Basketball
Home > departments > athletics > sports > mbasketball
Results
View Archives »
Date Opponent Results
2/22/2012 @ Chattanooga State 78-69 Win
CHATTANOOGA - The Cleveland State Cougars pulled off an upset of giant proportions on a cold afternoon in Chattanooga as the Cougars toppled the Tigers of Chattanooga State by a final count of 78-69. The Cougars won the battle of the big cats as they led from start to finish and in the process get a big Region VII Conference win.
The Lady Cougars led at halftime, but couldn't sustain the momentum in the ladies contest as they fell to the powerful Lady Tigers by a final score of 76-58.
Nick Ross converted a three-point play and Kasheef Baker slammed home an offensive rebound as Cougars jumped on top of the Tigers from the opening tip and led throughout the first half. Ross hit two of his four treys in the first half on back to back trips down the court as the visitors took 20-14 lead midway through the half.
The biggest Tiger on the floor, 6'10 Byron Trench, controlled the paint and proceeded to pour in 19 points in the first 20 minutes to almost single-handedly keep his team afloat. In fact just about the only missed shot from Trench was a dunk attempt.
Travis Jones finished the half with a three-pointer and a pair of short, spinning, off-balance jumpers amongst the trees as he contributed 15 points on the way to a Cleveland State 38-31 lead at the break.
The Cougars maintained their advantage and built on it in the early going of the second half. Jones and Ross nailed a 3-point bomb each and Baker continued his good work in the paint with an impressive offensive rebound for another bucket as the Cougar lead grew to double digits.
An offensive rebound from Gerard Gore and an incredible tip in from Gore on the next trip provided a spark the visitors would need as the clock dropped below eight minutes to go.
The Tigers would not go quietly on their home hardwood as Andrew Houts got hot and began to rain three-pointers as the Tigers cut the lead back to single digits with four minutes to play. Houts had 14 of his 16 points in the second half as the Tigers made one last run. Trench converted a three-point play to cut the lead to only seven points, but the Cougars hit their free tosses down the stretch and secured the win and an even bigger upset. Ross fed Barry Griffin with a perfect pass for an alley-oop slam dunk just before the final buzzer to put the exclamation point on the day for the Cougars.
"This was such a big win for our team, you don't come to Chatanooga State and win very often because they are an extremely good team year in and year out," stated a very happy Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They were so big in the middle, but our guys hung in there and played tough and I couldn't be more proud of them. We shot the ball well and played great defense. It was a total team effort today and a big win for our guys."
Jones and Ross paved the way for the Cougars (11-11, 5-9) with 26 and 25 points respectively while Trench paced the Tigers (12-9. 7-7) with 26 points.
Overall Record 11-11
Conference Record 5-9
2/4/2012 Motlow State 52-60 Loss
The Cougars jumped out to an 11-5 advantage as made baskets from either team were few and far between in the first half. A pair of tough buckets in the paint by Barry Griffin and a layup each from Nick Ross and Travis Jones helped the Cougars gain the lead midway through the period. A tip in from Keith Johnson and a layup from Gerard Gore helped the Cougars stay close.
The inside outside combination of John Taylor and Ricky Tisdale capped a mini-run by the Bucks toward the end of the half and would propel the visitors to a slim 28-25 halftime lead. Cleveland State shot just 29 percent in the first half compared to 47 percent for the Bucks.
The Cougars stayed right on the Bucks heels throughout most of the second half and briefly took the lead, 43-40 midway through the stanza on a pair of tough layups from Ross. The Bucks then countered with a 13-3 run to recapture the lead for good. The Cougars fought to the bitter end, cutting the lead to only three points down the stretch, but could not quite get over the hump. The Bucks hit just enough free tosses down the stretch to secure the win and gain a split of the days games.
Ross paced the Cougars with 18 points and Jones finished with 15. Tisdale led the Bucks (11-8, 5-7) with 16 points while John Taylor added 10.
Overall Record 9-11
Conference Record 4-9
2/3/2012 Volunteer State 87-82 Win
Nick Ross sizzled the nets early and often to start the men's contest. Ross canned a pair of 3's to help the Cougars get off and running to an 8-2 lead. The tall trees in the paint for the Pioneers then warmed up a bit over the next eight minutes of play as the game was tied or the lead changed hands 10 times.
Two more shots from downtown from Ross, including one from the parking lot and another from three rows up in the bleachers, helped the Cougars finish the first half on a 15-5 run and take a 36-27 lead at the break. Ross had 19 points in the first half including five treys while the Cougars shot an amazing 56 percent from the floor while holding Volunteer to only 34 percent.
Ross picked right up where he left off with another three-pointer and a three-point play, before the Volunteer defense finally put two people on him. Travis Jones then took over in a big way as the Cougar point guard sliced and diced his way through the Pioneer defense the rest of the night.
Jones tossed in an incredible 32 points in the second half as he drove relentlessly to the bucket while usually getting tossed to the floor by the tall trees in the paint and then beating a path to the free throw line where he knocked down 17 of 19 charity tosses.
The Cougars maintained a seven to nine point lead for much of the second half as they withstood several Pioneer runs. Hunter Harris and David Woodard converted a three-point play each down the stretch to make things interesting in the final seconds, but the Cougars hit their free throws to seal the hard-fought win.
Cleveland State shot 59 percent for the game and were even in the rebound column which was a definite plus for the much shorter Cougars. Jones finished with a career high 39 points, while Ross added 27 to the cause to lead the Cougars ( ). Harris paced the Pioneers (13-8, 4-7) with 23 points while Woodard added 19.
"This was a big win for us after the way they handled us at their place earlier in the season," stated Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They are so big in the middle, I though our guys fought hard and did a great job against them, especially in the paint. We were even on rebounds which is astonishing. Travis and Nick did most of the scoring and they played great, but it really was a team effort tonight."
Overall Record 9-10
Conference Record 4-9
1/28/2012 @ Jackson State 75-88 Loss
The homestanding Generals were red hot from the floor as they nailed eight 3's in the first half, with Davell Lloyd hitting three of them. Barry Griffin kept the Cougars within striking distance with 12 first half points as the visitors trailed by 11 at the break.
The Generals rained down four more long distance shots in the second half while Johnny Williams added 12 points in the paint as the the home team maintained its lead. Travis Jones had 15 of his 21 points in the second half, but it was not enough as the Cougars fell by 13. Griffin finished with 18 points while Keith Johnson added 11. Jacob Lloyd and Williams led the Generals with 17 points each.
Overall Record 8-10
Conference Record 3-8
1/27/2012 @ Columbia State 54-81 Loss
Nick Ross hit a pair of threes while Johnson and Jamarcus Comage added a long range shot each to help the Cougars stay close in a low scoring first half and trail by only four points at halftime 27-23.
The Chargers took off and hid in the second half as Greg Magee and Kyle Carter scored 10 points each and the Cougars went long periods of time without a bucket.
Ross finished with 23 points to lead the Cougars (9-10, 3-8) while Lester Gude led the Chargers with 15 points and Magee finished with 14.
Overall Record 8-9
Conference Record 3-7
1/21/2012 @ Roane State 67-80 Loss
Travis Jones converted several nice driving layups and Keith Jones added an old fashioned three-point play as the Cougars held an early lead. The lead seesawed back and forth throughout the first half before the Cougars went ice cold from the floor and the home team got hot.
Cedric Clinkscales and Kinard Gadsen-Gilliard took the Raiders on their broad shoulders with many buckets each in the paint to help the home team finish the half on a 12-2 run and take a 39-27 halftime lead.
The Raiders flexed their sizable muscles in the paint to start the second half and pushed their lead to as many as 18 points midway through the second half. Nick Ross and Keith Johnson led a Cougar rally as both players got hot at the same time.
Ross hit a tri-fecta of threes and Johnson and Jones added several driving layups to the cause as thed visitors cut the lead to single digits. Another trey from Ross sliced the lead to only three points with two minutes to go, but that would be the end of the comeback as the Raiders were able to hit just enough free tosses to secure the win.
Ross led the Cougars (9-8, 3-6) with 21 points, Johnson added 12 and Jones finished with 17. Jon Maybank led all scorers for Roane State with 29 points, Cedric Clinkscales added 19 while Gadsden-Gilliard had 14.
