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Results
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| Date |
Opponent |
Results |
| 2/9/2008 | Motlow State | 66-65 Win | Cleveland State made a statement through hustle and solid play, as they were able to defeat the 20th ranked Motlow State Bucks, 66-65. The Cougars had to withstand a Motlow run at the end, but with the win they moved above .500 for the first time this season. The Cougars were able to make the Bucks play their game in the first half as they were deliberate on the offensive end of the floor. Motlow helped by staying back in a zone for much of the first half. The half ended with the Cougars trailing 27-25. Tray Okoth showed no fear as he amassed 14 first half points against the taller Bucks.
The second half saw Cleveland State move out to a double-digit advantage as the Bucks were stymied by a solid Cougar defense. Eliminating the inside play as well as taking away the consistency of their leading scorer was key for Cleveland State in the second half. Still, leading 66-61 with just over a minute to play, the Cougars had to survive a last run by the Bucks. A missed three-pointer and the front end of a bonus situation gave the visitors a chance at the buzzer, but they never got a good look as the horn sounded.
Okoth had a game high 24 points to lead the team in scoring. Sean Bridges and Ernest Saunders also had double figures with 12 and 10 points. Okoth, Bridges, and Clarence Threat each collected seven rebounds as the Cougars outrebounded their opponent. J.J. Hines would dish out eight assists.
Overall Record 11-9
Conference Record 6-6 | | 2/6/2008 | Roane State | 63-51 Win | The Cougars got back on the winning track as they were able to defeat visiting Roane State by a 63-51 final. Solid defensive pressure in the second half helped Cleveland State to the win.
The first half saw both teams take small leads in the first ten minutes before the Cougars would take the lead for good. They would stretch the lead to as many as seven before the Raiders would cut it back to 30-26 at the break. Tray Okoth would lead the way in the first twenty minutes with 7 points while Selden Edwards would chip in with six.
Cleveland State would stretch their advantage in the second half as they were able to pressure Roane State out of their methodical offensive strategy. Opening up a double digit lead late in the game, the Cougars were able to maintain the advantage in securing the victory. Okoth had another solid half to lead the team while Ernest Saunders contributed big points as well.
Okoth and Saunders would be the only Cougars in double figures with 19 and 16 points, respectively. Okoth would also claim eight rebounds in the win while J.J. Hines would dish out five assists.
Overall Record 10-9
Conference Record 5-6 | | 2/2/2008 | @ Hiwassee College | 72-80 Loss | Cleveland State made an afternoon trip to Madisonville, but costly errors in the late going proved costly as they fell to 4-6 in conference play with an 80-72 setback to Hiwassee. The Cougars overall record stand at 10-11.
The host Tigers would take the lead at the outset, but the Cougars would stay within striking distance of their opponent. A strong run before the horn would find Cleveland State trailing 39-38 at the break. Tray Okoth continued his hot scoring with 20 points in the first half.
The second half saw the hosts pull away once more to lead by double digits with ten minutes to play. The Cougars would claw their way back and cut the lead to four with two minutes to play. Missed shots and struggles on the defensive glass would doom the squad’s chances for victory. Okoth would amass another 17 points in the second half.
Okoth would be the only Cougar in double digits with 37 points. J.J. Hines would be next with nine followed by Clarence Threat with eight points.
Overall Record 9-9
Conference Record 4-6 | | 1/30/2008 | @ Chattanooga State | 84-71 Win | The Cougars ended a two game losing streak with a hard fought 85-71 win over the Tigers. It would be Cleveland State’s fourth win a row over their conference rival. It also marked the return of J.J. Hines to competition after sitting two games due to an ankle injury.
Cleveland State went to task wit their visitors from the opening tip. Both teams would take turns with the lead. The Cougars would stretch the lead to seven with a minute to play before Chattanooga would close it out and trail 33-30 at the intermission. Ernest Saunders and Hines would lead the way with eight and seven points.
The second half would become the Tray Okoth Show. The sophomore forward would score 21 points in the second half to lead the Cougars to their 10th win of the season. Cleveland State also helped themselves by hitting seven of nine free throws in the closing minutes.
Okoth would lead a quartet of scorers in double digits with a game high 26 points. He was followed by Clarence Threat with 17 points and Saunders with 16 points. Sean Bridges also had 12 points to finish in double digits.
Overall Record 9-8
Conference Record 4-5 | | 1/26/2008 | @ Motlow State | 47-76 Loss | Cleveland State would suffer through a terrible shooting day as they lost their second contest in row to the host Bucks by the score of 76-47. The Cougars would place only one scorer in double digits as they fell to their fifth conference loss. The Cougars and the Bucks would take turns with the lead in the first half before Motlow would go on a 12-2 run to finish the half. That would stake them to a 30-21 lead at the break. Tray Okoth and Sean Bridges would lead the way with six and five points.
