Fairborn, OH-The Cleveland State men's basketball team dropped a tough 82-76 decision to Wright State on Thursday night at WSU's Nutter Center. The Vikings fall to 19-11 overall and 13-6 in the Horizon League with one regular season game remaining.
The Vikings built a double-digit lead in the first half and held the lead for the majority of the contest but struggled down the stretch. Wright State closed the game on a 17-4 run to take the lead and secure the victory.
Dylan Arnett led a trio of Cleveland State players in double figures registering a career-best 20 points. Arnett finished a near perfect 10-for-11 from the field including hitting all eight attempts in the first half. He added eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Tevin Smith had 15 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor. Smith connected on 2-for-3 from the free throw line and finished with three assists.
Isaac Abidde made his return to the starting lineup and tallied 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor. Abidde scored in double figures for the third time this season and made his ninth start.
Wright State scored the first points of the game before Cleveland State countered with a 10-0 run to open up an eight-point lead in the game's opening minutes.
The Vikings built the lead as high as 16 late in the first half as Arnett scored on a layup with 1:43 to play to make it 43-27 with 1:49 to play. Cleveland State led 45-31 at the break.
Wright State slowly clawed back in the second half trimming the deficit to single digits, but the Vikings remained in front until the closing minutes. An Arnett dunk with 5:25 to play made it a seven-point margin with Cleveland State ahead 72-65.
Cleveland State scored just four more points the rest of the way as Wright State closed the game on a 17-4 run to take the lead and close out the victory.
Cleveland State returns home for the final regular season contest of the 2024-25 season as the Vikings host Purdue Fort Wayne on Senior Day. The game is scheduled to tip at 4:00 and will air live nationally on ESPN2.
