Viking Victory: Cleveland State Men’s Basketball Advances to Horizon League Semifinals with Thrilling Win over Robert Morris

Cleveland, OH-Survive and Advance. That’s the motto for a lot of faculty basketball groups because the calendar hits March, and the Cleveland State males’s basketball workforce did each little bit of that in incomes a 75-70 time beyond regulation victory over Robert Morris within the Barbasol Horizon League Males’s Basketball Event. The win is not any. 20 of the season for the Vikings, and advances CSU to the semifinals the place the no. 3 seed Vikings will meet second seed Milwaukee on Monday at 9:30 p.m. in Indianapolis(ESPN2). 

The Vikings trailed by 4 at halftime, and by as many as 12 within the second half, earlier than storming again to tie the sport at 61 and pressure the additional session. The group of two,515 on the Wolstein Heart helped to will the Vikings on to victory in OT, as CSU took management and completed sturdy down the stretch to seal the win. 

Tristan Enaruna had one other large night time, ending with 23 factors on 10-17 from the sphere. Enaruna willed the Vikings again within the second half, serving to to leap begin the comeback effort. He completed with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocked pictures. 

Deante Johnson added 15 factors, ending 6-11 from the sphere and 3-4 from the free throw line. Johnson performed 42 of a doable 45 minutes, and the three-time Horizon League All-Defensive workforce member was an enormous presence inside, serving to to sluggish the RMU assault. 

Drew Lowder completed with 11 factors, 9 of which got here within the second half and time beyond regulation. Lowder completed 6-7 from the free throw line, together with sinking the game-tying free throws with seven seconds left in regulation to pressure time beyond regulation. 

Cleveland State scored the primary two baskets of the sport to take an early lead, however after RMU drew again to even at 6-6, the Colonials took the lead and held it during the primary half. Cleveland State rallied again to a 17-all tie on the 9:05 mark, however RMU had a solution and stored the lead into the halftime locker room. It was 32-28 on the break. 

Within the second half, RMU expanded the result in double digits on a number of events. It was 10 factors with 8:11 to go within the recreation when the Vikings began to chip away. Consecutive buckets from Yahel Hill, Enaruna and Johnson reduce the deficit to 6 with simply over six minutes to play. 

The 2 groups went back-and-forth, and with 1:48 to go the Colonials had a seven-point lead following two made free throws. From there the Vikings would end regulation on a 7-0 run to tie the rating. 

Lowder hit a important three-pointer with 1:36 to go which reduce the deficit to 4. Following a defensive cease and a CSU timeout, Enaruna adopted with a driving layup that reduce it to 2 with 51 seconds left. RMU turned it over on the following possession, giving Cleveland State the ball with 26 seconds remaining. 

Lowder drove in and drew a taking pictures foul with seven seconds remaining. Following an RMU timeout, he calmly nailed each free throws to tie the sport at 61. The Vikings pressured one other RMU turnover on the ultimate play of regulation, and Deshon Parker tried to throw up a final second heave. Officers referred to as a foul on the play, however after assessment dominated the foul got here after the clock had run out and the 2 groups headed to time beyond regulation. 

Within the additional session, Enaruna scored the primary basket and the Vikings by no means trailed the remainder of the way in which. CSU took its largest lead of the sport of seven factors with simply seven seconds remaining in time beyond regulation. 

Cleveland State advances to the semifinals of the Horizon League Event with the victory. The Vikings will tackle Milwaukee on Monday night time at 9:30 p.m. The winner of Monday’s semifinal advances to Tuesday night time’s championship recreation to play for an computerized bid to the NCAA Event.