For one half, and with plenty of energy permeating through The Jungle, the Indiana University Indianapolis men’s basketball team looked like a legitimate threat to beat 1st-place Cleveland State.
The lead for IU Indy was 33-31 at halftime after storming to a 10-2 run in the final 3:22 of the opening frame. It had been a 3-pointer by junior forward Sean Craig that put the Jaguars in front, and then after a Vikings’ layup by Dylan Arnett, Paul Zilinskas hit another 3–the 6th lead change of the half–before scoring on both ends of the court dried up for the final 56 seconds of the half.
Cleveland State had their own run in them, though, and it would be definitive. The home team was able to extend the lead to as much as 38-31 on a Zilinskas lay-up 57 seconds into the second half, but then it was all Vikings.
The Cleveland State formula is one of balance, but if you’re looking for the critical roster names during the 21-1 run, go no farther on the offensive and defensive sides than Arnett and senior guards Tevin Smith and Ebrima Dibba. The trio would become a terror for the next several minutes, with Arnett contributing 5 points, 2 rebounds, a block and a steal, while Smith chipped in 6 points, 3 steals and a rebound, and Dibba added 5 points, 2 rebounds, an assist and a steal to put Cleveland State up 47-39.
“Mainly just live-ball turnovers,” IU Indy first-year coach Paul Corsaro diagnosed as the problem during that consequential stretch of the game. “You’ve got to finish with a shot…You’re better off shooting a bad shot then throwing it to the other team, you know, because it leads to transition offense, and there’s no such thing as transition defense for live-ball turnovers. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
The Jaguars found their way to end the disastrous run, but it was an unorthodox and maybe even desperate measure, as it cost them their coach for the final 12:05 of the game. On a Zilinskas drive into the lane and a leaner that didn’t go, there was contact but no whistle.
“(Paul) clearly got undercut,” Corsaro said after the game.
He had explained that perspective to the referee as well, but with a bit more animation, and had been rewarded with two technical fouls.
Assistant Coach Mike Burris handled the head coaching duties the rest of the way, and after Vikings redshirt sophomore Tahj Staveskie hit all 4 free throws, the two teams played nearly even the rest of the way to a 73-62 final.
The win extended Cleveland State’s win streak to 10.
“They fought hard,” Corsaro said about his team after watching the rest of the game from the locker room. “And I thought everyone did the best they could, given the circumstances.”
IU Indy was led in the scoring column by Zilinskas and Craig with 13 and 12, respectively, and the Jags are in action again this Wednesday in Wisconsin against a Doug Gottlieb-led Green Bay club that is working on a streak that is quite the opposite of Cleveland State: they’ve lost 15 in a row.
