Minneapolis, MN-The Cleveland State men's basketball team fell to Minnesota Tuesday night 58-47. The game was much closer than the score indicated with seven lead changes and seven ties throughout the game. Cleveland State was within one possession with just under four minutes to play but went cold down the stretch as Minnesota closed the game on an 8-0 run to seal the victory.
It was a difficult night offensively for both sides. Cleveland State shot 35 percent from the floor while Minnesota finished at 38 percent. The Vikings attempted a season-low four free throws but made all four of them. Both teams finished under the 30 percent mark from three-point range.
Tevin Smith continued his strong play as the lone Viking to finish in double figures with 10 points. Smith scored in double figures for the third straight game and the fourth in the first six. He added six rebounds and two assists.
Cole Franklin finished with nine points,
Je'Shawn Stevenson added eight, and
KJ Debrick and
Tahj Staveskie each chipped in seven.
Cleveland State scored the first four points of the game as Smith and Staveskie each connected on jump shots to give the Vikings a 4-0 lead early.
The game stayed tight for the rest of the first half with neither team holding more than a two-possession lead. The Vikings looked to seize control late in the half when an 8-0 run turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead with 6:12 remaining. Franklin punctuated the scoring spurt with a three-pointer headed into the under-8 media timeout.
Cleveland State took its largest lead a few minutes later when
Dylan Arnett knocked down a pair of free throws which made it 27-22 Vikings with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Minnesota responded with a quick 6-0 run over the next 90 seconds to take the lead back at 28-27.
Smith responded with a pull-up jumper on the ensuing possession which gave the Vikings the one-point advantage. It appeared CSU would carry that lead into the break before Minnesota's Parker Fox drained a long three-pointer at the first half buzzer to give the Gophers a 31-29 lead at the half.
The second half was more of the same as the Minnesota lead stayed within two possessions as late as the eight-minute mark. The Gopher lead expanded to eight points with 4:54 remaining, but once again the Vikings fought back to trim the deficit to within one possession. Stevenson tallied five straight points connecting on a three-pointer and two free throws to make it 50-47 Minnesota with 3:52 to play.
The Vikings could not draw any closer down the stretch, as Stevenson's free throws would be the final points scored by the Vikings in the game. Minnesota scored the game's final eight points, with the lead expanding to double digits for the first time with 50 seconds remaining.
Cleveland State returns to the Wolstein Center this weekend as the Vikings will host in-state foe Kent State on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team who will host Ohio Dominican at 3:30 p.m.
