It was bound to happen at some point in this congested league. Cleveland State is sliding a bit while losing three out of their last four games. This week saw the Vikings lose at home to both Robert Morris and Youngstown State. What can be learned from these contests and what does the rest of the season look like for them?
Home game vs. Robert Morris (18-8, 10-5 HL)
As with the last few weeks, CSU rolled out the regular starters of Tevin Smith, Tahj Staveskie, Ebrima Dibba, Dylan Arnett, and Reece Robinson. Robert Morris was looking for revenge after an 11-point loss a month ago at RMU, but CSU came out looking good.
After misses on both ends to start the frame, Arnett and Staveskie put in shots to go up 4-0 before a 7-2 run by the Colonials put the Vikings behind 7-6 at the under-16 minute timeout.
It was then time for a patented CSU offensive run as they would score the next nine points. This run all started with a good find by Dibba to Arnett before a Robinson dish (Chase) for a Robinson dunk (Reece). Reece Robinson scored again before Staveskie hit a three and the Vikings saw themselves up 15-7.
This wouldn’t be enough to run away from the Colonials. Amarion Dickerson responded with his own three for RMU before Alvaro Folgueiras connected on another three to cut the deficit to two.
The offense for the Vikings continued to click as Smith backed down the RMU defense for a nice bucket. Cole Franklin also found Arnett for a basket and Je’Shawn Stevenson continued to pour it on with a bucket and free throw. It was déjà vu as Franklin again found Arnett and Arnett slammed it through.
Another Arnett basket on a putback plus a free throw and then another Staveskie three had the Vikings cruising up 30-20.
RMU would not go quietly as they went on a 6-0 run to end the half. The Colonials actually had another chance but couldn’t convert on their last possession so the Vikings led 30-26 at halftime.
The second half began with RMU continuing their march to tie the score. Staveskie did make a great pass to Arnett for a bucket and foul but he missed the free throw. The Colonials hit a three to close the gap but Reece Robinson made a nice move and Smith hit a stepback to put the Vikings up five.
RMU went on a mini-run of four points before a Dibba jumper. Then it finally happened. RMU hit a three to tie the score at 38.
Another three put RMU up 43-40 a few moments later. Staveskie split a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two but another(!) three by the Colonials had the Vikings down five and on the ropes.
Stevenson threw in a lefty floater but with 11 minutes to play, the Vikings were down three and in serious offensive trouble. The teams traded some free throws and then KJ Debrick came through with a monster block on one end and a layup on the other. A dunk by Reece Robinson had the Vikings back on top by one with 8:31 to go.
The next two minutes saw some back-and-forth before yet another three by RMU put them up two and they would not relinquish the lead again.
The deficit slowly grew to five (at the last media timeout) then eight after RMU got fouled after making a basket. They missed the free throw but got the rebound as well as another basket.
An alley-oop put the Vikings down 11 and there was no magic at the Wolstein Center to be had. The final showed 68-59, advantage Colonials. RMU had gotten their revenge.
Key takeaways:
- Arnett finished with 16 points and eight boards. Outside of that, Staveskie had 11 points and Reece Robinson finished with 10. The worst part about the offense was a putrid 2-16 from three.
- RMU had 16 offensive rebounds. They controlled the ball most of the game and got the ball in important moments. CSU head coach Daniyal Robinson had something to say about this after that game. “There’s a lot of work to be done left in this season. And so you know, I think the urgency, I think could be a tick better.”
- RMU had 13 fast break points while CSU only had four. This definitely points to the speed at which the team is currently playing. As this discrepancy was also the point differential, a faster pace might have helped the Vikings.
- CSU had a respectable 13 assists (RMU had 17) but the ball does not seem to be moving at the same speed as when they were on their winning streak. This led to a lot of long possessions. Coach Robinson gave some credit to RMU for this stagnation on offense. “We’re normally comfortable running deep into the clock, and I think with their length, they switched out a lot. They made us make an extra pass, [and] they did a great job of being in help and having us kick it out, and so we had some guys that were handling the ball at times late in the clock where we were off a little bit.”
