CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS

University Athletics News, Scores, Pictures

CLEVELAND -- George Tandy is a handy man.

The Cleveland State senior forward, the Vikings' sixth man for the first 15 games of the season, was called on to start against Detroit Mercy on Saturday. With sophomore D'Aundray Brown out with a shoulder injury, Tandy responded with nine points and five rebounds, along with two blocks and a steal in CSU's 53-44 win.

"I know my role," said Tandy, who played at Lincoln-West High as a senior. "I've started before, so it's anything to help the team. I have to make the most of my minutes."

Tandy started 24 games last season, averaging 4.2 points and rebounds. CSU coach Gary Waters had the luxury of going with the same starting five for the first half of the season.

"George helps our depth," said Waters, whose club stands 11-5 and 2-2 in the Horizon League. "But I felt we had to start off strong and I thought George played a great first half against Detroit."

With Brown's recovery on a day-to-day status, Waters said he is leaving his options open when it comes to the starting five.

Continue reading "Cleveland State Insider: Tandy delivers in rare starting opportunity" »

DETROIT -- Cleveland State was looking for the right kind of encore performance on Saturday. The Vikings got it.

For the second straight season, CSU was able to come home victorious against the University of Detroit Mercy, bouncing the Titans in Calihan Hall, 53-44. Since 1936, CSU and its Fenn College forerunner had to endure 21 straight losing trips to the Motor City before these two wins.

It also helped ease the angst of Tuesday's 71-62 loss at Wright State, a game in which the Vikings were anything but solid.

"It was a tale of two halves," said CSU coach Gary Waters, whose club led by 16 points early in the second half. "We played very well in the first and we were tentative in the second. They came after us."

The Titans did just that as they had the CSU lead down to 42-40 with five minutes to go. That's when the Vikings had to find a zone buster.

Continue reading "Motoring in Motown: CSU bounces back from loss to defeat Detroit Mercy, 53-44" »

In an ideal Cleveland State basketball world, the Vikings would not be spending too much time behind the new 20-foot, 9-inch 3-point arc. Coach Gary Waters said his club should average between 12 and 15 attempts per game.

So what were the Vikings thinking when they launched a season-high 27 long-distance shots, sinking four, in Tuesday's 71-62 loss at Wright State?

"They baited us and we fell into it," said Waters, whose club is in Detroit Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against the Titans.

Boy, did they.

It was especially true in the first half as the Raiders allowed CSU senior forward J'Nathan Bullock to roam free on the perimeter. Entering the game at 40 percent (14-for-35) on 3-pointers, Bullock could not zero in and made one triple in seven attempts. He finished 2-for-9 on 3-pointers as he led CSU with 23 points.

Freshman guard Trevon Harmon had some good looks, but could only go 1-for-8 beyond the line.

The Vikings rank ninth in the Horizon League in 3-point percentage at 27.5 (65-for-236). Wright State is last at 24.7 percent, but went 4-for-8 against CSU.

Continue reading "CSU Insider: Frustrated Vikings know beating the Titans can't be such a long shot" »

FAIRBORN, Ohio -- Winning with defense is one thing. But throwing in a little consistency on offense along the way sure helps.

Cleveland State just did not have enough of the latter, especially in the first half, as the Vikings lost to Wright State, 71-62, on Tuesday night at the Nutter Center.

As they usually do, the Vikings (10-5) hung tough on the defensive side to make this one closer than it might have been. But having to play from behind from start to finish was just too much to overcome.

"Coming from behind is hard against someone in their home gym," said CSU sophomore guard Norris Cole, whose club trailed by 13 points in the first half. "Getting off to a slow start, it's something we have to keep working on. We had a lot of breakdowns."

Continue reading "Punchless in first half, Vikings fall flat against Wright State, 71-62" »

Norris Cole was able to spend a few days at home during Christmas. The Cleveland State sophomore men's basketball player returns to his Dayton-area roots tonight when the Vikings (10-4, 1-1 Horizon League) take on Wright State (6-7, 0-2 HL) at the Nutter Center in suburban Fairborn.

Cole, who helped Dayton Dunbar High win consecutive state titles, said he will have plenty of family and friends on hand. He also knows the Raiders, picked to finish second behind the Vikings in the Horizon league, are desperate for a conference win after losing their first two.

Continue reading "CSU's Cole feels he's right at home" »

The Cleveland State men's basketball game against Notre Dame College lived up to expectations on Saturday afternoon. It was not much of one.

The Vikings dominated as they should, drilling the overmatched NAIA Falcons from South Euclid, 91-40, during the matinee at the Wolstein Center. CSU's fifth straight win served its purpose of getting all 13 Vikings into the scoring column, the bench players supplying 43 points.

"Some folks might be wondering why we are playing a team of this magnitude," said CSU coach Gary Waters, referring to the non-Division I opponent. "People need to play and get some experience on the floor and we were able to do that today.

"We gave an area school a chance to come in and play. We've already played some tough teams and this gave us a chance to get some rest."

CSU (10-4) did not get much of a challenge from the visitors, who had this one scheduled as an exhibition. The Falcons (9-4) missed their first nine shots and trailed 17-1 after six minutes. It was 40-17 at halftime as Waters used his entire roster.

Continue reading "Vikings enjoy a hoops holiday with lopsided victory over Notre Dame College, 91-40" »

CLEVELAND -- Defense wins. That was explicitly displayed Tuesday night as Cleveland State had no mercy on Kent State, winning in every defensive category starting on the scoreboard, 67-41.

The 67 points was actually among the lowest point totals KSU had allowed this season. But it came on a night when the Vikings' defense made it tough for the Golden Flashes to throw it in the ocean, as they shot 29.6 percent. The point total was the fewest for a KSU team since a 70-45 loss to Miami, March 2, 2005.

CSU out-rebounded Kent, 46-36, including 17-13 on the offensive boards. CSU had more steals, 9-7. CSU forced more turnovers, 15-13. CSU had more assists, 14-6. Even on a bad night at the line for both teams, CSU was better than Kent at the free throws, 53.8 percent to 38.9.

Once CSU took a 26-11 lead, Kent had one chance to get back into the game. But on back-to-back possessions Kent lost a fast-break layup out of bounds, then had a layup blocked at the rim. With nothing happening against CSU's halfcourt defense, the game was over and it wasn't even halftime.

Continue reading "Stat wars: Vikings dominate the scoresheet in routing the Golden Flashes" »