The second half saw the Bucks build on their lead through the strength of their post player Demareo Stepter. The Cougars had no answer for the big man as he would amass over half of the Bucks’ point total with 40 points. Jordan Darville would lead the way for the Cougars in the second half with seven points.
Darville would be the only Cougar in double digits with ten points. This was the second game in a row that Cleveland State was without the services of starting point guard J.J. Hines.
Overall Record 8-8
Conference Record 3-5 | | 1/23/2008 | @ Walters State | 71-85 Loss | Overall Record 8-7
Conference Record 3-4 | | 1/21/2008 | @ Covenant College JV | 96-59 Win | Cleveland State made a trip to the top of Lookout Mountain to take on the junior varsity squad from Covenant College, and made the trip back down with a 96-59 victory over their hosts. That put the team’s overall record at 9-8 as they prepare for conference play the rest of the way.
The Cougars were never in any danger as they would take a 42-24 lead into the locker room at the half. They expanded the lead coming out in the second half as everyone saw action in the win.
Tray Okoth would lead four scorers in double figures with 24 points. Dario Pratt and Jordan Darville would each add 14 points in the triumph. Clarence Threat would finish with ten points as well as nine rebounds to lead the team. Ernest Saunders would lead the team with seven steals while Sean Bridges would hand out six assists.
Overall Record 8-6
Conference Record 3-3 | | 1/17/2008 | Columbia State | 68-59 Win | The Cougars stayed on a winning track as they defeated their visitors from Columbia state by a score of 68-59. The victory was important as they continue to prepare for the second half of conference play.
The first half saw Cleveland State jump out to a quick lead before the Chargers fought their way back to even the score. The Cougars would end the half with a flourish, as they would stake themselves to a 31-25 lead at the break. Sean Bridges would lead the way in the first twenty minutes with 10 points.
The Cougars’ lead in the second half of play would stay the same for most of the half with the squad fighting off several attempts by the Chargers to make a solid run. Clutch free throws down the stretch would cement the Cougars’ eight win of the season. Cleveland State would make 10 of 13 free throws in the last three minutes to secure the win.
Three Cougars would reach double figures with Bridges leading the way with 17 points. Selden Edwards and Clarence Threat would add 11 and 10, respectively.
Tray Okoth would lead the squad with nine rebounds while J.J. Hines would dish out four assists. Both Edwards and Okoth were credited with two steals in the game to lead in that category.
Overall Record 7-6
Conference Record 3-3 | | 1/9/2008 | Covenant College JV | 108-36 Win | The Cougars opened the second half of their season in a convincing way as they defeated their visitors from Covenant College 108-36. Cleveland State would amass 60 points in the second half as they quickly built on a 30-point halftime advantage.
Cleveland State would shoot out at the opening tip and never look back. The lead would quickly grow to double digits as the visitors turned the ball over against the pressure half court defense. This would lead the Cougars to be ahead at halftime by 30 at 48-18. J.J. Hines would use his whole game as he collected 13 points and four assists by the break. Tray Okoth would also be in double digits with 11 points.
The second half was the same as the first with the Cougars using all eight players eligible for the contest in the victory. Selden Edwards and Okoth would each score in double digits in the second twenty minutes with Edwards scoring 15 and Okoth adding 10 points in the half.
Hines would lead the team in scoring with 22 points as well as dishing out nine assists. Okoth would be right behind with 21 points as well as ten rebounds. Edwards would finish with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sean Bridges and Dario Pratt each would finish with 14 points.
Overall Record 6-6
Conference Record 2-3 | | 12/4/2007 | Bevill State | 67-71 Loss | The Cougars saw an eight-point lead at halftime quickly evaporate in the second half as well as a late opportunity to tie the contest as they fell to the visiting Bears 71-67 Tuesday night. It puts their overall record to 5-6 on the season.
Cleveland State came out quickly in the first half hitting on all cylinders as they jumped out on the Bears. Their lead grew to as much as 12, 32-20, with five minutes to play in the first half. The visitors would close it to eight by the horn at 39-31. Tray Okoth would lead the squad with 13 first half points while Sean Bridges chipped in with seven.
The Bears opened on a 9-0 run to start the second half to take the lead. Both teams would swap the lead back and forth with neither grabbing more than a four-point lead. Bevill State would make a strong push to grab a double-digit lead at 68-58 four minutes to play. Daryl Eason would hit a three-pointer and two-pointer from the top of the key to saw the deficit in half with three minutes to play. With the score 70-67 with less than 30 seconds to play, the Cougars worked the ball to J.J. Hines where his attempt to tie the contest rimmed out with two seconds left.
Eason finished with a team high 18 points in the game while Okoth finished right behind him with 17 markers. Hines also finished in double digits with 10 points.
