Stuart Scott and the fight against cynicism
January 5, 2015Nike’s “Deceptive Red” Kyrie 1 to be released this Saturday
January 5, 2015While we were spending our weekends on the couch under a blanket of warm nacho cheese and cool beverage cans, the Cleveland State Vikings went to work. After a so-so start to the season, the Vikes opened Horizon League play with two wins, their first back-to-back victories since November.
They blew out Wisconsin-Milwaukee at home Friday night, and they controlled the action in their win against Illinois-Chicago in the Windy City on Sunday. CSU now sits at 8-8 for the season. Let’s take a look at how it went down over the weekend:
The Vikings shot 82 percent and scored 57 points in the second half, turning a three-point halftime deficit into an 84-57 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers in CSU’s Horizon League opener. Trey Lewis scored 27 points to lead all scorers, Anton Grady notched 18 points and 8 rebounds, and Charlie Lee added 16 points as the Vikings poured it on in the second half.
Milwaukee was patient on offense in the opening 20 minutes, doing much of its damage from beyond the arc and at the free throw stripe. The Panthers hit five threes and nine free throws in the first half while holding Cleveland State to 36 percent shooting.
The second half was a different story. The Vikings shifted to a diamond press in an effort to speed the Panthers up, and it worked to perfection. The Viking guards—Lewis and Lee, as well as Andre Yates and Terrell Hales—harassed ballhandlers all over the court, leading to 16 total Milwaukee turnovers.
Milwaukee shot just 6-of-21 in the second half, while CSU lit the nets on fire to the tune of 23-of-28 shooting.
It was altogether CSU’s best game of the season not just because of the final score, but because of how they played. They swarmed on defense and were selfless on offense. The ball did not stick in the halfcourt—it hopped from Viking to Viking as though following a predetermined path.
Vikes of all sizes drove the lane with purpose and finished strong at the rim. Anton Grady overpowered the Milwaukee frontline for much of the night, and his guards did well to find him with lobs when he was fronted. He was patient in the post. His finest moment of the night came when he caught a lob, waited for a defender to fly by, took a power dribble and slammed it home (his dunk comes at the 2:45 mark of the highlights).
Lewis stole the show with 27 points, but he did not dominate the ball. He shot when he was open, swung the rock when he wasn’t, and played puppet-master throughout. He shot 2-of-4 from downtown, raising his three-point percentage to an even 47 percent.
Charlie Lee played perhaps his finest game of the season. He looks and sounds like an alpha dog, and his presence has gone a long way in steadying the CSU backcourt. The Vikings turned the ball over just five times Friday. They went into the game averaging 13 giveaways.
Coach Gary Waters highlighted the significance of his team’s first Horizon League game. “This game was vital at home,” said Waters. “In our first eight conference games, five are on the road. If we had lost this one, we had five other games on the road. That’s why this game was so vital.”
Waters also spoke about the importance of getting his team’s confidence up after a rough start: “They were feeling down still because they felt they should have won the Savannah State, Bowling Green and EIU games,” he said. “In the locker room, I told them you played some good games and some good basketball. Even those three we lost were last second losses. We didn’t play bad basketball. We just didn’t finish it.”
They finished Friday, and they kept the good ball going on the road.
SUNDAY: Cleveland State 74, Illinois-Chicago 69
Trey Lewis scored just 11 points on eight shots, but a balanced Viking attack saw Cleveland State lead the UIC Flames wire-to-wire in Chicago.
Anton Grady logged his 11th career double-double, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds along with 3 blocks. Charlie Lee scored 18 of his own, giving him five straight games of 15-plus points. Marlin Mason added 12 points and 4 blocks before fouling out late in the second half.
Cleveland State shot 59 percent from the floor Sunday, besting Friday’s effort by 1.5 percent. They took 15 fewer shots, however, thanks to UIC’s yeomanly work on the boards. The Flames had 45 rebounds—23 on offense—while the Vikings totaled just 21. Numbers like that won’t do in the long run, but CSU was able to overcome the rebounding discrepancy in Chicago.
The game got chippy in the second half when Grady and UIC’s Jake Wiegand battled for a loose ball. Wiegand held onto Grady after the whistle, Grady took exception, and a brief skirmish broke out. Wiegand was ejected for his role in the fracas, while Grady and Lee each earned technical fouls.
Things settled down after that. Cleveland State maintained control, but couldn’t quite put the Flames away. The Vikes held a 69-59 lead with 57 seconds to go, but some missed CSU free throws and made UIC triples kept the Flames within shouting distance. The Vikings did enough to finish the job, though it was sloppier than their coach would’ve liked.
The game’s final minutes were a lesson in the importance of late-game execution and sinking free throws. Waters would have preferred a clean finish, but was pleased to leave town with a victory. After the game Waters said, “I wasn’t happy with the way the game ended, but it’s a road win and it’s nice to start Horizon League play with two wins.”
Other Notes
- Terrell Hales and Andre Yates could be a cornerback tandem. While Lewis and Lee carry most of the scoring load, Hales and Yates make it their mission to destroy the self-esteem of opposing ballhandlers. As a lover of hustle, defense, and grit, those two are among my favorites to watch. They get way down low in their stances, eyes glued to their mark’s chest, hands tracking the path of the ball at all times. Their work on D helps CSU keep the pressure on when Waters goes to his bench.
- Vinny Zollo was quiet against UIC, but he had fine games against Milwaukee and VCU. He had 14 points and 9 rebounds against VCU, and his shooting kept the Vikings in the game. He played better than his stat line (5 points, 4 rebounds) suggested against Milwaukee, and earned praise from Coach Waters in the process: “Vinny Zollo has played very well for us. He did great against VCU. If he continues to help us like that, that brings another person into the fold”
- Cleveland State had 10 blocks against UIC, their most of the season. Mason and Grady turned away seven, with reserve forward Derek Sloan adding two. The Vikings entered the game averaging just two blocks per contest.
- The UIC game was more highlight-heavy than most. Trey Lewis knocked down a fallaway three to beat the halftime buzzer, and Mason sent one shot away with authority:
- Cleveland State’s next game is Thursday, January 8, when they will host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.