Cleveland State's Basketball Journey Continues with Green Bay Clash

Game Overview

The Cleveland State men's basketball team started the game slowly and faced some foul trouble. Tevin Smith led the Vikings with 17 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field. He also added three steals, three rebounds, and one assist. Je'Shawn Stevenson poured in 16 points, with Isaac Abidde and Tahj Staveskie each adding 11. Stevenson's total was two shy of his career high, and Abidde recorded a season high with 11 points.

Milwaukee jumped out to a seven-point advantage in the early going, leading 15-8 at the 12-minute mark of the first half. But the Panthers responded with a 9-2 spurt to pull back to even at 17-17. Stevenson capped the run with a finish at the rim off a Milwaukee turnover. The Panthers slowly went back in front and closed the half with a surge, hitting their final three field goal attempts to draw back within one at halftime. Stevenson nailed a jumper with seven seconds remaining to give the Vikings momentum heading into the locker room trailing 36-35.

Second Half Action

Cleveland State continued the surge coming out of the halftime break, scoring the first six points of the second half to open up their largest lead of the night. Abidde recorded the first two buckets and Smith threw down a two-hand dunk to put CSU up 41-36 just under two minutes into the second half. Milwaukee responded with a 9-0 run to re-take the lead, but the Panthers kept the lead in single digits and drew within one possession multiple times throughout the remainder of the game. A Staveskie three with 2:38 remaining trimmed the margin to two at 69-67, but the Panthers finished the game on a 10-0 run.

Milwaukee used a decisive edge at the free throw line and in the rebounding category to earn the victory. The Vikings were whistled for 26 fouls, leading to 37 Milwaukee free throw attempts. The Panthers converted on 28 of those tries for a 75 percent clip, while the Vikings finished 8-for-12 at the charity stripe. Milwaukee finished with a 41-24 edge on the glass.

Next Matchup

Cleveland State continues its road swing through Wisconsin with a matchup against Green Bay scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The Vikings and Phoenix will tip off at 3:00 PM EST from Green Bay's Resch Center. Fans can look forward to another exciting game as the team continues to battle on the court.