Overall Record 8-8
Conference Record 3-6
1/18/2012 Walters State 93-76 Win
The Cougars hit their guests with a 20-4 run early in the men's contest to open up a 27-12 lead. Nick Ross and Keith Johnson nailed a three-point bomb each while Travis Jones did his damage in the paint with a couple of nice driving layups. The Senators then countered with a run of their own as they sliced the lead all the way down to two points with just over three minutes to go in the half.
Griffin and Dominique Macon then went to work on the offensive boards to help the Cougars race right back out to a 10 point advantage, but once again the Senators stormed back, with the aid of a 3-pointer from Leland Robinson at the buzzer to cut the lead to 47-43 at the break.
The Cougars sizzled the nets in the first half, shooting 54 percent and committing only three turnovers while the Senators shot a very respectable 47 percent and took the edge on the boards 19-18.
Cleveland State zipped right back out to a 10 point lead by scoring the first five points of the second stanza and never looked back. Johnson poured in 15 of his 22 points as the Cougars lead grew steadily. Griffin continued his good work in the paint while Johnson filled the basket from all angles to help the home team build as much as a 17 point advantage with just over five minutes to play.
Jameico McPherson put the exclamation point on the win with a high-flying slam dunk as the Cougars cruised to victory.
"It was a total team effort tonight," said Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "Barry had a great game inside, we took the ball in when we needed to, Travis penetrated and Kasheef and Tiger gave us a lift defensively off the bench. We played well against a good team and we're glad to get a big conference win."
Griffin led the way for the Cougars (9-7, 3-5) with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Johnson finished with 22 points and nine boards while Jones and Ross added 17 points apiece. Brock Southerland led the Senators with 14 points while Lamar McKnight, Tony Wilkerson and Leland Robinson added 12 points each.
Overall Record 8-7
Conference Record 3-5
1/12/2012 Faulkner State 70-88 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The atmosphere on the outside of L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium on Thursday night was dark and very cold, but on the inside the Faulkner State Sun Chiefs, and their three charter buses of fans, lit up the scoreboard and had the apperance of an Alabama home game. The Sun Chiefs dominated the contest from start to finish as they handed Cleveland State an 88-70 loss.
Dominique Macon put the Cougars on the board with a driving layup to open the scoring and put the home team on top, 2-0. But after that it was all Sun Chiefs as they went on a 14-2 run and never looked back. The Visitors dressed over 20 players and came at the Cougars in waves all night long. A slam dunk from Stanley Magee and a pair of tough buckets in the paint by Calvin Dade pushed the Faulkner lead to 31-15 midway through the first half.
Nick Ross and Keith Johnson nailed back to back bombs from 3-point land to cut the lead under 20 points, but a 14-6 run from the Sun Chiefs to close out the half including a trey at the buzzer from Ty McCants pushed the Faulkner advantage to 55-29 at the break. The Sun Chiefs sizzled the nets to the tune of 53 percent in the first half while the Cougars managed only 29 percent and committed 15 turnovers.
The Cougars showed signs of life to start the second half as they hit their guests with a 9-0 run. A pair of steals led to layups from Macon and Johnson and Ross chipped in with a three from the corner. But, after a timeout, the Sun Chiefs restored order and began to extend its lead once again.
Ross converted a pair of tough buckets in the paint, Johnson added a pair of his own and Jameico McPherson hit a turnaround jumper midway through the half as the Cougars got as close as 16 points on several ocassions, but no closer.
The teams traded baskets for much of the rest of the night as the Sun Chiefs put it on cruise control down the stretch to get the impressive win. Faulkner shot 48 percent for the game while the Cougars hit 36 percent.
"Faulkner is a very good team and they played well," stated Cougar assistant coach Randy Evans. "Coach Robertson is a hall of fame coach and it was an honor to coach against him. Win or lose, we are trying to build men both on and off the court. We didn't give up after getting way down in the first half and our intensity level was much better in the second half. We have to find a way to put that kind of intensity level together for forty minutes. This kind of game will only help us get better and get ready to jump back into conference play next week. We played hard and battled to the end and I was proud of them."
Magee led all scorers for Faulkner with 23 points DeAndre McIntyre finished with 13, Dade added 12 and Victor Marshall had 10. Ross paced the Cougars (8-7) with 17 points and 10 boards, Barry Griffin and Travis Jones were next with 14 and 13 points respectively and Johnson finished with 11.
Overall Record 7-7
1/9/2012 Tennessee Temple JV 98-93 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State men's basketball team outlasted a very tallented and upset minded Tennessee Temple Crusader team on Monday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium, but it wasn't easy as the Cougars trailed most of the contest and finally nailed down a thrilling 98-93 come-from-behind win.
The Crusaders jumped out to an 8-4 lead, but from there the game seesawed back and forth for much of the rest of the half. Kasheef Baker hit a layup and knocked down a pair of free tosses to give the Cougars a brief 13-12 lead and Nick Ross nailed a 3-point bomb to put the home team on top once again at the 9:05 mark 24-23.
The lead changed hands or the game was tied 14 times throughout the first half before two straight driving layups from Travis Jones put the Cougars back on top, 39-37 with three minutes to go. But a 10-2 run by the visitors to finish the half would give Temple a 47-41 halftime advantage. Ross kept the Cougars close in the first half with 22 points while Antwan Ruise led the Crusaders with 15.
The Crusaders picked up right where they left off to begin the second half as a pair of buckets from Ruise pushed the lead to a 10-point spread at 55-45. The Cougars offense slowly began to whittle down the lead over the next several minutes. Buckets from Keith Johnson, Jones and a slam from Baker cut the lead to four points and a layup from Jameico McPherson put the home team on top at the midway point, 60-59.
After a pair of twisting layups from Donnelle Freeman put the Crusaders on top, the Cougars took off again and this time grabbed the lead for good. An alley-oop slam from Baker with Johnson on the assist spurred a 19-4 run. A full-court press proved to be just what the doctor ordered as it caused several Crusader turnovers and led to a pair of highlight film slam dunks from Baker.
The Crusaders made one last charge as they cut the lead to four points in the waning seconds, but the Cougars were able to hit just enough free tosses and Baker added one more rim-rattler to apply the exclamation point on a Cleveland State win.
"We didn't play with any energy in the first half, but really picked up the intensity in the second half, that was the key to the win," stated Cougars assistant coach Randy Evans. "We went to the press and a spread offense and it gave them some problems, but our energy on the floor and especially on the bench gave us the lift we needed to get the win. Temple is not a bad team at all, they played well and they've got some athletes. It was a good win."
Ross led the way for the Cougars (8-6) with 31 points, Jones finished with 19 while Baker checked in with 14. Ruise paced the Crusaders with 23 points while Breion added 17 and Freeman and Douglas Slade tossed in 14 each.
Overall Record 7-6
1/7/2012 Chattahoochee Tech 68-78 Loss
The men's game was the complete opposite of the ladies affair as the game was tied or the lead changed hands 15 times throughout the first half. Nick Ross hit a trey and added a layup and Dominique Macon had a steal and a layup early to put the home team on top. Kasheef Baker provided a lift off the bench with a pair of tough buckets in the paint including one that turned into a three point play and Barry Griffin tossed in a three-point play of his own to give the Cougars a one point lead with less than two minutes to go in the half.
The Eagles then surged into the lead as they scored the final six points of the half as Darius Davis hit a short jumper and Coleco Kidd hit a 3-ball just before the buzzer to give the visitors a 34-29 halftime advantage.
A quick 7-2 run by the Eagles to open the second half opened a slight lead for the visitors as the Cougars went cold from the field for the first 10 minutes.
After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Cougars began to cut into the lead as Jones and Ross converted a three-point play each to pull the home team within six points. A steal by Jones and a layup from Ross cut the lead to only four points with 1:21 left, but the Eagles were able to weather the storm and hang on the rest of the way to notch the win.
The Cougars shot 37 percent in the first half and 40 percent for the game while hitting only one of their 16 attempts from three-point land and the much taller Eagles shot 44 percent for the contest . Chattahoochee hit 22-31 free tosses while the Cougars made 13-22.
Jones and Ross led the Cougars (7-6) with 21 points each while Griffin finished with 12 points and Gerard Gore added 12 rebounds. Brannon Hopkins paced the Eagles with 21 points, Davis finished with 16, Darius Miller added 14, and Asauhn Dixon-Tatum had 10.
