Getting the Wisconsin away games out of the way in early December has to feel good for CSU. After losing a short-handed game to Milwaukee, CSU was able to bounce back and beat a Green Bay team missing the nation’s leading scorer. In all, it’s led to a .500 conference record to start.
Away Game at Milwaukee
What happens when a Vikings team playing without Jalin Rice, Reece Robinson, KJ Debrick, and Cole Franklin has two of their starters (and their top two scorers of the game) foul out? Nothing too fun for CSU.
The game started off with a larger lineup due to Franklin’s absence. Alongside normal starters Dylan Arnett, Ebrima Dibba, Tahj Staveskie, and Tevin Smith, fans saw Isaac Abidde once again in a starting role.
After Abidde’s encouraging six point and six rebound performance against Morehead State, he would again put up a nice game finishing with 11 points. One of his issues has been foul trouble (which will be discussed more below).
After a quick three by Milwaukee, Abidde immediately made his presence known with a dunk on a nice pass from Dibba. After a few missed threes to start for the Vikings long range shooting, it seemed to be business as usual for CSU.
Then on back-to-back possessions, Abidde and freshman standout Je’Shawn Stevenson hit threes. These shots gave the Vikes an early 8-7 lead and things were looking up.
But…Milwaukee was able to go on an 8-0 run and grab a 15-8 lead going into the second media timeout at exactly 12:00 left in the first half. Chase Robinson stopped the bleeding with two free throws out of the timeout.
A made jumper by Smith, another three (this one by Staveskie), and a layup by Stevenson tied the game at 17 with just over 10 minutes left in the half.
CSU and Milwaukee would trade baskets, fouls, free throws, turnovers, and every other basketball play throughout the next ten minutes culminating with a Stevenson layup with seven seconds to go. Heading into the locker rooms, CSU had 35 points and Milwaukee had 36.
Then out came the second half Vikings:
- A tip-in by Abidde
- A pair of missed foul shots by Milwaukee
- Another Abidde made shot
- A Smith dunk
- ANOTHER pair of missed foul shots by Milwaukee
Up 41-36, CSU looked in control. But that wasn’t to be the story of the game.
The Panthers would score the next nine points and never relinquish the lead.
A major factor in keeping the lead was Milwaukee getting to the line every few seconds. They finished 28-37 at the charity stripe. CSU finished 8-12.
On top of Milwaukee getting fouled a lot, short-handed CSU had Abidde and Smith foul out. With only eight Vikings playing (Danny Young only played five minutes and Abidde only played 13), they simply ran out of gas at the end.
Staveskie closed the gap to two points on another three with 2:38 left in the game. A slew of turnovers, missed shots, and fouls led to a 10-0 run by the Panthers to close out the game. 79-67 Milwaukee was the final score but the game was much more interesting than a 12-point loss. Either way it counted as 0-1 in the standings.
Key Takeaways:
- Outside of the insane discrepancy in free throws, CSU truly was shot better than Milwaukee. The Vikes had a better field goal percentage (47.4% to 44.2%) and somehow shot better from three (5-15 to 5-21).
- Rebounding was an issue for the Vikings for one of the only times this season. Without Debrick and Reece Robinson and missing other key pieces, they were out-rebounded 41-24 (19-9 offense rebounds). Arnett had nine but that was about it.
- CSU again set up a real full court press throughout the game. They obviously weren’t able to do this all game without a full squad, but this plan still looks effective for the team.
- 13-26. That’s not a shooting stats. That’s Milwaukee to CSU fouls. Between some touch fouls and some no calls, it truly looked a bit uneven. But playing men down already, CSU needed to be more careful. Either way, it wasn’t fun to watch the Panthers shoot free throws every few seconds.
- Stevenson continues to be a fun offensive threat. Finishing with 16 points (one behind Smith’s team-high 17), he also grabbed four rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes. He’s been impressive to watch so far.
Away Game at Green Bay
The story of this game has nothing to do with CSU. Instead of going up against the leading scorer in the nation, the Vikes throttled the Phoenix.
According to himself on X, Anthony Roy (averaging 28 points per game) missed shoot around and sat on the bench the entire game. Although the Phoenix would keep it close, the Vikings pressure on defense would prove to be too much.
With Franklin still out, the Vikings started the same five as against Milwaukee. One different factor in this game was the return of Reece Robinson and also Chaz Watson getting some productive minutes.
The Vikings jumped out to a quick 11-5 lead after a Stevenson three and Arnett adding two on a layup off another nice pass from Dibba.
The Phoenix would not be deterred and after a 10-point run, they found themselves atop the Vikings by four. The Vikes had the game tied a few minutes later and a quick layup and three by Stevenson found the Vikings up 20-17 at the 5:52 mark in the first half.
The last six minutes of the half would be an absolute onslaught from the outside for the Vikings. Three separate Vikings hit threes (Chase Robinson had two while Reece Robinson and Watson had one each). This shooting along with excellent defense forcing three turnovers led to a 37-24 Vikings lead at halftime.
Everyone watching the Vikings this season knows they come out of the locker room after half and play even better. Even with 37 points and a strong first half, they did so against Green Bay.
Two free throws off an offensive rebounds by Arnett grew the lead to 15 about a minute into the second half but it wouldn’t stop there. A slurry of turnovers by Green Bay and layups and free throws by the Vikes gave them a 20-point lead at the 13:05 mark.
BUT…it wouldn’t even stop there. The Phoenix closed the game to 15 but then CSU remembered Roy wasn’t playing and decided to go for the knockout punch. They brought their lead all the way to 27 points (what does Roy average again? 28?) with 4:21 left in the game. Even more impressive was this happened on another three by Chase Robinson.
Green Bay called a timeout at this point to regroup but the writing was on the wall. They couldn’t pull much closer and the final score was 83-61.
Key Takeaways:
- CSU went 10-23 from three point land. Watson had two while Stevenson and Chase Robinson each had three. That’s amazing and so refreshing after some of the early games in the season (specifically in Woodling Gymnasium).
- 17 assists for the Vikes. The ball has moved so well the last few games. Continuing to build on this is only going to lead to better looks and more points. Dibba had eight of these assists!
- 13 steals for the Vikings and 19 turnovers for the Phoenix. The Vikings defense is a problem when they’re all working together and getting in passing lanes.
- Four guys in double figures is exactly how this team will win. Stevenson made himself known yet again and scored 20 points.
- Fouls might still be an issue for the Vikings moving forward because of their physical defense. Abidde fouled out for the second game in a row (and after only seven minutes) and two others had four fouls. Surprisingly, Arnett had zero. Even with his scoring and rebounding improvement, his defense has been the biggest impact to the team as his blocks and ability to affect shots without fouling is fantastic.
Next up for the Vikings:
NAIA Brescia University comes to town Saturday to take on the Vikings in Woodling Gymnasium.
