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Photo courtesy of Joshua Gunter - PD
Cleveland State 56, Detroit 43 (box)
I was happy to be down as the Wolstein Center for Horizon League Tournament first round action last night, expecting to see an easy walk-over by the 22-10, third-seeded Cleveland State Vikings. After all, Detroit came to town at 2-14 in the conference, losers of six straight, and had been swept this season by the Vikes with relative ease. Everyone in the building was thinking the exact same thing just before tip-off; everyone except the Titans and their coach Ray McCallum.
Late in the first half, the UDM’s Thomas Kennedy hit back to back jumpers off of back to back Cleveland State turnovers, and the Titans were within one at 22-21. At the half, CSU was up just one. Adjustments had to be made, especially on Kennedy, who hit five of his first seven shots and was heating up. Coach Gary Waters went to a box and one on Kennedy, locking him down with a combination of Trey Harmon and Horizon League Defensive Player of the year Cedric Jackson.
It worked.
Meanwhile, the stagnant Viking offense, which went just 1-6 from deep in the first half, woke up behind the All-Conference duo of Jackson and J’Nathan Bullock. Jackson sliced and diced his way through the tough Titan defense for 16 points, including a key basket and one with the score tied at 27, leading to the big 29-16 game-ending run that sealed the W. Bullock was lethal on the glass, snagging a game-high 13 boards and being hands-down the most physical player on the court (his collison with referree Lamont Simpson put the official on the sideline for the rest of the game with what looked like a serious knee injury). His shooting was off (4-12, 1-5 on threes), but his presence killed any inside opportunities Detroit attempted. Harmon’s hit huge three stretched the lead to eight at 39-31 with 10:32 left and the Titans never got close again.
Kennedy who was so good in the first half, scored just two points after the break and became a complete non-factor thanks to Waters decision to go box and one on him. “It’s something they did to him in our earlier meeting in Detroit,” McCallum told me after the game. “He’s a dangerous weapon I had to shy away from team defense and just shut him down,” said Jackson of Kennedy, who led UDM with 12. With Kennedy locked down, the other Titan shooters failed to step up. The Vikings calling card – their defense – controlled the second stanza. They outrebounded UDM 32-23 and held the Titans to 38% shooting, and just 1-6 from beyond the arc. “We weren’t in a panic,” said Bullock, “We just kept defending and the game was ours.”
An offensive masterpiece, this game was not. But as they say in tournament play, “survive and advance.” That is exactly what the Vikes did. They didn’t have their “A” game and they still pulled off a double digit win on their home floor. In the Horizon League Tournament format, the top two seeds (#1 Butler and #2 Green Bay) get automatic byes into the semi-finals (televised on ESPNU), which take place Saturday night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. CSU travels there for Friday’s quarterfinal matchup with 16-14 UIC, who knocked off Youngstown State 73-68 last night. The Vikings won both tilts with UIC during the regular season.
