CSU falls to Milwaukee, loses shot at regular season conference title

Cleveland State controlled their own destiny, and then they fumbled it away. The Vikings beat Green Bay in an overtime thriller Friday night, but fell to the Milwaukee Panthers 66-60 Sunday afternoon in the second leg of their two-game Wisconsin road trip. The loss ends CSU’s hopes for the regular season Horizon League title,¹ though they can still get the No. 2 seed and a double bye in the conference tournament;² they are currently a half-game ahead of both Green Bay and Oakland in the conference standings, and would win tiebreakers over both.

The loss is Cleveland State’s fourth of the calendar year, all of which have come on the road. CSU can still make the NCAA tournament if they win the Horizon League tourney.

The Vikings (17-12, 11-4) had a 55-51 lead with about six minutes remaining in the second half Sunday, but Milwaukee (12-16, 7-7) went on a decisive 11-0 run that put them ahead for good on their senior night. A Matt Tiby three-pointer with 1:37 to go made the Panther advantage 62-55. Charlie Lee hit a triple on the next Viking possession to narrow the margin to 62-58, but CSU was unable to draw any closer. Milwaukee made enough free throws to finish the job and get revenge for their blowout loss at the Wolstein Center back on January 2.

Trey Lewis set a Viking single-season record for three-pointers made in the game, sinking five from deep to give him 84 for the year. He broke the record set last year by Bryn Forbes, who transferred to Michigan State in the offseason.

Anton Grady was superb for Cleveland State, scoring 24 points to go with 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. It was his eighth double-double in conference play, most in the Horizon League. Lewis notched a double-double of his own, scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 boards. Charlie Lee, playing in his hometown, scored 14 points.

The rest of the team totaled just three points, with exactly zero coming from the bench. Marlin Mason had a particularly nightmarish afternoon, shooting a frosty 1-of-10 (though he did have 9 rebounds and 2 blocks).

Cleveland State crashed the boards hard, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points, yet they shot just 37 percent from the field overall. Lewis and Lee were a combined 9-of-19 on threes, but the lack of secondary scoring threats limited the Vikings.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, had four players in double figures, none of whom caused more problems than 6-10 forward J.J. Panoske. The big man scored 19 points and shot 5-of-8 from three-point land despite entering the game shooting 29 percent from deep. Akeem Springs scored 14 and grabbed 9 rebounds, while point guard Steve McWhorter and forward Matt Tiby scored 13 and 11, respectively. Cody Wichmann and Justin Jordan combined for 9 points off the Panther bench.

The Vikings were not at their best early on, but weathered the storm against an zealous Panther side. Four Viking guards—Lewis, Lee, Andre Yates, and Terrell Hales—had two turnovers each in the first half, and sloppiness with the ball was a problem throughout. Cleveland State finished with 12 giveaways, which Milwaukee turned into 18 points. The Vikings forced a relatively paltry nine turnovers, with six coming on steals.

CSU had an injury scare in the first half when Kaza Keane left the game with a right knee injury. He appeared to knock knees with a Milwaukee player and immediately stumbled toward the bench in pain. He was taken to the locker room and did not return to action. His injury opened up minutes and opportunities for Yates and Hales, but neither was especially effective, Hales’ three offensive rebounds notwithstanding.

Anton Grady made the most of his chances all day. He scored 12 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the first half, and bettered both figures in the second. He hit a three from the top of the key on the last CSU possession before halftime to make it 33-29 in Milwaukee’s favor, saving a woebegone set that saw Trey Lewis trapped 30 feet from the hoop. Milwaukee sent a lot of attention his way, but Grady kept carving out space and scored on a series of bullish moves inside.

Akeem Springs provided a major boost for the Panthers. He only scored three points in 30 minutes in the teams’ first matchup on January 2, but he scored 9 and had 2 assists in the first half on Sunday. He shot a tidy 6-of-11 from the field for the game, including a pretty stepback jumper on Marlin Mason that extended Milwaukee’s lead to 29-23 in the first period.

Cleveland State scored six straight after the intermission, going ahead 35-33 on a Trey Lewis triple just 90 seconds into the second half. They held the lead for nearly 10 minutes until a Springs three put the Panthers back on top 45-43. Strong play from Grady over the next few minutes helped the Vikings retake the lead, and a Lee trey made the score 55-51 in CSU’s favor.

Alas, Grady would not score for the rest of the game, and Milwaukee did well to snatch the victory at home. They went with both man and zone defenses, contested Viking shots as best they could, and came up with big plays when they needed them.

It is a disheartening loss for Cleveland State, and they have the whole week to think about it. The defeat takes some juice out of their season-ending matchup with Valparaiso, though the game will not lack for consequence. A Viking victory would immediately put them through to the Horizon League tournament semi-finals, which would necessitate just two wins to make the Big Dance.

Hope is not lost yet, Viking fans. Keep the faith. We hope to see you at the Wolstein Center Friday night.

1. They could technically still win, but it’s terribly improbable: Valparaiso would have to lose at Detroit and CSU, and Green Bay would have to lose to Oakland [↩]
2. The Horizon League tournament bracket is a little weird. [↩]