The Cleveland State men's basketball team secured a spot in the Horizon League Tournament Semifinals after edging out Northern Kentucky with a 68-63 victory. Despite a less-than-stellar three-point shooting performance at 1-10, the Vikings managed to rally, shooting 45.3 percent from the field and were remarkably accurate from the free-throw line, hitting 19 of 22 attempts. Key players Dylan Arnett and Tevin Smith each contributed 16 points to the win, with Je'Shawn Stevenson supplying nine points off the bench, as reported by Cleveland19.
Looking to continue to ride their momentum, the Vikings are now set to square off against Youngstown State in the semifinals. This crucial matchup is slated for Monday, March 10, at 9:30 p.m. and will take place at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, with telecast coverage on ESPN2. Arnett, who also put up 10 rebounds and four blocks, will be expected to play a pivotal role alongside Smith, who impressively shot 4 of 9 from the field and made all eight of his free throws, the WKYC reported. The Vikings hope to appear in the conference finals for the fifth consecutive year.
The quarterfinal game against Northern Kentucky was a display of intense defense and physical play, with neither team scoring in the last five minutes until Northern Kentucky's Trey Robinson hit a crucial three-pointer. Chase Robinson of Cleveland State then found Smith for a key dunk in the final minutes, helping to seal the victory as the team converted free throws down the stretch. The Vikings' head coach, Daniyal Robinson, praised the team's efforts and defensive prowess in a win he described as a "war." He asserted, "It took everything we had," and commended the defensive strategies employed against Northern Kentucky's Dan Gherezgher, according to cleveland.com.
The Vikings have indeed made it clear they've learned their lesson from previous encounters with Northern Kentucky. Smith articulated how the team focused on running their opponents off the lines and containing playmakers like Gherezgher, who managed to score 15 points in their last matchup. "I think we did a very good job doing that," Smith told cleveland.com. With a solid game plan in place and execution to match, the Vikings head to Indianapolis with high stakes and higher hopes.
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