Cleveland State's Basketball Journey Continues with Green Bay Clash
Game Overview
The Cleveland State men's basketball team started the game slowly and faced some foul trouble. Tevin Smith led the Vikings with 17 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field. He also added three steals, three rebounds, and one assist. Je'Shawn Stevenson poured in 16 points, with Isaac Abidde and Tahj Staveskie each adding 11. Stevenson's total was two shy of his career high, and Abidde recorded a season high with 11 points.
Milwaukee jumped out to a seven-point advantage in the early going, leading 15-8 at the 12-minute mark of the first half. But the Panthers responded with a 9-2 spurt to pull back to even at 17-17. Stevenson capped the run with a finish at the rim off a Milwaukee turnover. The Panthers slowly went back in front and closed the half with a surge, hitting their final three field goal attempts to draw back within one at halftime. Stevenson nailed a jumper with seven seconds remaining to give the Vikings momentum heading into the locker room trailing 36-35.
Second Half Action
Cleveland State continued the surge coming out of the halftime break, scoring the first six points of the second half to open up their largest lead of the night. Abidde recorded the first two buckets and Smith threw down a two-hand dunk to put CSU up 41-36 just under two minutes into the second half. Milwaukee responded with a 9-0 run to re-take the lead, but the Panthers kept the lead in single digits and drew within one possession multiple times throughout the remainder of the game. A Staveskie three with 2:38 remaining trimmed the margin to two at 69-67, but the Panthers finished the game on a 10-0 run.
Milwaukee used a decisive edge at the free throw line and in the rebounding category to earn the victory. The Vikings were whistled for 26 fouls, leading to 37 Milwaukee free throw attempts. The Panthers converted on 28 of those tries for a 75 percent clip, while the Vikings finished 8-for-12 at the charity stripe. Milwaukee finished with a 41-24 edge on the glass.
Next Matchup
Cleveland State continues its road swing through Wisconsin with a matchup against Green Bay scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The Vikings and Phoenix will tip off at 3:00 PM EST from Green Bay's Resch Center. Fans can look forward to another exciting game as the team continues to battle on the court.
Chloe Kitts' Heroic Performance
After South Carolina's lead was cut to 69 - 61 with a 10 - 0 Duke run in the fourth quarter, Dawn Staley put the starters back in. Chloe Kitts then went to work, scoring seven straight points for the Gamecocks and nine of the next 10. "My teammates kept finding me and coach had ran a play a couple of times for me," Kitts said. "They just kept telling me to keep attacking." Staley praised Kitts, saying, "That was all (Raven Johnson). Ray called it in the first half and when we needed a bucket she went back to it and kept going back to it. Chloe delivered. She was due for a good one." Kitts finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, tying her career high for points and registering her third double - double of the season.Balanced Scoring Effort
Kitts led a balanced scoring effort from South Carolina. All ten Gamecocks that played also scored. Sania Feagin and Te - Hina Paoapo each had 11 points. Freshmen Edwards and Maddy McDaniel had eight and seven points off the bench, respectively. This balanced scoring kept the Duke defense on their toes throughout the game.Early Game Dominance and Late Challenges
Duke scored first and briefly held a 4 - 2 lead. But then Bree Hall hit a three to give South Carolina the lead, and they went on a 10 - 0 run. South Carolina added 6 - 0 and 7 - 0 runs to lead by as much as 18 in the first quarter. Duke cut into the lead in the second quarter, but Joyce Edwards scored six points during an 8 - 0 run that put South Carolina up by 21. However, Duke made a late rally, cutting the lead to single digits. South Carolina didn't make a field goal over the last 4:12 of the game but still shot 57.4% and 5 - 10 from three. Duke shot 50% in the fourth quarter but only 44.8% for the game.Notable Moments and Details
South Carolina held its annual Teddy Bear Toss on Thursday, along with a blanket drive. New athletics director Jeremiah Donati addressed the crowd before the game, and President Michael Amiridis started the "Game - Cock" cheer. Former Gamecock Aliyah Boston sat courtside and introduced a new commercial for Experience Columbia. Kitts seems to have a good record against Duke, having had 14 points and nine rebounds last season in Durham. She wore a Collin Murray - Boyles hoodie postgame. South Carolina was 14 - 19 from the line. Duke outrebounded South Carolina by seven in the second half and five for the game. Duke's leading scorer Reigan Richardson only played one minute in the first quarter and finished with three points on 1 - 8 shooting. MiLaysia Fulwiley had three points on 1 - 7 shooting. South Carolina had 16 fast break points, but only two came in the second half. Dawn Staley wore a dark gray Louis Vuitton sweater over a white t - shirt. Announced attendance was 15,677. South Carolina's next game is Sunday against TCU in Fort Worth.