Overall Record 6-6
12/10/2011 Chattanooga State 92-97 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
Chatanooga State took round one of the annual cat fight between themselves and Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium as the Tigers were pushed to the final seconds by the Cougars before taking a 97-92 win over their hosts while Chattanooga State also captured the win in the ladies contest by a final score of 87-74.
One run by Chattanooga State in each game midway through the second half would prove to be the difference in both contests as the Cougars and Lady Cougars dropped their last games before the Christmas holidays.
The Tigers threatened to blow the Cougars right out of their own gym to start the men's game as they hit the home team with a 10-0 run right off the opening tip. The Cougars then righted the ship, mostly on the back of Travis Jones, as the Cougar point guard got red hot by hitting almost every shot he put up to score 10 straight points and get the home team right back in the game in a hurry.
Jones added another 3-point bomb and Dominque Macon came off the Cougar bench and immediately paid dividends with a pair of buckets including a three from the corner to help Cleveland State to a 17-14 lead. The lead seesawed back and forth over the next several minutes as Tre Webb took over in the paint for Chattanooga State by tossing in 17 first half points. A layup from Barry Griffin after a nice drive and dish from Gerard Gore put the Cougars back on top again at the six minute mark, but an 11-3 run from the Tigers put the visitors on top the rest of the half for a 48-44 halftime advantage.
Nick Ross hit a despiration 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to cut the lead to only four points and did the same thing to open the second half as the Cougars used a 9-1 run to take a 53-49 lead.
Consecutive 3-point plays from Macon moments later helped the Cougars maintain a small lead. Over the next eight minutes of the game the game was either tied or the lead changed hands 10 times, but with just under eight minutes to go in the game, the Tigers went on a 13-0 run to take a double digit lead, 86-74.
The Cougars clawed their way back into the game down the stretch as four free tosses and two more treys from Ross helped cut the lead all the way down to one point at 93-92 with only 16 ticks left on the clock. The comeback would end there though as Keith Rawls hit four straight free throws to seal the win for the Tigers.
Ross and Jones led the way for the Cougars (7-5, 2-5) with 24 points apiece while Keith Johnson and Macon added 17 and 15. Webb paced the Tigers (10-2, 5-2) with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Byron Trench added 19 and Telvin James finished with 11
Overall Record 6-5
Conference Record 2-5
12/7/2011 Reinhardt College JV 105-59 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
As Dorothy once said, there's no place like home, and the Cleveland State men's basketball team enjoyed every minute of it as they got back to their winning ways on Wednesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium by clipping the wings of the Reinhardt University Eagles by a final count of 105-59.
In a contest that was moved to Cleveland after the Eagles nest was unavailable due to renovations, the Cougars were more than happy to play host after spending a long weekend on the road in Middle Tennessee. It was home sweet home as the Cougars sizzled the friendly nets of the Q to the tune of 47 percent in the first half and 51 percent for the game. Six Cougars put double digits in the scoring column led by 20 points in the paint from Barry Griffin. The Cleveland State defense held Reinhardt to only 43 percent shooting for the game while causing 26 turnovers.
The Eagles scored the first four points of the game, but from that point forward, it was all Cougars. Buckets from Griffin and Gerard Gore in the paint and a long 3-pointer from Nick Ross led the charge and a rim-rattling slam dunk from Kasheef Baker helped put the home team on top by double digits midway through the first stanza.
The Eagles made a mini-run to cut the lead to only four points as Jalen Butler hit a three, but the Cougars closed the half with a 21-5 run to take a commanding 51-30 lead at the break.
The Cougar lead grew quickly in the second half as Keith Johnson and Vincent Brown connected from downtown while Travis Jones drove the lane with the greatest of ease for several slashing layups as the score ballooned to a 50 point spread. Jameico McPherson and Dominique Macon both got into the scoring column down the stretch while Baker put the exclamation mark on the win with a beautiful alley-oop slam dunk from Jones.
After Griffin's 20 points, Jones finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Johnson and Ross added 14 points each while Brown and Baker checked in with 13 points apiece. Baker added 11 boards for a double double. Cody Allen and Ira Hughley paced the Eagles with 12 points each.
Both Cleveland State teams will jump back into Region VII Conference play on Saturday as they welcome their arch rivals from Chattanooga State to town starting at 2:00 in the final games before the Christmas break. If you can't make it out to the game, you can watch the live webcast via the Cougar Sports Network by going to the Cleveland State website and clicking on the links.
Overall Record 6-4
12/3/2011 @ Motlow State 80-87 Loss
The lead changed hands several times throughout the first half in the mens contest. Travis Jones nailed a 3-pointer to put the Cougars on top 14-13 early and Nick Ross added a steal and a layup to the cause midway through the half to put the visitors on top 23-22.
Motlow finished the half with a flurry to hold a 49-43 advantage at the break. Barry Griffin picked up 10 tough points in the half and Jones added nine as the Cougars stayed within striking distance.
The Bucks started the second half with a 14-5 run as their lead went to double digits. The Bucks depth in the paint and in general over the short-handed Cougars began to show as the home team slowly pulled away. Keith Johnson hit a 3-pointer and Jones added 10 more points mostly on driving layups, but it was too little to late as the Bucks held off one last Cleveland State rally to take the win.
Jones led the Cougars (6-4, 2-4) with 19 points, Johnson finished with 17, Ross added 16, and Griffin had 14. Michael Tomlin and John Taylor paced the Bucks with 14 points each.
Overall Record 5-4
Conference Record 2-4
12/2/2011 @ Volunteer State 70-84 Loss
The mens contest went back and forth throughout the first half as the short-handed Cougars stayed right with the much taller Pioneers with neither team holding more than a five point lead. Cleveland State struck quickly, starting the game with a 9-1 run to take an early 10-5 lead. David Woodard for the Pioneers and the Cougars Kasheef Baker traded slam dunks midway through the half as the lead changed hands several times. Travis Jones hit a shot from downtown and a nice driving layup as the Cougars stayed close, trailing by only two points at halftime, 41-39.
Barry Griffin continued his good work in the paint with a pair of tough buckets in between the tall Pioneer trees, early in the second half as the Cougars briefly took a 48-46 lead. E.J. Perry put the home team on top to stay seconds later with a high arching 3-pointer to start a 14-3 run. Dominique Macon and Nick Ross hit a trey each for the Cougars, but the Pioneers hit 11-15 free tosses down the stretch to seal the win.
Woodard had a big night for the Pioneers with 28 points, Maurice Jackson added 12 points and Treshawn Coleman finished with 11. Jones paced the Cougars with 17 points, Ross added 16, Griffin finished with 14, Keith Johnson had nine and Macon eight.
Overall Record 5-3
Conference Record 2-3
11/19/2011 Jackson State 73-77 Loss
The Cougars scored the first four points of the game on Saturday afternoon, but the Generals got their offense rolling as big Johnny Williams took control of the paint scoring 10 points on a variety of moves to the hoop. The Cougars offense sputtered for much of the first half, but Barry Griffin was one bright spot as the former Howard High School star poured in 13 points to help his team stay within striking distance. Dominique Macon hit a layup in the final seconds to tie the game for the Cougars, but a driving layup from Marty Johnson put the Generals on top at the half 33-31.
Griffin picked right up where he left off with several nice spinning buckets to start the second half as the Cougars stayed right on the heels of the Generals. Nick Ross hit the only three-pointer of the game for the Cougars (1-11 in the game) with just over 14 minutes to go to tie the contest at 43 all. The teams traded buckets and the lead for the next several minutes, but a 9-1 run by the Generals spurred again by Johnny Williams proved to be the difference in the game.
A three-point play by Griffin in the final minute sliced the lead to a single point and the Cougars missed a pair of crucial free throws that would have tied the game as the Generals held on to escape with the win.
Griffin finished his monster outing with 39 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars (5-2, 2-2), Ross added 10 points and Keith Johnson had nine. Johnny Williams led the Generals (6-1, 3-1) with 28 points while Ricky Williams added 11
Overall Record 5-2
Conference Record 2-2
11/18/2011 Columbia State 86-80 Win
The Cougars had their work cut out for them on Friday night as the Columbia State Chargers (ranked 15th Nationally in the preseason poll) came to town. The fact that the visitors were much taller at nearly every position, didn't phase the Cougars as they proceeded to get off to a quick 16-8 start and would never trail in the game. Following the Cougars initial run, the Chargers made a run of their own mostly on the back of their inside game with Greg Magee and Robin Perry as the visitors managed to tie the game at 24 all midway through the first half.
