Kent State University
Cleveland State
Kent State Travels North to Take on Cleveland State Vikings
11/22/2024 4:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio– The Kent State Men's Basketball team is in preparation to take on the Cleveland State University Vikings on Saturday, Nov. 23. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Wolstein Center.
Kent State and Cleveland State have a slight regional rivalry. Kent State holds a 33-23 record in the all-time series against Cleveland State. This will be the 57th meeting between the two programs historically as the Golden Flashes have won the last seven straight meetings. KSU is looking to make it eight in a row on Saturday having won last year's matchup on Dec. 9, 2023, by a final score of 83-77. The Vikings last win over the Flashes was on Dec. 28, 2013, by a final score of 78-70.
Last Time Out
Kent State bested the Purple Eagles of Niagara University on Thursday, Nov. 21 by a 76-73 final score. Niagara closed in on Kent State following a big first half from the Golden Flashes. Â The final 8:35 of the game saw VonCameron Davis, Morgan Safford, Jalen Sullinger, and Mike Bekelja combine for 15 points on free throws. With three with three seconds left Niagara attempted half-court three that was off target allowing the Golden Flashes to prevail.
Kent State shot 86.4% from the charity stripe going 19-22. Four different Flashes found themselves in double-digits on the scoresheet. Safford led with 17, Davis scored 15, and Sullinger and Morales had 10 respectively. This was the first double-digit performance for Morales in the blue and gold. Cian Medley led KSU in assists with four.
Scouting Cleveland State
The Vikings' leading scorers by points-per-game are Dylan Arnett (11.5), Tevin Smith (11.5), Je'Shawn Stevenson (9.5), and Tahj Staveskie (9.0). Head Coach Daniyal Robinson is in his third season at the helm of the Cleveland State program holding a record of 45-32 going into Saturday's game. Last season the Vikings fell to Oakland in the Horizon League tournament semifinals. They accepted a bid to the Ro College Basketball Invitational defeating Northern Colorado in the first round before falling to High Point in the second.
Broadcast Info
Friday's game will be broadcast on the Kent State Radio Network with Rob Polinsky on the call. It can also be viewed on ESPN+
Next Up for Kent State
Following CSU, the Golden Flashes will prepare for the Western Slam in Lethbrdge, Canada. They will play three games in three days over Thanksgiving weekend taking on Towson University on Thursday, Nov. 28, the University of California Irvine on Friday, Nov. 29, and Kennesaw State University on Saturday, Nov. 30
Follow the Flashes
For more information on Kent State men's basketball, fans can follow the team on X, Instagram and Facebook.