Overall Record 5-6
Conference Record 2-3 | | 12/1/2007 | @ Southwest Tennessee | 72-88 Loss | The Cougars ran into a hot shooting Saluqui squad Saturday afternoon in Memphis and came out on the short end of an 88-72 defeat. Trailing by 23 at halftime, Cleveland State never quit as they cut the lead to 12 on several occasions in the final 20 minutes.
Southwest connected on their first five shots of the contest to take a 13-2 lead just four minutes into the contest. Cleveland State would struggle for the rest of the half to stay in the contest before trailing 54-31 at the half. Tray Okoth led the Cougars with 11 points at the break.
The Cougars showed their toughness in the second half as they continually made runs at the hosts. The closest they would get was 81-69 with three minutes left in the contest. The Saluquis would hit four of five free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Okoth would add 18 points in the second half to finish with a game high 29 points. Daryl Eason and Jordan Darville would each reach double digits in scoring with 13 and 12 points. Clarence Threat showed no fear as he grabbed 13 rebounds against the taller Southwest squad as well as being credited with four steals. J.J. Hines would dish out 10 assists in the contest.
Overall Record 5-5
Conference Record 2-3 | | 11/20/2007 | @ Gadsden State | 77-70 Win | The Cougars ventured to Gadsden the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and came away with a controversial 77-70 victory. The controversy is about whether the team won by seven or 13 points due to some scoring issues in the second half. The win put the Cleveland State overall record above .500 at 5-4.
Cleveland State used the tandem of Daryl Eason and Tray Okoth to build a six-point lead by the intermission. Eason would total 12 and Okoth 11 points of the Cougars points as they went in at the half up 34-28.
The second half of the game was where things would get interesting. There would be a timeout on the floor with the Cougars up by six points. At the conclusion of the timeout, Cleveland State would find themselves in a tie with their hosts. The Cougars would claw their way back ahead to pick up their fifth win of the season.
Okoth would lead the way in the win with 22 points and nine rebounds as he collected seven offensive boards. Eason would be next with 18 points and five steals. J.J. Hines was next with 13 points while Sean Bridges finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals.
Overall Record 5-4
Conference Record 2-2 | | 11/17/2007 | St. Catharine | 54-69 Loss | The Cougars weren’t able to fight off the larger Patriots of Saint Catharine as they went almost six minutes without scoring a point as they fell to 69-54. Trailing 52-49, Cleveland State saw their visitors go on a 15-0 run to take a 67-49 lead with two minutes to play.
Both teams were like boxers, trading punches in the first half with each one taking small leads before the Patriots went into the locker rooms ahead 36-35 at the intermission. Daryl Eason had 12 points while Sean Bridges contributed 9 in the first half.
The second half was just as hotly contested until the Cougars went ice cold with under ten minutes to play. No Cleveland State player managed over six points in the second half as they scored only 19 as a team.
Eason would be the only member of the squad in double digits with 18 points. He also had five rebounds where Selden Edwards led the squad with six. J.J. Hines would pass out three assists to lead in that category.
Overall Record 4-4
Conference Record 2-2 | | 11/16/2007 | Volunteer State | 87-78 Win | The Cougars returned to conference action as they hosted and defeated the Pioneers of Volunteer State 87-78. Cleveland State built a double digit lead in the first half only to see their visitors come back in the second half only to have the Cougars hold on for their fourth win of the season.
Cleveland State would amass 51 points in the first half as they were able to outquick their larger opponents. They were able to take a 51-40 lead in the locker room. Daryl Eason led the way with 15 points while Selden Edwards and Tray Okoth each chipped in with 12.
The Pioneers would work to trim the deficit in the second half and cut the lead to one at 71-70 with four minutes to play. Key free throws and baskets by Eason and Okoth maintained the Cougars lead. Then, key steals from Edwards and Eason preserved the win in the final two minutes.
Eason was a man on a mission as he totaled 32 points for the contest. His performance overshadowed Okoth’s total as he chipped in with 25 points for a career high. Edwards also got into double digits with 14 points. Eason also had eight boards and six assists while J.J. Hines led with nine assists.
Overall Record 4-3
Conference Record 2-1 | | 11/13/2007 | Lee University JV | 76-71 Win | The Cougars held on for dear life as their visitors came back from a 20-point halftime deficit to challenge Cleveland State before falling 76-71. The Flames had brought five players down from their varsity squad to keep the game competitive, but it almost cost the Cougars their third win of the season.
Lee JV shot out quickly as they connected on the two treys to open the contest, but the Cougars quickly too grasp of the contest and marched out to a 48-28 lead by the halftime buzzer. Ernest Saunders led the way with 12 points, but suffered a hand injury that sidelined him the rest of the game. Daryl Eason and Adonis Dennis each added eight in the first half.