The Nick Ross downtown air show then took control as the freshman sharpshooter let fly with three straight bombs from 3-point land and just like that the Cougars were back on top by nine points and would lead by 10, 41-31 at halftime. The inside, outside combination of Ross (4 treys) and 12 points by Barry Griffin in the paint (all layups and hook shots) worked very nicely for the Cougars.
A steal and slam dunk from Ross and nice three-point play by Keith Johnson helped the Cougars stay in front early in the second half before a run by the Chargers sliced the lead all the way down to two points with just over eight minutes to play.
A big offensive rebound and putback by Gerard Gore and a three-point play from Jamarcus Comage helped to restore order as the Cougars zipped right back out to a 12 point lead, their largest of the night. Columbia State made things interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to four points, but the Cougars were able to make just enought free tosses to secure the big win.
"That was a big conference win for us, I think I'm more relieved than happy, but I am very proud of my team," said Cigliano. "Our guys had a really good effort tonight, despite foul trouble. Nick hit some big shots, especially in the first half, Keith hit some big shots, and Barry and Gerard did a great job in the paint against much taller guys. Everybody stepped up and played well and it was a total team effort tonight."
The Cougars were nearly even in rebounding, 42-40 and won the turnover margin 19-12 while both teams shot right at 45 percent for the game. After Ross's 22 points, Johnson finished with 20, Comage added 15 and Griffin 14. Devonte James paced the Chargers (2-3, 1-2) with 17 points while Magee finished with 14.
Overall Record 5-1
Conference Record 2-1
11/15/2011 Northwest Georgia Technical College 86-43 Win
The Bobcats scored the first three points of the men's contest, but from that point forward it was all Cougars as the home team answered with a 12 point run of their own for a 12-3 lead. Travis Jones nailed a three-pointer and Nick Ross added a pair of his own to help the Cougars stay on top. Keith Johnson connected for the second time from downtown near the end of the half and added a steal and nice assist to Ross for the layup as the home team took a 41-27 halftime lead.
The Cougars turned up the defense in the second half allowing the Bobcats a grand total of 16 points, quickly putting the game on ice. Barry Griffin rattled the rim with a slam dunk, Ross aded a steal and slam as did Vincent Brown. Cleveland State then finished as strong as they started with a 35-10 run to seal the win.
"We're just trying to get better as the season goes on," stated Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "We pushed the ball and made some things happen. I'm greatful that we got the win and that everyone got to play and contributed so that's a good thing."
Johnson and Ross paced the Cougars (4-1) with 18 points apiece while Jamarcus Comage and Gerard Gore added 10 points each. Alex Miller led the Bobcats (2-2) with 10 points.
Overall Record 4-1
11/12/2011 @ Dyersburg State 91-71 Win
Nick Ross lit up the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon at Dyersburg State as the freshman sensation connected from three-point land five times in the first half and seven total for the game to help the visiting Cougars to a 45-40 halftime lead. Dominique Macon added nine first half points to go along with 17 from Ross.
Travis Jones and Keith Johnson picked up the pace for the Cougars in the second half as Jones did much of his damage from the charity stripe hitting six of eight while Johnson hit a pair of treys and added 10 points to the cause as the Cougars cruised to the 20 point win.
"Nick had a great shooting weekend in both games and especially on Saturday," stated Cougars coach Lee Cigliano. "We shot the ball well as a team in both games and really that was our saving grace. We didn't rebound very well and we had trouble against the press in both games, but we converted in transition well so overall we played well, got a win in a tough place to play, and had a chance to take two."
Ross led all scorers with 30 points for the Cougars, including seven shots from behind the arc, Johnson finished with 17 and Jones added 14. Carl McKenzie led the Eagles with 14 points while Jasmin Washington finished with 13.
Overall Record 3-1
Conference Record 1-1
11/11/2011 @ Southwest Tennessee 101-105 OT Loss
On Friday night, the Cougars came within an eyelash of pulling off the upset of the tall trees of Southwest Tennessee. The game was a seesaw battle all night long as the Cougars fell behind by 10 points in the first half before roaring back to tie the game at 51-51 on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ross.
Once again the Saluqis sprinted out to a big lead in the second half, 15 points this time, and once again the Cougars clawed their way back into the game down the stretch. The Cougars just kept coming all night long despite foul trouble the whole way, finishing with only six players still eligible with five of those being guards. The homestanding Saluqis shot 47 free tosses while Cleveland State had only 34 attempts.
With time ticking down and the Cougars trailing by two points, Ross attempted a 3-pointer for the win. It was short, but Kasheef Baker saved the day as he snatched the ball out of the air and slammed it home to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Cougars scored first in the extra stanza, but the home team's size took over as they hit just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the hard-fought win.
"We battled foul trouble all night long," explained Cigliano. "It was very difficult to play with all the fouls being called, but I'm proud of my guys they just kept playing hard. Their press was effective all night long, but it was a good tough game and a good showing by my guys. To lose on the road to a team as big and as good as Southwest in overtime is no shame."
Ross poured in 29 points including eight shots from downtown to lead the Cougars (3-1, 1-1), Johnson was right behind with 27 and Jones added 25. Antwon Oliver led the Saluquis with 20 points, Nate Rucker added 16, and Montez Fifer had 12
Overall Record 2-1
Conference Record 0-1
11/5/2011 @ Chattahoochee Tech 77-70 Win
The Cougars rode the hot hand of Nick Ross all the way to a win in the men's contest as the former Red Bank Lion poured in a game-high 36 points in the seesaw battle. The Cougars were unphased by their much taller opponents as Travis Jones hit a pair of long range threes helping the visitors to trail only by a point, 31-30 at halftime.
The game continued to swing back and forth in the second half, until Keith Johnson nailed a three-point bomb at the four minute mark to put the Cougars on top to stay. Ross canned four crucial free tosses down the stretch and Gerard Gore and Kasheef Baker more than held their own in the paint against the tall Eagle trees to help secure the win. After Ross's 36 points including six 3's, Dominique Macon and Jones finished with 10 points apiece. Sean Tate paced the Eagles with 22 points while Asauhn Dixon-Tatum finished with 18.
"It was a good win over a very good team," explained Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They were taller than us at every position, but we played hard and got the win. We only dressed 10 guys for the game, but each one contributed to the win in some way."
Overall Record 2-0
11/3/2011 Bryan College JV 105-72 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The 2011/2012 basketball season started with a cat fight on Wednesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium as the Cougars of Cleveland State and the Lions of Bryan College hit the hardwood for the first time. The Cougars took care of business in a big way as they proved to be the top cat on this night by a final score of 105-72 .
Cleveland State hit the Lions with a 15-0 run to open the contest and never looked back. A former Lion himself (Red Bank High School), Nick Ross started and finished the opening run with long range bomb as he nailed five shots from downtown in the first half to help the home team to a 58-36 advantage at the break. Ross poured in 18 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cougars would shoot a sizzling 45 percent from the floor. Bryan actually shot 50 percent in the first half, but 19 turnovers forced by the Cleveland State defensive pressure neutralized the good shooting.
The Cougar lead would go as high as 31 points early in the second half as Ross brought the large crowd to its feet on the back end of an alley-oop slam dunk from Travis Jones. The Lions then cut into the lead in the final 10 minutes as Jake Thayer hit a 3-pointer and Andrew Blasser added a pair of driving layups, but it was too little to late. Ross, Barry Griffin and Dominique Mason put the exclamation point on the win with a nice rim-rattler each to help the Cougars cruise to victory.
"It's good to get the first one over and get the win, but to tell the truth, I was a little dissappointed with our defensive effort tonight," explained Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "Nick shot the ball well and Barry shot well and Keith, but defensively we did not play well at all. It really shows how far we have to go to compete in conference play and we have a lot to work on."
Ross led five Cougars (1-0) in double figures with 27 points, Griffin was right behind with 22 points, nine boards and three steals, former Cleveland Blue Raider, Dominique Macon had a solid night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Johnson added 14 points and 15 boards while Jones finished with 10 points.Thayer led the Lions with 19 points, Calvin Smith had 14, Blasser finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Derek Hankins had 13 points.
