In the lone non-conference game of the week in Horizon League men's basketball, Cleveland State traveled northwest on I-90 and knocked off Toledo, 72-64, at Savage Arena.
Cleveland State (12-2) trailed 36-30 at the half before coming out of the locker room a team possessed to open the second half. Jeremy Montgomery knocked down three three-pointers in the first 4:16 of the half, fueling a 19-4 opening burst as the Vikings opened a 49-40 lead after a Tim Kamczyc layup.
Tenacious defense led directly to the Cleveland State run, as the Vkings came away with six steals in the first 8:30 of the second half; 11th in the NCAA with 10.0 steals per game through Dec. 18, CSU had 11 on the night and forced 17 Toledo turnovers. D'Aundray Brown led the way with four thefts - he ranks fifth in the country with 3.1 spg.
Cleveland State led by as many as 13 points in the second half after trailing by eight points late in the first half, 36-28. A Brown dunk was the final basket of the first half, and the Vikings came out with their hair on fire to start the final 20 minutes of play.
Trey Harmon paced four Cleveland State starters in double figures with 14 points, while Brown added 13, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double. Kamczyc and Montgomery each had 11.
The Vikings' lone Horizon League game of the weekend will take place on Saturday, when Youngstown State visits the Wolstein Center for a 2 p.m. ET tip. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the game.
