CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS

University Athletics News, Scores, Pictures

Cleveland State knows about being in the zone. It's the only defense the Vikings' offense has seen for much of this young season.

However, when CSU (5-2, 1-0 Horizon League) faces undefeated Butler (5-0) Thursday night at the Wolstein Center, the Vikings will likely get a different look. The Bulldogs, the stingiest team in the conference by holding opponents to 49.6 points per game, like to play it straight up.

"Butler is a man-to-man [defense]," said CSU coach Gary Waters, whose club has won four straight. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they went to the zone."

But even that may not be the way to go. After shooting 34 percent during their 1-2 start, CSU is connecting on nearly half (112-of-228) of its shots.

The biggest zone buster has been senior forward J'Nathan Bullock, who is averaging 19.2 points on 54-percent shooting during the winning streak.

Lisa DeJong/The Plain DealerCleveland State's Cedric Jackson (11) dunks home two points in the Vikings' easy victory over Valparaiso Tuesday night at the Wolstein Center.

Just ask Valparaiso coach Homer Drew after the Vikings flustered his Crusaders at every turn to win the Horizon League opener in stifling fashion, 66-42. When CSU wasn't solving the visitors' zone defense by going to senior forward J'Nathan Bullock for 29 points, the Vikings were forcing 22 turnovers that turned into 31 even easier points.

You would have to nitpick to find much wrong with this CSU effort.

"I felt our guys were focused, especially on the defensive end," said CSU coach Gary Waters, whose 5-2 club won its fourth straight. "In the first half we held them to 20 percent [shooting] and that tells you these guys were ready to play defense."

With Bullock connecting along the baseline on a variety of jumpers for 16 points, the Vikings built a 31-14 advantage after 20 minutes. The Crusaders (2-4), who dropped their fourth straight, missed from near and far as they went 5-for-25 from the field, 1-for-9 on 3-pointers.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerCleveland State freshman basketball player Charlie Woods is happy just to be able to hold a basketball, let alone play the game after suffering extensive skull fractures in a preseason workout.

Tuesday night: Cleveland State vs. Valparaiso, 7, Wolstein Center.

Well, no it wasn't.

On the second day of Cleveland State's fall basketball practice, freshmen Charlie Woods and Trevon Harmon went after a loose ball. They collided at full speed, Woods' head to Harmon's chest. Both crumpled to the practice floor.

All of the CSU players and coaching staff thought Woods absorbed the big shot, likely breaking his nose at worst. But it was worse.

Even though there was only a trickle of blood, Woods knew something was wrong. So did CSU trainer Eddie Benion.

Woods' forehead was caved in, and his right eye socket fractured. Paramedics were on the way. He would have extraordinary surgery a week later.

"I think I was on the ground," said Woods, a 6-7 string bean of a forward at 170 pounds from Lansing, Mich. "Everyone said they heard a popping sound. A couple people said my nose was broken, but there was only a little blood from my nose."

Making a few shots makes all the difference.

Cleveland State will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday night's Horizon League opener against Valparaiso, thanks to finally finding the basket.

In losing two of their first three, the Vikings shot a terrible 34 percent from the field. In dispatching Saint Leo, Toledo and host Florida International during last week's CBE Classic, the Vikings (4-2) found the mark just over half the time (86 for 171).

CSU's one-two punch of seniors J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson got back in the groove while in Florida. Bullock, who was 10-for-35 after three games, averaged 16 points on 47-percent shooting. Jackson, who had been 9-for-42, was even better at 12-for-22 while averaging 11.3 points.

"I just wasn't taking my time," said Jackson of his shaky start. "It wasn't trying to do too much, it was just not executing and it cost us. I'm just going to take my time."

Bullock was named the HL's player of the week for his Florida efforts.

Men

Akron 85, Fairleigh Dickinson 41

Nate Linhart came off the bench to score 19 points and grab seven rebounds as the Zips (4-2) routed the Knights (0-5) in a Legends Classic game in Hackensack, N.J.

Brett McKnight and Anthony Hitchens both added 12 points for Akron, which hit 47.1 percent from the field and forced Fairleigh Dickinson to commit 22 turnovers.

The Zips, who opened the game with a 20-7 run and jumped out to a 43-23 lead at the break, was in command from the start and held double-digit leads for most of the game.

For sheer sports entertainment, the John Carroll-Cleveland State college wrestling match was a true barn burner Tuesday night at JCU's DeCarlo Varsity Center.

The Vikings emerged as a 25-17 winner because their best wrestler, senior heavyweight Rashard Goff, pinned junior Tim Lambert in a half nelson at 4:47 in the final bout of the evening. CSU is now 3-1 in dual meets, and the Blue Streaks are 1-1.

Both teams wrestled aggressively. CSU got decisions from freshmen Jordan Keller (125 pounds) and Lawrence Cavello (141) and sophomore Josh Palivoda (133), a superior decision from senior J.T. Miller (174), a forfeit for freshman Corey Carlo (157) and Goff's pin.

Keller, a national high school champion from Kansas, used a low double-leg, snap-and-spin behind and barrel-roll for takedowns, three reversals, plus riding time to impressively beat senior Elie Naoum, 13-6.

"We wrestled well most of the time, but were inconsistent in some matches," CSU rookie coach Ben Stehura said. "It'll help when we get Rob Michaels [157], Alek Hughes [184] and Derek Cummins [184] back from injuries. Watch Keller. He gets better as a match goes on, and even though he's a true freshman, I think he'll be in the mix at 125 towards the end of the season.

"Goff sets an example as to how to attack and wrestle aggressively. He's got great leg attacks, and he's making the right steps towards All-America status at the NCAA Tournament."

MIAMI, FLA.-- Gary Waters should sleep well tonight. After all, the third year Viking head coach had an awful lot of questions get answered in Tuesday afternoon's 77-56 win over Toledo in the second round of the Miami regional of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

The first was about the CSU offense, which had struggled during the first four games. The Vikings shot a season-high .545 from the field (30-55), were a productive four-for-10 from three-point (.400) and made 13 of their 17 free throws (.765) in scoring a season high 77 points.

Waters also saw the real Cedric Jackson and not the one who struggled to shoot 28-percent from the field in the first four games. Jackson flirted with posting the first triple-double in school history, finishing with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while adding a season-high five steals for good measure.

Five Vikings scored in double figures with senior Chris Moore leading the way by matching his career high with 17 points while Norris Cole, J'Nathan Bullock and Montgomery each added 10 points.

"Chris has really come alive the last couple of games," Waters said. "When he plays like the way he did tonight, he makes us that much tougher as a team to defend against.

Tyrone Kent led Toledo with 22 points, 16 of which came in the second half, while Justin Anyijong added 10 points.

The Vikings, who improved to 3-2, have little time to celebrate the win, returning to the court on Wednesday to end a stretch that has had them play four games in five days when CSU takes on host Florida International at 7:30 p.m.