Overall Record 1-0
2/22/2012 @ Chattanooga State 78-69 Win
CHATTANOOGA - The Cleveland State Cougars pulled off an upset of giant proportions on a cold afternoon in Chattanooga as the Cougars toppled the Tigers of Chattanooga State by a final count of 78-69. The Cougars won the battle of the big cats as they led from start to finish and in the process get a big Region VII Conference win.
The Lady Cougars led at halftime, but couldn't sustain the momentum in the ladies contest as they fell to the powerful Lady Tigers by a final score of 76-58.
Nick Ross converted a three-point play and Kasheef Baker slammed home an offensive rebound as Cougars jumped on top of the Tigers from the opening tip and led throughout the first half. Ross hit two of his four treys in the first half on back to back trips down the court as the visitors took 20-14 lead midway through the half.
The biggest Tiger on the floor, 6'10 Byron Trench, controlled the paint and proceeded to pour in 19 points in the first 20 minutes to almost single-handedly keep his team afloat. In fact just about the only missed shot from Trench was a dunk attempt.
Travis Jones finished the half with a three-pointer and a pair of short, spinning, off-balance jumpers amongst the trees as he contributed 15 points on the way to a Cleveland State 38-31 lead at the break.
The Cougars maintained their advantage and built on it in the early going of the second half. Jones and Ross nailed a 3-point bomb each and Baker continued his good work in the paint with an impressive offensive rebound for another bucket as the Cougar lead grew to double digits.
An offensive rebound from Gerard Gore and an incredible tip in from Gore on the next trip provided a spark the visitors would need as the clock dropped below eight minutes to go.
The Tigers would not go quietly on their home hardwood as Andrew Houts got hot and began to rain three-pointers as the Tigers cut the lead back to single digits with four minutes to play. Houts had 14 of his 16 points in the second half as the Tigers made one last run. Trench converted a three-point play to cut the lead to only seven points, but the Cougars hit their free tosses down the stretch and secured the win and an even bigger upset. Ross fed Barry Griffin with a perfect pass for an alley-oop slam dunk just before the final buzzer to put the exclamation point on the day for the Cougars.
"This was such a big win for our team, you don't come to Chatanooga State and win very often because they are an extremely good team year in and year out," stated a very happy Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They were so big in the middle, but our guys hung in there and played tough and I couldn't be more proud of them. We shot the ball well and played great defense. It was a total team effort today and a big win for our guys."
Jones and Ross paved the way for the Cougars (11-11, 5-9) with 26 and 25 points respectively while Trench paced the Tigers (12-9. 7-7) with 26 points.
Overall Record 11-11
Conference Record 5-9
2/4/2012 Motlow State 52-60 Loss
The Cougars jumped out to an 11-5 advantage as made baskets from either team were few and far between in the first half. A pair of tough buckets in the paint by Barry Griffin and a layup each from Nick Ross and Travis Jones helped the Cougars gain the lead midway through the period. A tip in from Keith Johnson and a layup from Gerard Gore helped the Cougars stay close.
The inside outside combination of John Taylor and Ricky Tisdale capped a mini-run by the Bucks toward the end of the half and would propel the visitors to a slim 28-25 halftime lead. Cleveland State shot just 29 percent in the first half compared to 47 percent for the Bucks.
The Cougars stayed right on the Bucks heels throughout most of the second half and briefly took the lead, 43-40 midway through the stanza on a pair of tough layups from Ross. The Bucks then countered with a 13-3 run to recapture the lead for good. The Cougars fought to the bitter end, cutting the lead to only three points down the stretch, but could not quite get over the hump. The Bucks hit just enough free tosses down the stretch to secure the win and gain a split of the days games.
Ross paced the Cougars with 18 points and Jones finished with 15. Tisdale led the Bucks (11-8, 5-7) with 16 points while John Taylor added 10.
Overall Record 9-11
Conference Record 4-9
2/3/2012 Volunteer State 87-82 Win
Nick Ross sizzled the nets early and often to start the men's contest. Ross canned a pair of 3's to help the Cougars get off and running to an 8-2 lead. The tall trees in the paint for the Pioneers then warmed up a bit over the next eight minutes of play as the game was tied or the lead changed hands 10 times.
Two more shots from downtown from Ross, including one from the parking lot and another from three rows up in the bleachers, helped the Cougars finish the first half on a 15-5 run and take a 36-27 lead at the break. Ross had 19 points in the first half including five treys while the Cougars shot an amazing 56 percent from the floor while holding Volunteer to only 34 percent.
Ross picked right up where he left off with another three-pointer and a three-point play, before the Volunteer defense finally put two people on him. Travis Jones then took over in a big way as the Cougar point guard sliced and diced his way through the Pioneer defense the rest of the night.
Jones tossed in an incredible 32 points in the second half as he drove relentlessly to the bucket while usually getting tossed to the floor by the tall trees in the paint and then beating a path to the free throw line where he knocked down 17 of 19 charity tosses.
The Cougars maintained a seven to nine point lead for much of the second half as they withstood several Pioneer runs. Hunter Harris and David Woodard converted a three-point play each down the stretch to make things interesting in the final seconds, but the Cougars hit their free throws to seal the hard-fought win.
Cleveland State shot 59 percent for the game and were even in the rebound column which was a definite plus for the much shorter Cougars. Jones finished with a career high 39 points, while Ross added 27 to the cause to lead the Cougars ( ). Harris paced the Pioneers (13-8, 4-7) with 23 points while Woodard added 19.
"This was a big win for us after the way they handled us at their place earlier in the season," stated Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They are so big in the middle, I though our guys fought hard and did a great job against them, especially in the paint. We were even on rebounds which is astonishing. Travis and Nick did most of the scoring and they played great, but it really was a team effort tonight."
Overall Record 9-10
Conference Record 4-9
1/28/2012 @ Jackson State 75-88 Loss
The homestanding Generals were red hot from the floor as they nailed eight 3's in the first half, with Davell Lloyd hitting three of them. Barry Griffin kept the Cougars within striking distance with 12 first half points as the visitors trailed by 11 at the break.
The Generals rained down four more long distance shots in the second half while Johnny Williams added 12 points in the paint as the the home team maintained its lead. Travis Jones had 15 of his 21 points in the second half, but it was not enough as the Cougars fell by 13. Griffin finished with 18 points while Keith Johnson added 11. Jacob Lloyd and Williams led the Generals with 17 points each.
Overall Record 8-10
Conference Record 3-8
1/27/2012 @ Columbia State 54-81 Loss
Nick Ross hit a pair of threes while Johnson and Jamarcus Comage added a long range shot each to help the Cougars stay close in a low scoring first half and trail by only four points at halftime 27-23.
The Chargers took off and hid in the second half as Greg Magee and Kyle Carter scored 10 points each and the Cougars went long periods of time without a bucket.
Ross finished with 23 points to lead the Cougars (9-10, 3-8) while Lester Gude led the Chargers with 15 points and Magee finished with 14.
Overall Record 8-9
Conference Record 3-7
1/21/2012 @ Roane State 67-80 Loss
Travis Jones converted several nice driving layups and Keith Jones added an old fashioned three-point play as the Cougars held an early lead. The lead seesawed back and forth throughout the first half before the Cougars went ice cold from the floor and the home team got hot.
Cedric Clinkscales and Kinard Gadsen-Gilliard took the Raiders on their broad shoulders with many buckets each in the paint to help the home team finish the half on a 12-2 run and take a 39-27 halftime lead.
The Raiders flexed their sizable muscles in the paint to start the second half and pushed their lead to as many as 18 points midway through the second half. Nick Ross and Keith Johnson led a Cougar rally as both players got hot at the same time.
Ross hit a tri-fecta of threes and Johnson and Jones added several driving layups to the cause as thed visitors cut the lead to single digits. Another trey from Ross sliced the lead to only three points with two minutes to go, but that would be the end of the comeback as the Raiders were able to hit just enough free tosses to secure the win.
Ross led the Cougars (9-8, 3-6) with 21 points, Johnson added 12 and Jones finished with 17. Jon Maybank led all scorers for Roane State with 29 points, Cedric Clinkscales added 19 while Gadsden-Gilliard had 14.
