Cleveland State Mens & Women's Basketball Dominates in Style to Claim the Viking Invitational
Cleveland State Mens & Women's Basketball Dominates in Style to Claim the Viking Invitational
On the final day of the Viking Invitational week in the historic Woodling Gymnasium, the Cleveland State Vikings Men’s and Women’s basketball teams concluded the weekend victorious. The Lady Vikings finished the Holiday Inn Express Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational with a perfect 3-0 record to improve to 5-1 on the season, while the Men took the Viking Invitational tournament title with a 2-0 record.
Lady Vikings Finishes Week Perfect with Win over UMKC
After defeating Austin Peay and Chicago State to go 2-0, the Lady Vikings took on the Kansas City Roos on the final day of the tournament. At the conclusion of the first quarter, the Vikings held a 22-15 lead over the Roos. Hanging on to their lead, the Vikings quickly extended it to double-digits before going into halftime with a 42-31 advantage. Carrying the momentum into the second half, the Vikings did not look back. The Vikings closed out the contest 82-55 over the Roos to conclude the tournament with a 3-0 record. Vikings Guard Colbi Maples finished the night with a team-high 17 points, while Guard Mickayla Perdue added 16 points and Fordward Jordana Reisma adding 14. Reisma dominated the boards with a team-high 10 rebounds, while Guard Carmen Villalobos grabbed 8.
Men’s Team Continues Dominance in Win over Alabama A&M
Following the Women’s victory, the Men’s team geared up for their final matchup of the tournament against the visiting Alabama A&M Bulldogs. The Vikings, who secured the victory in a 72-70 thriller over East Tennessee State, is looking to perform better against the visiting Bulldogs. The first half of play concluded with a Vikings 43-26 advantage, with Guard Tevin Smith putting up 12 points in the half, while Guard Drew Londer added 10 points. Finishing up the final 20 minutes of play, the Viking lead grew to as large as 29 points. Despite a late effort from the Bulldogs to cut the lead, it was ultimately too late. The Vikings secured the victory 86-59 to secure the tournament title with a 2-0 record. Four Vikings finished the night in double figures, as the team shot the highest mark of the season against a Division I opponent 56 percent. Forward Tristan Enaruma earned Tournament MVP after posting a career high 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block on Wednesday night’s victory over ETSU and 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block in Saturday’s win. Guard Drew Londer earned All-Tournament team honors after posting back-to-back double figure scoring performances.
Enaruma Named HLMBB Player of the Week
After the conclusion of the tournament, Tristan Enaruma was named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week after his MVP performance week. For the week, Enaruna shot 60 percent from the field, while connecting on four of his five three-point attempts in the two games combined. He ranked in the top five for the week among Horizon League student-athletes in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and steals.
What’s Next?
The Vikings Men’s Basketball team will open up Horizon League play as they will travel to Youngstown State to take on the Penguins on November 29, Tip-Off at 6:30pm. The Women’s Basketball team will begin their 20-game Horizon League slate, hosting Robert Morris on November 29 at the Wolstein Center at 7pm.