Depth made a difference as the Cleveland State men’s basketball team survived a second-half letdown to post a 75-67 victory over Oakland Dec. 28 at Wolstein Center.
Senior guard Drew Lowder finished with a team-high 15 points to lead a balanced attack as the Vikings upped their records to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the Horizon League.
Also scoring in double figures for the Vikings were junior forward Jayson Woodrich (Beachwood) with 14 points, senior guard Tae Williams with 13 points and junior guard Tevin Smith with 11 points.
Oakland slipped to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in the Horizon League.
The tone for the game was set in the first half as CSU used an aggressive, swarming defense to befuddle the Golden Grizzlies and build a 41-23 lead at halftime.
CSU shot 47 percent from the field while limiting Oakland to six field goals and 21 percent shooting.
“That was the best half we’ve played this season, offensively and defensively,” CSU coach Daniyal Robinson said. “It was the difference in the game.”
That surge in the first half was notable, too, because the Vikings played all but a few minutes of the half minus the services of senior forward Tristan Enaruna.
The Horizon League Player of the Year candidate who is averaging a team-high 18.7 points was limited to one point in the first half and eight points for the game.
Oakland got off to a better start in the second half, using a 15-3 run to close the gap to 44-38 after six minutes. Another rum of 11-4 by the Golden Grizzlies shaved CSU’s lead to 58-54.
But when push came to shove down the stretch, the Vikings rallied to to fend off the comeback bid by the visitors from suburban Detroit.
Junior forward Chris Conway paced Oakland with 14 points.
“I give Oakland credit for not laying down after the first half,” Robinson said. “We took their best punch and didn’t break. That’s a sign of growth.”
It was the 16th straight home win for the Vikings. CSU returns to action Dec. 31 at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Tipoff is 2 p.m.