Overall Record 8-8
Conference Record 3-6
1/18/2012 Walters State 93-76 Win
The Cougars hit their guests with a 20-4 run early in the men's contest to open up a 27-12 lead. Nick Ross and Keith Johnson nailed a three-point bomb each while Travis Jones did his damage in the paint with a couple of nice driving layups. The Senators then countered with a run of their own as they sliced the lead all the way down to two points with just over three minutes to go in the half.
Griffin and Dominique Macon then went to work on the offensive boards to help the Cougars race right back out to a 10 point advantage, but once again the Senators stormed back, with the aid of a 3-pointer from Leland Robinson at the buzzer to cut the lead to 47-43 at the break.
The Cougars sizzled the nets in the first half, shooting 54 percent and committing only three turnovers while the Senators shot a very respectable 47 percent and took the edge on the boards 19-18.
Cleveland State zipped right back out to a 10 point lead by scoring the first five points of the second stanza and never looked back. Johnson poured in 15 of his 22 points as the Cougars lead grew steadily. Griffin continued his good work in the paint while Johnson filled the basket from all angles to help the home team build as much as a 17 point advantage with just over five minutes to play.
Jameico McPherson put the exclamation point on the win with a high-flying slam dunk as the Cougars cruised to victory.
"It was a total team effort tonight," said Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "Barry had a great game inside, we took the ball in when we needed to, Travis penetrated and Kasheef and Tiger gave us a lift defensively off the bench. We played well against a good team and we're glad to get a big conference win."
Griffin led the way for the Cougars (9-7, 3-5) with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Johnson finished with 22 points and nine boards while Jones and Ross added 17 points apiece. Brock Southerland led the Senators with 14 points while Lamar McKnight, Tony Wilkerson and Leland Robinson added 12 points each.
Overall Record 8-7
Conference Record 3-5
1/12/2012 Faulkner State 70-88 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The atmosphere on the outside of L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium on Thursday night was dark and very cold, but on the inside the Faulkner State Sun Chiefs, and their three charter buses of fans, lit up the scoreboard and had the apperance of an Alabama home game. The Sun Chiefs dominated the contest from start to finish as they handed Cleveland State an 88-70 loss.
Dominique Macon put the Cougars on the board with a driving layup to open the scoring and put the home team on top, 2-0. But after that it was all Sun Chiefs as they went on a 14-2 run and never looked back. The Visitors dressed over 20 players and came at the Cougars in waves all night long. A slam dunk from Stanley Magee and a pair of tough buckets in the paint by Calvin Dade pushed the Faulkner lead to 31-15 midway through the first half.
Nick Ross and Keith Johnson nailed back to back bombs from 3-point land to cut the lead under 20 points, but a 14-6 run from the Sun Chiefs to close out the half including a trey at the buzzer from Ty McCants pushed the Faulkner advantage to 55-29 at the break. The Sun Chiefs sizzled the nets to the tune of 53 percent in the first half while the Cougars managed only 29 percent and committed 15 turnovers.
The Cougars showed signs of life to start the second half as they hit their guests with a 9-0 run. A pair of steals led to layups from Macon and Johnson and Ross chipped in with a three from the corner. But, after a timeout, the Sun Chiefs restored order and began to extend its lead once again.
Ross converted a pair of tough buckets in the paint, Johnson added a pair of his own and Jameico McPherson hit a turnaround jumper midway through the half as the Cougars got as close as 16 points on several ocassions, but no closer.
The teams traded baskets for much of the rest of the night as the Sun Chiefs put it on cruise control down the stretch to get the impressive win. Faulkner shot 48 percent for the game while the Cougars hit 36 percent.
"Faulkner is a very good team and they played well," stated Cougar assistant coach Randy Evans. "Coach Robertson is a hall of fame coach and it was an honor to coach against him. Win or lose, we are trying to build men both on and off the court. We didn't give up after getting way down in the first half and our intensity level was much better in the second half. We have to find a way to put that kind of intensity level together for forty minutes. This kind of game will only help us get better and get ready to jump back into conference play next week. We played hard and battled to the end and I was proud of them."
Magee led all scorers for Faulkner with 23 points DeAndre McIntyre finished with 13, Dade added 12 and Victor Marshall had 10. Ross paced the Cougars (8-7) with 17 points and 10 boards, Barry Griffin and Travis Jones were next with 14 and 13 points respectively and Johnson finished with 11.
Overall Record 7-7
1/9/2012 Tennessee Temple JV 98-93 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State men's basketball team outlasted a very tallented and upset minded Tennessee Temple Crusader team on Monday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium, but it wasn't easy as the Cougars trailed most of the contest and finally nailed down a thrilling 98-93 come-from-behind win.
The Crusaders jumped out to an 8-4 lead, but from there the game seesawed back and forth for much of the rest of the half. Kasheef Baker hit a layup and knocked down a pair of free tosses to give the Cougars a brief 13-12 lead and Nick Ross nailed a 3-point bomb to put the home team on top once again at the 9:05 mark 24-23.
The lead changed hands or the game was tied 14 times throughout the first half before two straight driving layups from Travis Jones put the Cougars back on top, 39-37 with three minutes to go. But a 10-2 run by the visitors to finish the half would give Temple a 47-41 halftime advantage. Ross kept the Cougars close in the first half with 22 points while Antwan Ruise led the Crusaders with 15.
The Crusaders picked up right where they left off to begin the second half as a pair of buckets from Ruise pushed the lead to a 10-point spread at 55-45. The Cougars offense slowly began to whittle down the lead over the next several minutes. Buckets from Keith Johnson, Jones and a slam from Baker cut the lead to four points and a layup from Jameico McPherson put the home team on top at the midway point, 60-59.
After a pair of twisting layups from Donnelle Freeman put the Crusaders on top, the Cougars took off again and this time grabbed the lead for good. An alley-oop slam from Baker with Johnson on the assist spurred a 19-4 run. A full-court press proved to be just what the doctor ordered as it caused several Crusader turnovers and led to a pair of highlight film slam dunks from Baker.
The Crusaders made one last charge as they cut the lead to four points in the waning seconds, but the Cougars were able to hit just enough free tosses and Baker added one more rim-rattler to apply the exclamation point on a Cleveland State win.
"We didn't play with any energy in the first half, but really picked up the intensity in the second half, that was the key to the win," stated Cougars assistant coach Randy Evans. "We went to the press and a spread offense and it gave them some problems, but our energy on the floor and especially on the bench gave us the lift we needed to get the win. Temple is not a bad team at all, they played well and they've got some athletes. It was a good win."
Ross led the way for the Cougars (8-6) with 31 points, Jones finished with 19 while Baker checked in with 14. Ruise paced the Crusaders with 23 points while Breion added 17 and Freeman and Douglas Slade tossed in 14 each.
Overall Record 7-6
1/7/2012 Chattahoochee Tech 68-78 Loss
The men's game was the complete opposite of the ladies affair as the game was tied or the lead changed hands 15 times throughout the first half. Nick Ross hit a trey and added a layup and Dominique Macon had a steal and a layup early to put the home team on top. Kasheef Baker provided a lift off the bench with a pair of tough buckets in the paint including one that turned into a three point play and Barry Griffin tossed in a three-point play of his own to give the Cougars a one point lead with less than two minutes to go in the half.
The Eagles then surged into the lead as they scored the final six points of the half as Darius Davis hit a short jumper and Coleco Kidd hit a 3-ball just before the buzzer to give the visitors a 34-29 halftime advantage.
A quick 7-2 run by the Eagles to open the second half opened a slight lead for the visitors as the Cougars went cold from the field for the first 10 minutes.
After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Cougars began to cut into the lead as Jones and Ross converted a three-point play each to pull the home team within six points. A steal by Jones and a layup from Ross cut the lead to only four points with 1:21 left, but the Eagles were able to weather the storm and hang on the rest of the way to notch the win.
The Cougars shot 37 percent in the first half and 40 percent for the game while hitting only one of their 16 attempts from three-point land and the much taller Eagles shot 44 percent for the contest . Chattahoochee hit 22-31 free tosses while the Cougars made 13-22.
Jones and Ross led the Cougars (7-6) with 21 points each while Griffin finished with 12 points and Gerard Gore added 12 rebounds. Brannon Hopkins paced the Eagles with 21 points, Davis finished with 16, Darius Miller added 14, and Asauhn Dixon-Tatum had 10.
