Cleveland State took care of Oakland on Thursday night with a 92-75 win to improve to 2-1 in league play. The Vikings committed a program record low three turnovers and balanced that with 21 assists on 34 made field goals. Tevin Smith had a career night finishing with 37 points on 63 percent shooting from the field. Tahj Staveskie added 20 points including a career best six made three-point field goals and Chase Robinson set a new season high with 14 points. Cleveland State led the entire second half in rolling to the double-digit win. 

VIKINGS CRUISE PAST BRESCIA IN NON-LEAGUE ACTION

Cleveland State downed Brescia this past weekend inside Woodling Gymnasium, cruising to a 103-37 win. The Vikings yielded just 11 points after halftime and held the Bearcats scoreless for the game's final ten minutes. The win is the second largest margin of victory in program history and the Vikings also set a new program high with 15 made three-pointers in the win. Je'Shawn Stevenson led a group of five players in double figures with 17 points. Reece Robinson finished with his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. 

STEVENSON EARNS FOURTH STRAIGHT #HLMBB FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Je'Shawn Stevenson continued his strong play throughout the start of the season last week and earned his fourth straight Horizon League Freshman of the Week award. Stevenson has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and seven overall this season. He tallied 12 points in Sunday's win against Wright State, finishing 4-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. 

SMITH NAMED #HLMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tevin Smith joined Je'Shawn Stevenson in the weekly award category as the two combined to sweep the Horizon League's weekly awards on Monday, December 23. Both players had strong performances in Cleveland State's victories the previous week. Smith took home the Player of the Week award after averaging 24 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Smith scored a career-high 37 points in the win over Oakland, the most scored in a game by a Horizon League student-athlete up to that point this season. He finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line for the week.  
 

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS

IU Indianapolis is 5-11 and 1-4 in Horizon League play headed into Saturday's game. The Jaguars won their opening league contest against Green Bay but have dropped the next four league contests since. The Jags feature a new-look roster under first-year head coach Paul Corsaro. Corsaro took over the head coaching job this past offseason after a four-year run at the University of Indianapolis as head coach. Corsaro graduated from UIndy and served two separate stints there with the first coming as an assistant coach before returning to take the head coaching job. Corsaro brought five players with him from UIndy, with all five playing major roles on this year's team. 

CLEVELAND STATE SPLITS CONFERENCE-OPENING ROAD TRIP IN WISCONSIN

Cleveland State split last week's road trip in Wisconsin to open Horizon League play. The Vikings fell at Milwaukee on Thursday before rebounding with a 22-point win at Green Bay on Saturday. The game against Milwaukee was much closer than the final margin indicated, with the Vikings trailing by just two points with under three minutes to play before a 10-0 Panther run to close the game. In the Green Bay game, Cleveland State set a new season best for three-point field goals made in a game with 10 and Je'Shawn Stevenson recorded a career-high 20 points. Cleveland State out-rebounded Green Bay and recorded 47 points from its bench, the second highest total of the season. 

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. 

HOME SWEET HOME

Cleveland State has made a habit of protecting its home court throughout the last two seasons. The Vikings are 7-2 at home to start this season and finished 14-3 at home in the 2023-24 season as well as a 34-8 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. 

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.  

UP NEXT

Cleveland State returns to the road for the first of two games away from home next week. The Vikings visit Robert Morris on Wednesday, January 7 for a 7:00 tip off against the Colonials.