Dec. 2, 2008

Contact: Brian McCann

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - J'Nathan Bullock scored 29 points and Cleveland State never trailed as the Vikings won their Horizon League opener, 66-42, on Tuesday night in the Wolstein Center.

The Vikings improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Crusaders fell to 2-4 overall (0-1 HL).

CSU also improved to 9-1 at home in league play over the last two seasons.

Bullock hit 10-of-13 shots from the field, including both three-pointers, and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds and two assists. It was Bullock's 15th-career 20-point game and the second highest scoring output of his career.

Norris Cole scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists, while D;Aundray Brown had 10 points and six assists.

George Tandy grabbed a career-high tying 10 rebounds.

"I thought our guys were focused tonight, especially on the defensive end," head coach Gary Waters said. "In the first half, we held them to 20-percent shooting and that tells you that these guys were ready to play on the defensive end. I knew our offense would start to click and tonight it did.

"We just held serve tonight. The team that is going to win this conference is the team that wins on the road. We have to do well at home and that's what we did tonight.

"J'Nathan really played well offensively and did a great job to get some good looks at the basket. He realized early in the season that his three-point shot wasn't going so he was taking his time and getting his teammates involved. Tonight, he had the whole arsneal going."

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm offensively early on, as the Vikings held a 6-4 lead eight minutes in.

However, a 14-0 run by CSU over the next four minutes extended the Viking lead to 20-4 with 8:13 left in the first half. Bullock led the way with five points, while Brown had a pair of baskets.

Valpo used an 8-0 run of their own to pull back within 10 points (22-12) with 5:18 to play, but the Vikings closed the half on a 19-2 run to take a 31-14 lead into the locker room.

Bullock hit 6-of-7 from the field in the first half for 16 points.

CSU pushed the lead to 27 points with 12:36 left as a Cedric Jackson steal led to a Brown layup in transition to give CSU a 52-25 lead.

However, Valpo refused to give up, cutting the lead back to 15 (53-38) with a 12-1 run.

"We let up for a period of time in the second half and gave up some easy buckets and that's not what we do," Waters said. "We want people to earn their baskets and work for everything they mark."

After Valpo's run, CSU answered with a run of their own, closing the game on a 13-4 run. A three-pointer by Cameron Witt with nine seconds left helped push Valpo over the 40-point mark.

The Vikings shot .456 (26-57) from the field, while holding Valpo to an opponent season-low .313 (15-48). The Vikings also held a 38-28 advantage on the boards and assisted on 19 of their 26 baskets.

"That's team basketball," Waters said.

CSU returns to action on Thursday (Dec. 4) night when the Vikings host Butler at 8:00 p.m. in the Wolstein Center in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU. It will also be White Out the Wolstein Night with fans encouraged to wear white to the game.