Dec. 6, 2003

Box Score| Quotes| Notes

CLEVELAND - Cleveland State recovered from a slow start to take a 23-point lead in the second half before cruising to a 66-48 Homecoming win over Utah Valley State on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Jermaine Robinson scored 22 points to lead the Vikings, while Omari Westley chipped in with 15 points.

The Vikings started slowly, trailing by as many as seven with 13:44 left in the first half, 17-10, before appearing to wake up. Cleveland State then went on a 19-1 run over the next 10 and a half minutes to take a 29-18 lead, sparked by seven points by Robinson.

"I'm going to have to take a closer look at what's causing the slow start," head coach Mike Garland said. "Right now, I can't put my finger on what it is. I thought in our two exhibition games, we came out like gangbusters. We looked like the Celtics of the '60s. Lately, we haven't been able to do that, and I wonder if I've been giving them too much. I'll shoulder some of that blame."

Cleveland State took an 11-point lead into the break, and led by no fewer than 10 points in the second half. The Vikings stretched the lead up to as high as 23 points, 61-38, with 6:05 remaining in the second half on a free throw by Amadou Koundoul.

"At the end of the North Carolina game, we didn't make smart decisions," Robinson said following the game. "We just tried to take good shots and run some of the clock out and keep the lead."

The Vikings take the week off for finals before traveling to Norfolk State on Saturday, Dec. 13. Game time is 7 p.m.