The visitors incorporated a zone defense in the second half, which stalled the Cougars’ athleticism. The Flames were able to fight their way back into the game and trailed by two, 71-69, with two minutes to play. Eason would connect on five of six free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Eason led the way with 15 points in the win while Saunders shipped in with his first half 12 markers. Tray Okoth and Selden Edwards also had double digits with 11 and 10 points in the contest.
Overall Record 3-3
Conference Record 1-1 | | 11/10/2007 | @ Columbia State | 86-82 Win | Cleveland State earned their second win of the year and their first conference win with a hug win over the Chargers of Columbia State 86-82. Trailing by three at the break, the Cougars took the lead in the second half and hit key free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
The first half saw a run and gun, back and forth matchup between two very athletic teams. The Chargers would hit a bucket right before the buzzer to lead 46-43 at the horn. Ernest Saunders and Daryl Eason found the bottom of the net for ten points apiece in the first half to lead the way.
The second half saw the same uptempo style of play as both squads try to grab some sort of momentum going late into the game. Leading late, Eason and Sean Bridges would connect on 3 of 5 free throws to ice the game. Eason matched his ten points with another ten in the second half while Saunders and Selden Edwards each had nine points.
Eason led a quartet of Cougars in double digits with 20 points. Saunders would finish with 19. Edwards and Bridges each contributed 11 points in the win.
Overall Record 2-3
Conference Record 1-1 | | 11/9/2007 | @ Jackson State | 70-75 Loss | Cleveland State lost their first conference game of the year, being defeated by their hosts Jackson State 75-70. The Cougars led at the half, but the Generals prove to be too deep in the second half.
The Cougars seemed to catch some rhythm late in the first half against their hosts to take a 37-24 lead into the locker room. Selden Edwards would lead the way with fifteen points. Dario Pratt would add eight points.
The second half saw the Generals take the lead and push it to as much as ten before the Cougars would make a final charge. Edwards was again the catalyst as he found the nets for sixteen points in the second half. Cleveland State had opportunities late in the contest to take a lead, but just couldn’t manage to hit the big shot at the end.
Edwards would lead the way with a game-high 31 points. Pratt was the only other Cougar in double digits with 13 points. Edwards had several rebounds in the contest while J.J. Hines had seven assists.
Overall Record 1-3
Conference Record 0-1 | | 11/6/2007 | Gadsden State | 103-72 Win | The Cougars got into the win column as they led from start to finish over the visiting Cardinals in the 103-72 victory. The win puts the squad’s record at 1-2 on the young season.
Cleveland State roared out of the gate in the contest and never looked back as they took a 53-35 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Selden Edwards led the way in the first half with 12 points while Daryl Eason and Adonis Dennis each chipped in with ten.
The Cougars maintained and stretched their lead to as many as 34 before settling on the 31 point margin of victory. Tray Okoth would lead the way in the second half with 13 points as Edwards tallied another nine.
Edwards would lead a quintet of scorers in double digits with 21 points. Next in scoring was Eason with 18 points. Both Dennis and Ernest Saunders would tally 16 points in victory while Okoth rounded the double-digit scorers with 15.
Overall Record 1-2
Conference Record 0-0 | | 11/3/2007 | Wallace State | 59-81 Loss | In the second game of the Winshape Classic, the Cougars were matched against Wallace State, ranked 13th in the NJCAA preseason poll. It was a true David versus Goliath as the visitors were much taller than Cleveland State. The result was an 81-59 defeat for the homestanding Cougars.
The first half saw Wallace jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first few minutes. Cleveland State would manage to close it to within three before Wallace would stretch it to seven at the break at 41-34. Both Daryl Eason and Selden Edwards would have 13 points in the first twenty minutes for the squad.
The last half would see the visitors use their depth and height to put the Cougars away. Edwards and Eason would be the only double digit scorers with 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Overall Record 0-2
Conference Record 0-0 | | 11/2/2007 | Aiken Tech | 72-82 Loss | The Cougars opened their new season hosting the first annual Winshape Homes Classic at Cleveland State. Their first opponent was nationally ranked Aiken Tech of South Carolina. Their opponents wore down the Cougars in the second half pulling out an 82-72 victory.
Cleveland State was able to match their visitors point for point in the first twenty minutes and had the lead going into the break at 38-36. Ernest Saunders and Dario Pratt led the way with ten and seven points.
The second half saw Aiken take the lead and jump out to a double digit advantage. The Cougars would fight their way back, but the Knights were just too deep as they were able to maintain the ten point advantage to the buzzer. Saunders would aid the squad’s effort with 13 second half points.
Saunders had a game high 23 points for the contest with J.J. Hines and Clarence Threat each adding ten points.
Overall Record 0-1
Conference Record 0-0 |
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