BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Cleveland State Vikings' season has come to an end after falling to the No. 2 Houston Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 87-56.
Junior guard D'Moi Hodge led the No. 15 Vikings in points with 11, while senior Torrey Patton notched eight points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Vikings came out competitive for most of the first half, but the Cougars began expanding their lead by halftime and kept their foot on the gas throughout the second half.
Although their journey has come to an end, the Vikings, led by head coach Dennis Gates, can hang their hats on an incredible season.
The Vikings split regular season championship honors, sharing the Horizon League title with Wright State as both teams finished with a 16-4 conference record, making the two teams co-champions.
For the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Vikings entered the postseason at the top of their league.
In the Horizon League Quarterfinals, the Vikings bagged a win in triple overtime, coming out on top 108-104 over Purdue Fort Wayne. Moving on to the Semifinal round, Cleveland State came back from behind to beat Milwaukee 71-65.
The Vikings clinched their trip to the big dance on March 9, taking down Oakland 80-69 in their Horizon League Championship win.
Final from Bloomington.
— CSU Basketball (@CSU_MBasketball) March 20, 2021
What a journey this season was...#GoVikes x #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/I1nodBS2qi
