Men stun CSU to share first place

By ELTON ALEXANDER

The Plain Dealer

Cleveland

Facing the bottom of the Horizon League barrel in Youngstown State, the Cleveland State Vikings dove in and rarely surfaced, suffering a stinging 73-67 loss Saturday before 3,513 in the Wolstein Center.

Senior Ashen Ward, a 6-foot-3 swingman out of St. Joseph High, delivered nine of his 15 points down the stretch to keep the Penguins on top in a game they led much of the way.

The Vikings did nothing they traditionally do against opponents more highly regarded than YSU, and paid for it dearly.

Adding to CSU’s woes was the loss of senior guard Trevon Harmon to a concussion early in the second half. His availability is day-to-day.

CSU entered the game holding the opposition to 26.7 percent 3-point shooting. The Penguins made 50 percent (8-of-16). The Vikings average forcing 19.2 turnovers. The Penguins committed 15, and only three came in the final 3:36, when CSU was within 61-58.

Before Saturday, only one team had reached 70 points against the Vikings. Now it’s two.

While this is only the third loss for the Vikings (12-3, 2-1 Horizon) on the season, it’s the first setback at home.

“It’s a crushing loss, because it is at home,” CSU head coach Gary Waters said, noting the Vikings’ first two league wins were on the road. “We just gave that advantage back.”

The Penguins were the better team for most of the 40 minutes as they calmly handled CSU’s defensive pressure. Three players posted double figures, led by Damian Eargle’s 20 points.

But it was Ward who knocked down a big 3-pointer for a 64-59 YSU lead, then followed with a driving, twisting layup for a 66-59 lead before YSU closed the game out at the line.

Ward’s first basket in that run came after CSU’s Charlie Lee kicked the ball off his foot and out of bounds. Ward’s second came after Jeremy Montgomery did the same thing.

“Two unnecessary turnovers,” Waters said.

The Penguins (7-6, 2-1) snapped a four-game winning streak, and are tied for first place in the HL standings.

“These guys are a sneak-up team,’ said CSU’s Montgomery, whose 21 points and torrid 3-point shooting in the first half gave CSU a 31-29 lead at halftime. “We took those guys for granted and came out on the wrong side.”

Youngstown State built a 19-7 lead as the Penguins limited their turnovers early. Then Montgomery went to work.

The first 3-pointer from the stocky 6-2 senior guard from Chicago tied the game at 20. The second came with a finger pointed at his defender. The third came with three fingers raised to the CSU band, then the fourth came with a scream as he back-pedaled down the court.

YSU took the lead back to start the second half before a Montgomery trey tied it at 40. But Ward answered with a 3-pointer and YSU never trailed again.