CSU (3-6) completely tripped coming out of the starting gate to begin Horizon League play, but there are some explainable reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Injuries, illness, and a brand-new team all contributed to two lackluster games to begin conference play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Away Game at Northern Kentucky (6-2) on December 3rd<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With Josiah Harris still out and Dayan Nessah out with an illness, the Vikings were down two of their starters yet again. A lineup of Tre Beard, David Giddens, Jaidon Lipscomb, Priest Ryan, and Holden Pierre-Louis took the floor instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Norse came out hot. They hit their first four threes and, combined with a few turnovers and fouls, the Vikings were already on their heels. After just five minutes, CSU was down 16-5 and looking for answers on offense and defense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A fast break layup by Ryan slowed the ascent of NKU as the Vikings scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to four. Another Norse three (three seconds after a Beard three) put it back up to seven but the Vikings were at least back in the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NKU stretched the lead to ten a few times and never let the Vikings get the score within a few possessions before a pair of free throws and a basket put the lead up to 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both teams traded points down the stretch (including Lipscomb draining all three free throws after being fouled), but the 14-point lead would hold going into the locker room. NKU 47-CSU 33.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A different Vikings team came out to start the half. A 14-2 run by the Vikings had the game within a single possession within 3 and a half minutes. This run was punctuated by eight points by Giddens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just over two minutes later, Lipscomb sank three free throws again and suddenly the Vikings were leading by one. Alas, the Norse quickly tied it up and then took the lead on their own free throws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CSU continued to match NKU until the 10-minute mark. A three, a steal, a dunk, and two free throws (due to a technical foul) had the deficit back up to ten and the Vikings had run out of gas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A 15-1 run put the game out of reach at 77-60. CSU had one last push with under two minutes to go and cut the lead back to seven, but the Norse made the free throws they needed to and the Vikings were unable to score again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n NKU scored the last eight points to win 95-80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Home Game Against Detroit Mercy on December 6th<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With everyone finally healthy, the Vikings started a different starting five of Lipscomb, Beard, Nessah, Ryan, and Pierre-Louis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Right from the start, CSU looked better offensively as Nessah started the scoring after a steal with a quick basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan added a two and then a three (his first of the season) before Harris added a three of his own after coming off the bench. The first six minutes of the game saw barely any whistles, and the under-eight minute timeout didn\u2019t occur until the 14:11 mark. By then, the Vikings held a slim 12-9 lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Beard three would be the only scoring before the second media timeout as the Vikings saw themselves ahead 15-9. This was when things started to take a bad turn for CSU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An 8-1 run by the Titans saw them jump out to a 17-16 lead right at the nine-minute mark, and the Vikings had completely stalled on offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both teams had scored only 19 points by the under-eight minute timeout and the Vikings were stuck looking for answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although CSU was winning the battle on the boards, Detroit Mercy was running and getting to the basket much more often than CSU. Another Titan run had the score at 28-22 with under four minutes to go in the half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CSU closed this gap to three points with a few seconds to go in half but a long outlet pass and layup by Orlando Lovejoy gave the Titans a 36-31 lead at halftime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick basket by Lipscomb to start the half got the deficit back to three, but former Viking Tyler Spratt equaled the bucket with his own. Another Lovejoy bucket followed by TJ Nadeau\u2019s millionth three of the game suddenly had the gap up to ten points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beard continued his good shooting this season with a three but the Titans hit another from deep and kept piling it on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harris followed this up with a classic three-point play and Emery hit a true three-pointer, but the Vikings were not able to capitalize on the Titans slowing down on offense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For four minutes, Detroit Mercy didn\u2019t score a point, but the Vikings only scored on the Emery three. Within that time Harris came down awkwardly on his ankle again, but he returned later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turnovers by the Vikings and good shooting by the Titans created an insurmountable lead for Detroit Mercy that peaked at 18 points with about seven minutes to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, with almost no hope of winning left, the Vikings started to play fast and confident. They actually got the deficit down to seven with three minutes to go, but the comeback wasn\u2019t enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The final score sat at 71-59 and the Vikings dropped to 0-2 in the Horizon League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n