Game 10 - Cleveland State at Milwaukee
MKE Panther Arena - Milwaukee, WI
8:00 p.m.

All-Time vs. Milwaukee: 29-35

Last Meeting: 2/14/24 71-68 L

Tickets: mkepanthers.com

Radio: Fox Sports 1350 AM

Play-By-Play: Al Pawlowski, Ed Daugherty(Host)

TV: ESPN+

Play-By-Play: Wayne Larrivee, Joah Tucker

SETTING THE SCENE

The Cleveland State Men's Basketball team is set to open Horizon League play with a pair of road games this week. The Vikings will first match up against the Milwaukee Panthers Thursday night before traveling north to take on Green Bay on Saturday afternoon. Milwaukee is 5-4 headed into Thursday night's contest. The Panthers have dropped two in a row on the road in non-conference action after winning five of the first seven to start the year.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/MILWAUKEE SERIES

Thursday's game is the 65th all-time meeting between Cleveland State and Milwaukee. The series dates back to 1994 and Milwaukee owns a 21-9 edge in games played in Milwaukee. The Panthers won both of the matchups between the two teams last season, winning 88-80 in Milwaukee in January and 71-68 in Cleveland on Valentine's Day in February. The Vikings held a lead as large as 19 points in the first half of the game in Milwaukee before the Panthers stormed back to take the lead and secure the victory.

VIKINGS OPEN THANKSGIVING THROWBACK TOURNAMENT WITH WIN OVER NJIT

Cleveland State defeated NJIT in the opening game of the Thanksgiving Throwback Tournament 56-53. The Vikings held off the Highlanders in a game where neither team held a lead greater than nine points. NJIT took the lead late going up six with 4:51 to play before the Vikings clawed back. Tevin Smith scored the game-winning bucket with under 30 seconds to play which gave CSU the lead for good. Smith tallied 13 points and Cole Franklin added 12. Tahj Staveskie chipped in seven points. Smith was named Tournament MVP after scoring in double figures in both games. Staveskie and Franklin each earned All-Tournament Team honors.

VIKINGS DEFEAT EASTERN MICHIGAN FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN

Cleveland State defeated Eastern Michigan on Saturday to improve to 3-2 on the year with a 71-63 win over the Eagles. The Vikings shot 51 percent from the field and had four players in double figures in a balanced offensive attack. Tevin Smith led the way with a career best 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. The game was close throughout with neither team holding a lead of more than nine points the entire way. Ultimately it was a 9-0 Cleveland State run in the closing minutes that sealed the victory.

VIKINGS EARN FIRST ROAD WIN AT VALPARAISO

Cleveland State defeated Valparaiso on the road Tuesday night for its first road victory of the 2024-25 season. The Vikings trailed at halftime before a second half surge propelled them to a 75-67 victory. Dylan Arnett recorded his first double-double of the season finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds along with three blocked shots. Tahj Staveskie had 19 points including 60 percent shooting from three-point range. Staveskie provided an offensive spark with two key three-point makes in the second half to give the Vikings a lead they would not relinquish. Tevin Smith added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

CLEVELAND STATE TAKES DOWN BALDWIN WALLACE FOR FIRST WIN OF 2024-25

Cleveland State defeated Baldwin Wallace to earn its first win of 2024-25 as the Vikings defeated the Yellow Jackets 91-53. Cleveland State used a balanced offensive attack which featured five players in double figures led by Dylan Arnett who finished the night with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Je'Shawn Stevenson added 18 points and Tevin Smith recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Vikings controlled the game throughout, leading by eight at the half before outscoring BW 48-18 in the second half to pull away.

VIKINGS LOCK DOWN LOURDES IN EXHIBITION VICTORY

Cleveland State defeated Lourdes on Wednesday night in its lone exhibition contest 84-49. The Vikings featured a balanced attack offensively with 11 of 12 players who saw action scoring at least two points. Every player who saw the court played double digit minutes. Je'Shawn Stevenson led the way with 18 points on 6-of-9 fom the field in his first collegiate action. Tahj Staveskie added 11 points and Jalin Rice finished with 10. The Vikings held Lourdes to 31 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers, which resulted in 35 CSU points.
 

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Milwaukee is 5-4 on the season headed into the opener of conference play. The Panthers won five of their first seven games before dropping two in a row on the road last week in non-conference action. The Panthers were picked at the top of the league standings in the preseason poll, finishing tied for first with Purdue Fort Wayne. Milwaukee had two players land on the Horizon League preseason teams, with Eric Pratt and AJ McKee each earning second team honors. Bart Lundy is in his third season as the head coach, and in his 23rd season as a head coach overall. The Panthers will next travel to Green Bay for the in-state rivalry game against the Phoenix scheduled for Wednesday.

ARNETT ATTACKING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS

Through the first month of the season, Dylan Arnett has been a force on the offensive glass for the Vikings. Arnett is currently tied for fifth in the country with 33 total offensive rebounds through the first nine games of the season. Arnett averages 3.6 offensive rebounds per game and leads the team averaging 7.7 total rebounds per contest.

FORMER VIKING STANDOUT DESHON PARKER JOINS COACHING STAFF

After playing his final two seasons in the green and white, Deshon Parker returns to Cleveland in a new role as he begins his first season as an assistant coach. Parker helped the Vikings to a Horizon League regular season title in his first season and was named to the league's All-Defensive Team in his second and final season, which was Coach Robinson's first as head coach. After playing one season of professional basketball overseas in Georgia, Parker begins his coaching career as the youngest full-time assistant coach in Division I.

HOME SWEET HOME

Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 3-2 at home to start this season and finished 14-3 at home in the 2023-24 season as well as a 30-8 overall record in Cleveland in the Daniyal Robinson era. Cleveland State outscored opponents by over 10 points per game in home contests in the 2023-24 season.

PAYNE PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH POSITION

Steve Payne, an accomplished coach with over 30 years of experience, has been promoted to an Assistant Coach position on the Cleveland State coaching staff for the 2024-25 season. Payne enters his third season on staff at CSU after serving his first two seasons as Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Payne has eight years of head coaching experience at Tennessee Tech as well as three years as an assistant at UMKC prior to joining Coach Robinson's staff.

20 WIN CAMPAIGN FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

Cleveland State has amassed 20-plus wins for three straight seasons. The Vikings have also made four straight postseason appearances, which is a program record.  Cleveland State appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the NIT in 2022 and the CBI in 2023 and 2024. Daniyal Robinson is the most successful two-year head coach in program history, becoming the first coach to win 20 games in his first two years in charge in the history of the program. Robinson has amassed 42 total victories over his first two seasons.

VOICE OF THE VIKINGS ENTERS 20TH SEASON

Veteran broadcaster Al Pawlowski begins his 20th season as the play-by-play voice of Cleveland State men's basketball this season. Pawlowski has held many roles throughout his career in the Cleveland media market, he currently serves as a part time sports anchor at WKYC Channel 3 as well as the pre-and post-game host of "Guardians Live" throughout the baseball season. Pawlowski has won six Emmy Awards for his work on the pre-and post-game show and is the second-longest tenured current voice in the Horizon League. Wright State's Chris Collins is the lone broadcaster in the league who has served in his role longer.

UP NEXT

The Vikings remain on the road to take on Green Bay in the second leg of the Wisconsin road swing. The game against the Phoenix will tip at 3:00 p.m. EST from Green Bay's Resch Center.