SETTING THE SCENE
The Vikings return from their eight-day layoff with the annual two-game swing through Wisconsin, starting with Green Bay on Friday, followed by Milwaukee on Sunday. Heading into the game, Cleveland State has won two consecutive games and is 7-14 overall and 3-7 in Horizon League play, while the Phoenix are 12-10 overall and 7-4 in league contests.
A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD…
Extend the Cleveland State winning streak to the longest of the season with three…Start the Wisconsin trip with a win since the 2022-23 season…Make it a Vikings win in four of the last five meetings…Consecutive wins in the Resch Center.
FIRST WEEKLY HONOR OF THE YEAR GOES TO….
Dayan Nessah was named Horizon League Player of the Week after leading the Vikings in every statistical category in the win at Wright State. The sophomore finished with a season-and-game-best 31 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. He has reached double digits in 16 games this season. Nessah also pulled down a game-best ten rebounds for his team-leading third double-double of the year. Lastly, Nessah dished out a game-tying five assists.
LAST GAME OUT
The Green and White picked up its first road win of the season and first under Coach Summers at first-place Wright State, 85-79, on January 21. The Vikings had four double-digit scorers, led by Horizon League Player of the Week,
Dayan Nessah, with game-bests of 31 points, ten rebounds, and five assists.
Tre Beard finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and
Jaidon Lipscomb chipped in 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Both Beard and Lipscomb connected on four three-pointers.
Chevalier Emery came off the bench with ten points.
Cleveland State carried a 40-33 advantage into the half and took its largest lead of the game, 47-37, on a Beard three-pointer. Wright State answered back with an 18-0 run to reclaim a 55-47 lead with 10:44 remaining in regulation. The Vikings played from behind until Nessah converted on a layup while being fouled, tying the game at 65-65 with 5:49 showing. An 8-3 run in favor of the Vikings put them back on top 73-68 at the 3:38 mark. The advantage stood until Wright State claimed its final lead of the game, 79-77, with 1:17 left in the contest. However, the Vikings closed the game with the final eight points to win 85-79.
#THROWBACK TO FIRST MEETING
Cleveland State had a strong first half leading 40-37 at halftime and not trailing until 45-43, with 17:45 to go in the second half. The Green and White had three double-digit scorers on the night, led by
Tre Beard with 18 points.
Dayan Nessah dropped 16 points, and
Preist Ryan followed with ten points.
ABOUT THE PHOENIX
Green Bay is 1-2 since these two teams last met and are coming off a 71-67 win at Robert Morris on January 24. The Phoenix are 12-10 overall and 7-4 in league contests, which includes a 6-2 mark at home. Four players average double-digit points, led by Marcus Hall with 13.5 points per game and CJ O'Hara is close behind with 13.3 points per game. Marcus Hall is the top rebounder with 102, averaging 5.4 boards per game. Preston Ruedinger has dished out 117 assists. On the defensive end, CJ O'Hara has a team-best 20 steals, and Ramel Bethea has 25 blocked shots.
OVER/UNDER FOR THE WIN
The Vikings are 5-0 this season when shooting better than 50 percent from the field, eclipsing that mark in the last two victories against Youngstown State and Wright State.
LEADING THE WAY FOR THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State has four double-digit scorers, led by
Dayan Nessah with 15.4 points per game on 56.0 percent shooting.
Tre Beard is close behind with 13.8 points, followed by
Chevalier Emery at 12.3 points, and
Jaidon Lipscomb with 10.4 points per game.
Nessah has pulled down 124 total boards to top the squad, while
Preist Ryan has grabbed 40 offensive boards. Lipscomb is top in assists with 58.
DIGGING INTO THE LEAGUE
Jaidon Lipscomb and
Tre Beard are the top two players in three-point field goal percentage. Lipscomb is shooting 43.9 percent from beyond the arc while Beard is just behind him at 43.7 percent shooting from three-point range.
LETTING IT FLY FROM DEEP
Through 21 games this season, Cleveland State has made 217 three-pointers along with a league-best 37 percent mark. Beard has made a team-best 54 which is third in the league. Lipscomb is next with 49 made three-pointers, ranking sixth.
NESSAH NAILING IT
Nessah is eighth in the league, averaging 15.40 points per game, and is fifth in the league with 6.20 rebounds per game. The sophomore has reached the 20-point plateau in five games and the 30-point mark in one game.
BEARD BIG IN AREAS
Beard averages 13.83 points per game which is 17th in the league and averages 3.00 assists per game which is 14th in the Horizon League. He is second in free throw percentage at 88 percent, and tops in three-point percentage at 45 percent.
PROTECTING THE PAINT
Pierre-Louis has 23 blocks this season, averaging 1.28 per game, which ranks fourth in the league.
RYAN GETS THE REBOUND
Ryan has 40 offensive boards which is tied for 12th in the league.
UP NEXT
The Vikings complete the second part of the Wisconsin trip on Sunday, February 1 at Milwaukee with a start time of 3 p.m.