Overall Record 6-6
12/10/2011 Chattanooga State 92-97 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
Chatanooga State took round one of the annual cat fight between themselves and Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium as the Tigers were pushed to the final seconds by the Cougars before taking a 97-92 win over their hosts while Chattanooga State also captured the win in the ladies contest by a final score of 87-74.
One run by Chattanooga State in each game midway through the second half would prove to be the difference in both contests as the Cougars and Lady Cougars dropped their last games before the Christmas holidays.
The Tigers threatened to blow the Cougars right out of their own gym to start the men's game as they hit the home team with a 10-0 run right off the opening tip. The Cougars then righted the ship, mostly on the back of Travis Jones, as the Cougar point guard got red hot by hitting almost every shot he put up to score 10 straight points and get the home team right back in the game in a hurry.
Jones added another 3-point bomb and Dominque Macon came off the Cougar bench and immediately paid dividends with a pair of buckets including a three from the corner to help Cleveland State to a 17-14 lead. The lead seesawed back and forth over the next several minutes as Tre Webb took over in the paint for Chattanooga State by tossing in 17 first half points. A layup from Barry Griffin after a nice drive and dish from Gerard Gore put the Cougars back on top again at the six minute mark, but an 11-3 run from the Tigers put the visitors on top the rest of the half for a 48-44 halftime advantage.
Nick Ross hit a despiration 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to cut the lead to only four points and did the same thing to open the second half as the Cougars used a 9-1 run to take a 53-49 lead.
Consecutive 3-point plays from Macon moments later helped the Cougars maintain a small lead. Over the next eight minutes of the game the game was either tied or the lead changed hands 10 times, but with just under eight minutes to go in the game, the Tigers went on a 13-0 run to take a double digit lead, 86-74.
The Cougars clawed their way back into the game down the stretch as four free tosses and two more treys from Ross helped cut the lead all the way down to one point at 93-92 with only 16 ticks left on the clock. The comeback would end there though as Keith Rawls hit four straight free throws to seal the win for the Tigers.
Ross and Jones led the way for the Cougars (7-5, 2-5) with 24 points apiece while Keith Johnson and Macon added 17 and 15. Webb paced the Tigers (10-2, 5-2) with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Byron Trench added 19 and Telvin James finished with 11
Overall Record 6-5
Conference Record 2-5
12/7/2011 Reinhardt College JV 105-59 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
As Dorothy once said, there's no place like home, and the Cleveland State men's basketball team enjoyed every minute of it as they got back to their winning ways on Wednesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium by clipping the wings of the Reinhardt University Eagles by a final count of 105-59.
In a contest that was moved to Cleveland after the Eagles nest was unavailable due to renovations, the Cougars were more than happy to play host after spending a long weekend on the road in Middle Tennessee. It was home sweet home as the Cougars sizzled the friendly nets of the Q to the tune of 47 percent in the first half and 51 percent for the game. Six Cougars put double digits in the scoring column led by 20 points in the paint from Barry Griffin. The Cleveland State defense held Reinhardt to only 43 percent shooting for the game while causing 26 turnovers.
The Eagles scored the first four points of the game, but from that point forward, it was all Cougars. Buckets from Griffin and Gerard Gore in the paint and a long 3-pointer from Nick Ross led the charge and a rim-rattling slam dunk from Kasheef Baker helped put the home team on top by double digits midway through the first stanza.
The Eagles made a mini-run to cut the lead to only four points as Jalen Butler hit a three, but the Cougars closed the half with a 21-5 run to take a commanding 51-30 lead at the break.
The Cougar lead grew quickly in the second half as Keith Johnson and Vincent Brown connected from downtown while Travis Jones drove the lane with the greatest of ease for several slashing layups as the score ballooned to a 50 point spread. Jameico McPherson and Dominique Macon both got into the scoring column down the stretch while Baker put the exclamation mark on the win with a beautiful alley-oop slam dunk from Jones.
After Griffin's 20 points, Jones finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Johnson and Ross added 14 points each while Brown and Baker checked in with 13 points apiece. Baker added 11 boards for a double double. Cody Allen and Ira Hughley paced the Eagles with 12 points each.
Both Cleveland State teams will jump back into Region VII Conference play on Saturday as they welcome their arch rivals from Chattanooga State to town starting at 2:00 in the final games before the Christmas break. If you can't make it out to the game, you can watch the live webcast via the Cougar Sports Network by going to the Cleveland State website and clicking on the links.
Overall Record 6-4
12/3/2011 @ Motlow State 80-87 Loss
The lead changed hands several times throughout the first half in the mens contest. Travis Jones nailed a 3-pointer to put the Cougars on top 14-13 early and Nick Ross added a steal and a layup to the cause midway through the half to put the visitors on top 23-22.
Motlow finished the half with a flurry to hold a 49-43 advantage at the break. Barry Griffin picked up 10 tough points in the half and Jones added nine as the Cougars stayed within striking distance.
The Bucks started the second half with a 14-5 run as their lead went to double digits. The Bucks depth in the paint and in general over the short-handed Cougars began to show as the home team slowly pulled away. Keith Johnson hit a 3-pointer and Jones added 10 more points mostly on driving layups, but it was too little to late as the Bucks held off one last Cleveland State rally to take the win.
Jones led the Cougars (6-4, 2-4) with 19 points, Johnson finished with 17, Ross added 16, and Griffin had 14. Michael Tomlin and John Taylor paced the Bucks with 14 points each.
Overall Record 5-4
Conference Record 2-4
12/2/2011 @ Volunteer State 70-84 Loss
The mens contest went back and forth throughout the first half as the short-handed Cougars stayed right with the much taller Pioneers with neither team holding more than a five point lead. Cleveland State struck quickly, starting the game with a 9-1 run to take an early 10-5 lead. David Woodard for the Pioneers and the Cougars Kasheef Baker traded slam dunks midway through the half as the lead changed hands several times. Travis Jones hit a shot from downtown and a nice driving layup as the Cougars stayed close, trailing by only two points at halftime, 41-39.
Barry Griffin continued his good work in the paint with a pair of tough buckets in between the tall Pioneer trees, early in the second half as the Cougars briefly took a 48-46 lead. E.J. Perry put the home team on top to stay seconds later with a high arching 3-pointer to start a 14-3 run. Dominique Macon and Nick Ross hit a trey each for the Cougars, but the Pioneers hit 11-15 free tosses down the stretch to seal the win.
Woodard had a big night for the Pioneers with 28 points, Maurice Jackson added 12 points and Treshawn Coleman finished with 11. Jones paced the Cougars with 17 points, Ross added 16, Griffin finished with 14, Keith Johnson had nine and Macon eight.
Overall Record 5-3
Conference Record 2-3
11/19/2011 Jackson State 73-77 Loss
The Cougars scored the first four points of the game on Saturday afternoon, but the Generals got their offense rolling as big Johnny Williams took control of the paint scoring 10 points on a variety of moves to the hoop. The Cougars offense sputtered for much of the first half, but Barry Griffin was one bright spot as the former Howard High School star poured in 13 points to help his team stay within striking distance. Dominique Macon hit a layup in the final seconds to tie the game for the Cougars, but a driving layup from Marty Johnson put the Generals on top at the half 33-31.
Griffin picked right up where he left off with several nice spinning buckets to start the second half as the Cougars stayed right on the heels of the Generals. Nick Ross hit the only three-pointer of the game for the Cougars (1-11 in the game) with just over 14 minutes to go to tie the contest at 43 all. The teams traded buckets and the lead for the next several minutes, but a 9-1 run by the Generals spurred again by Johnny Williams proved to be the difference in the game.
A three-point play by Griffin in the final minute sliced the lead to a single point and the Cougars missed a pair of crucial free throws that would have tied the game as the Generals held on to escape with the win.
