Cleveland State handled another early-season challenge and scored a rare road victory in the Horizon League.
Rob Demovsky
Green Bay Press-Gazette
GREEN BAY, Wis. – It's one thing to go 8-0 in a non-conference schedule that included only one game outside of Ohio. It's another to go on the road and win a conference opener in a place where you've lost the last five times.
But Cleveland State handled another early-season challenge and scored a rare road victory in the Horizon League, beating Wisconsin-Green Bay, 83-75, Thursday night at the Resch Center.
"We made a point that we wanted to win this game because we hadn't won here during my tenure at CSU," Vikings coach Gary Waters said. "We wanted to make a change on this entire trip [to Wisconsin]."
They did it an unconventional way -- at least for them. A team that entered Thursday's game shooting just 28.8 percent from 3-point range knocked down 10-of-14 from long range.
"I knew there was going to be a game that we'd shoot well," Waters said. "We haven't shot well at all, and we can shoot the ball well. I knew eventually we were going to come out of it."
Trevon Harmon, a 33.3-percent 3-point shooter coming in, hit 4-of-5 on the way to scoring 19 points. Charlie Woods, who made just 4-of-13 3s in the first eight games, made 2-of-3 and after not scoring in the last four games, he put up nine points.
Tim Kamczyc, who was just 3-of-12 on 3s this season, made his only attempt of the game. Norris Cole, Jeremy Montgomery and Josh McCoy each made one. Safe to say, that kind of shooting wasn't anywhere on UWGB's scouting report on the Vikings (9-0 overall, 1-0 Horizon).
"No, it wasn't," said UWGB guard Bryquis Perine, who led the Phoenix with 22 points. "They're not a good 3-point shooting team as of lately. We contested shots, but we didn't defend how we normally should defend."
Cole, the league's leading scorer at 21.5, finished with a game-high 26 points. All but nine came in the second half. The senior guard started hot. He scored nine points in the first nine minutes but left with two fouls. The Vikings had a 19-10 lead at that point. Their lead grew to 10, 25-15, thanks to 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by reserves McCoy and Woods after Green Bay switched to zone.
But Phoenix coach Brian Wardle ditched that defense in a hurry, and the Phoenix got back into the game. UWGB led twice briefly in the first half thanks to a 3-pointer by Troy Snyder that gave UWGB a 32-31 lead and a steal and a dunk that made it 34-33 with 1:30 to play.
But Harmon, who had 13 first-half points, answered with a 3 to help the Vikings to a 39-36 halftime lead. They made 7-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half and shot 57.1 percent overall.
The Vikings didn't exactly cool off in the second half. They made two of their first three, including another by Woods from the left wing that gave the Vikings a 56-47 lead with 10:40 to play.
They eventually cooled off but still finished at 52.5 percent for the game. They also made 31 of 38 free throws in a game slowed by 52 fouls.
"That was an ugly game, a real ugly game that lasted too long with too many fouls called," Waters said. "It was really what I call an interrupted game. No flow in the game. I see 52 percent [shooting], and I can't complain.
"The streak continues."
The Vikings continue their road trip at UW-Milwaukee on Saturday.
Rob Demovsky is a writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette