of the week against Alabama A&M strong, the Vikings emerged victorious yet again with a score of 86-59. The leading scorers for the Vikings were Lowder (18 points), Tae Williams (18 points) and Tevin Smith (16 points).
Coming into January, CSU came away with three wins and four losses.
The team won in a comeback against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 20. The score would alternate between the two teams but would have Purdue’s Mastodons leading the half with a score of 33-35. Purdue Fort Wayne came out of the locker room strong, opening the half with a 15-2 run. The Mastodons led by as much as 15 points with 13 minutes remaining in the second half with a score of 35-50. CSU junior Chase Robinson sank a three-pointer, which was then followed by a fast-break dunk by Williams, bringing the team back to life in the second half. After a solid quarter of basketball from the Vikings, they secured a 75-68 win.
As of last Thursday, CSU snagged yet another win against Detroit Mercy in a fierce match, during which the former led for 28 out of the 40 minutes. Though it appeared to be a toss-up for the majority of the evening, the Vikings were able to seize control of the score later in the second half.
Enaruna was the lead scorer for CSU with 27 points, marking his third consecutive game scoring 27 points or more. All four of his free throw attempts proved successful, coupled with several rebounds, blocked shots, an assist and a steal throughout the match. CSU’s Jayson Woodrich also hit the double digits in points, all within the first half. The competitive match ended 75-60.
Yes, the Vikings sweep the courts both at home and away!
Derek Williams