- The defense could not stop the top scorers for RMU. They only shot 30.8% from three but that meant eight made shots. They also got to the basket with relative ease compared to other Horizon League teams against CSU. Some unlucky rebounding, some bad rebounding, some slow closeouts, and other factors led to some easy baskets for the Colonials.
Home game vs. Youngstown State (17-10, 11-5 HL)
The Battle of Northeast Ohio Part 2. Last time these teams met, EJ Farmer didn’t play for the Penguins and CSU ran YSU out of their own building. This time Farmer played and the opposite happened.
CSU again went with their normal starters and YSU got on the board first. Arnett allowed everyone at the Wolstein to sit down with a two of his own and Staveskie added a great drive to put the Vikings up super early.
Farmer showed his presence early with a three before Dibba made a great pass for a Smith dunk. There was also some sloppy play by both teams so the score sat at 7-6 at the first timeout with YSU holding the slim lead.
Both teams went on five-point runs highlighted by a YSU three by Cris Carol to tie the game as the shot clock expired. A three from Chase Robinson took back the lead for CSU and Arnett rolled beautifully to the basket for a dunk.
Penguin Siem Uijtendaal (who pushed off his defender with no whistle) made it a one-point game at 22-21. Gabe Dynes hit two free throws, Juwan Maxey hit a three, and YSU was up 28-24.
Arnett had another bucket but at halftime the Vikings were down 30-27. Arnett started the second half off nicely with a basket as well but YSU continued to get to the basket and Maxey was fouled.
Slowly, just like the RMU game, the Vikings saw themselves down seven and then down ten.
The Vikings came to life one last time as Arnett threw down a dunk and was fouled. He missed the free throw but Stevenson got a breakaway for a dunk and The Wolstein was alive.
Smith added a layup before a Dynes offensive foul and Stevenson layup made it a five-point game. Staveskie made it a four-point game with a three but YSU stopped the run. Two buckets put them back up eight.
Somehow, the Vikings continued to score and it was suddenly a two-point game with 2:51 to go. At this point it was 62-60. CSU did not score again. They had plenty of open looks and forced some turnovers but they couldn’t connect on any shots. In the end, after some fouls, YSU had also gotten their revenge 68-60.
Key takeaways:
- YSU went 20-26 at the line including 8-8 in the first half. CSU went 13-19. In such a close game, those points were important.
- Adding to free throws, YSU hit six threes (out of 14) while CSU only made three (out of 20). The shots just did not fall for CSU. Smith after the game said they got good looks but “I think it’s just a confidence thing to me. [It’s] just knocking it down and knowing it’s gonna go in before you shoot it.”
- CSU could not stop Penguin Nico Galette. He finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Coach Robinson spoke about Galette after the game. “He played with some force tonight and then when we double-teamed him, he got it out to their shooters and they re-attacked.“
- Although the Vikings and Penguins both finished with 30 points in the paint, the Vikings had a hard time getting to the basket for the first 30 minutes of the game. what was different in the final 10 minutes? “It was the urgency. It was our urgency, and our back was against the wall,” said Coach Robinson after the game. “Our back was against the wall and sometimes […]when you’ve played so well for so long, you feel like, it’ll come, it’ll come.“
- CSU has now dropped three out of four games and is only a half a game up on the second place teams. With four games left, the Vikings need to find their shot again. Back-to-back games with 59 and 60 points isn’t going to do it. In both they still only gave up 68 points but the offense just wasn’t good enough.
Next up for the Vikings:
CSU (18-9, 12-4 HL) travels to Detroit Mercy (8-19, 4-12 HL) Friday at 7 PM EDT before heading to Oakland (12-15, 9-7 HL) Sunday at 3 PM EDT.
