CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State led 20-7 in the Milwaukee final by 13 points and lost 81-80 in overtime to the Panthers on Saturday night to share the two-game weekend series at the Wolstein Center.
The Vikings (10-5, 10-2 Horizon) saw their conference lead shrink to one game over Wright State as the offense couldn’t handle late press repeating additional to the Panthers (6-5, 5-4) Possessions lent make the comeback.
Cleveland State went through the last 2:46 of regulation and the first 4:26 of overtime with no basket until Toney Patton’s race to catch up with 34 seconds in overtime gave the Vikings an 80-79 lead. But Milwaukee’s DeAndre Gholston scored a goal three seconds from time. A half-seat prayer by Craig Beaudoin from the CSU went unanswered.
Te’Jon Lucas, who scored a high-playing award for Milwaukee with 31 points, and Gholston (21 points) scored 15 of the 20 points in the last 107 seconds of the second half, and the game was a tie when Donovan Newby got a 3 -Points attempt on Yahel hill the Vikings fouled and got all three off the strip within 10 seconds.
In extra time, Lucas hit two jumpers to keep the crowd close and the Vikings missed three out of eight free-throw attempts – they were 16 out of 25 for the game – before Gholston’s decisive basket.
The Vikings want to get back on their feet next Friday and Saturday with a weekend home series against Green Bay.