Griffin finished his monster outing with 39 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars (5-2, 2-2), Ross added 10 points and Keith Johnson had nine. Johnny Williams led the Generals (6-1, 3-1) with 28 points while Ricky Williams added 11
Overall Record 5-2
Conference Record 2-2
11/18/2011 Columbia State 86-80 Win
The Cougars had their work cut out for them on Friday night as the Columbia State Chargers (ranked 15th Nationally in the preseason poll) came to town. The fact that the visitors were much taller at nearly every position, didn't phase the Cougars as they proceeded to get off to a quick 16-8 start and would never trail in the game. Following the Cougars initial run, the Chargers made a run of their own mostly on the back of their inside game with Greg Magee and Robin Perry as the visitors managed to tie the game at 24 all midway through the first half.
The Nick Ross downtown air show then took control as the freshman sharpshooter let fly with three straight bombs from 3-point land and just like that the Cougars were back on top by nine points and would lead by 10, 41-31 at halftime. The inside, outside combination of Ross (4 treys) and 12 points by Barry Griffin in the paint (all layups and hook shots) worked very nicely for the Cougars.
A steal and slam dunk from Ross and nice three-point play by Keith Johnson helped the Cougars stay in front early in the second half before a run by the Chargers sliced the lead all the way down to two points with just over eight minutes to play.
A big offensive rebound and putback by Gerard Gore and a three-point play from Jamarcus Comage helped to restore order as the Cougars zipped right back out to a 12 point lead, their largest of the night. Columbia State made things interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to four points, but the Cougars were able to make just enought free tosses to secure the big win.
"That was a big conference win for us, I think I'm more relieved than happy, but I am very proud of my team," said Cigliano. "Our guys had a really good effort tonight, despite foul trouble. Nick hit some big shots, especially in the first half, Keith hit some big shots, and Barry and Gerard did a great job in the paint against much taller guys. Everybody stepped up and played well and it was a total team effort tonight."
The Cougars were nearly even in rebounding, 42-40 and won the turnover margin 19-12 while both teams shot right at 45 percent for the game. After Ross's 22 points, Johnson finished with 20, Comage added 15 and Griffin 14. Devonte James paced the Chargers (2-3, 1-2) with 17 points while Magee finished with 14.
Overall Record 5-1
Conference Record 2-1
11/15/2011 Northwest Georgia Technical College 86-43 Win
The Bobcats scored the first three points of the men's contest, but from that point forward it was all Cougars as the home team answered with a 12 point run of their own for a 12-3 lead. Travis Jones nailed a three-pointer and Nick Ross added a pair of his own to help the Cougars stay on top. Keith Johnson connected for the second time from downtown near the end of the half and added a steal and nice assist to Ross for the layup as the home team took a 41-27 halftime lead.
The Cougars turned up the defense in the second half allowing the Bobcats a grand total of 16 points, quickly putting the game on ice. Barry Griffin rattled the rim with a slam dunk, Ross aded a steal and slam as did Vincent Brown. Cleveland State then finished as strong as they started with a 35-10 run to seal the win.
"We're just trying to get better as the season goes on," stated Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "We pushed the ball and made some things happen. I'm greatful that we got the win and that everyone got to play and contributed so that's a good thing."
Johnson and Ross paced the Cougars (4-1) with 18 points apiece while Jamarcus Comage and Gerard Gore added 10 points each. Alex Miller led the Bobcats (2-2) with 10 points.
Overall Record 4-1
11/12/2011 @ Dyersburg State 91-71 Win
Nick Ross lit up the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon at Dyersburg State as the freshman sensation connected from three-point land five times in the first half and seven total for the game to help the visiting Cougars to a 45-40 halftime lead. Dominique Macon added nine first half points to go along with 17 from Ross.
Travis Jones and Keith Johnson picked up the pace for the Cougars in the second half as Jones did much of his damage from the charity stripe hitting six of eight while Johnson hit a pair of treys and added 10 points to the cause as the Cougars cruised to the 20 point win.
"Nick had a great shooting weekend in both games and especially on Saturday," stated Cougars coach Lee Cigliano. "We shot the ball well as a team in both games and really that was our saving grace. We didn't rebound very well and we had trouble against the press in both games, but we converted in transition well so overall we played well, got a win in a tough place to play, and had a chance to take two."
Ross led all scorers with 30 points for the Cougars, including seven shots from behind the arc, Johnson finished with 17 and Jones added 14. Carl McKenzie led the Eagles with 14 points while Jasmin Washington finished with 13.
Overall Record 3-1
Conference Record 1-1
11/11/2011 @ Southwest Tennessee 101-105 OT Loss
On Friday night, the Cougars came within an eyelash of pulling off the upset of the tall trees of Southwest Tennessee. The game was a seesaw battle all night long as the Cougars fell behind by 10 points in the first half before roaring back to tie the game at 51-51 on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ross.
Once again the Saluqis sprinted out to a big lead in the second half, 15 points this time, and once again the Cougars clawed their way back into the game down the stretch. The Cougars just kept coming all night long despite foul trouble the whole way, finishing with only six players still eligible with five of those being guards. The homestanding Saluqis shot 47 free tosses while Cleveland State had only 34 attempts.
With time ticking down and the Cougars trailing by two points, Ross attempted a 3-pointer for the win. It was short, but Kasheef Baker saved the day as he snatched the ball out of the air and slammed it home to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Cougars scored first in the extra stanza, but the home team's size took over as they hit just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the hard-fought win.
"We battled foul trouble all night long," explained Cigliano. "It was very difficult to play with all the fouls being called, but I'm proud of my guys they just kept playing hard. Their press was effective all night long, but it was a good tough game and a good showing by my guys. To lose on the road to a team as big and as good as Southwest in overtime is no shame."
Ross poured in 29 points including eight shots from downtown to lead the Cougars (3-1, 1-1), Johnson was right behind with 27 and Jones added 25. Antwon Oliver led the Saluquis with 20 points, Nate Rucker added 16, and Montez Fifer had 12
Overall Record 2-1
Conference Record 0-1
11/5/2011 @ Chattahoochee Tech 77-70 Win
The Cougars rode the hot hand of Nick Ross all the way to a win in the men's contest as the former Red Bank Lion poured in a game-high 36 points in the seesaw battle. The Cougars were unphased by their much taller opponents as Travis Jones hit a pair of long range threes helping the visitors to trail only by a point, 31-30 at halftime.
The game continued to swing back and forth in the second half, until Keith Johnson nailed a three-point bomb at the four minute mark to put the Cougars on top to stay. Ross canned four crucial free tosses down the stretch and Gerard Gore and Kasheef Baker more than held their own in the paint against the tall Eagle trees to help secure the win. After Ross's 36 points including six 3's, Dominique Macon and Jones finished with 10 points apiece. Sean Tate paced the Eagles with 22 points while Asauhn Dixon-Tatum finished with 18.
"It was a good win over a very good team," explained Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "They were taller than us at every position, but we played hard and got the win. We only dressed 10 guys for the game, but each one contributed to the win in some way."
Overall Record 2-0
11/3/2011 Bryan College JV 105-72 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The 2011/2012 basketball season started with a cat fight on Wednesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium as the Cougars of Cleveland State and the Lions of Bryan College hit the hardwood for the first time. The Cougars took care of business in a big way as they proved to be the top cat on this night by a final score of 105-72 .
Cleveland State hit the Lions with a 15-0 run to open the contest and never looked back. A former Lion himself (Red Bank High School), Nick Ross started and finished the opening run with long range bomb as he nailed five shots from downtown in the first half to help the home team to a 58-36 advantage at the break. Ross poured in 18 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cougars would shoot a sizzling 45 percent from the floor. Bryan actually shot 50 percent in the first half, but 19 turnovers forced by the Cleveland State defensive pressure neutralized the good shooting.
The Cougar lead would go as high as 31 points early in the second half as Ross brought the large crowd to its feet on the back end of an alley-oop slam dunk from Travis Jones. The Lions then cut into the lead in the final 10 minutes as Jake Thayer hit a 3-pointer and Andrew Blasser added a pair of driving layups, but it was too little to late. Ross, Barry Griffin and Dominique Mason put the exclamation point on the win with a nice rim-rattler each to help the Cougars cruise to victory.
"It's good to get the first one over and get the win, but to tell the truth, I was a little dissappointed with our defensive effort tonight," explained Cougar coach Lee Cigliano. "Nick shot the ball well and Barry shot well and Keith, but defensively we did not play well at all. It really shows how far we have to go to compete in conference play and we have a lot to work on."
Ross led five Cougars (1-0) in double figures with 27 points, Griffin was right behind with 22 points, nine boards and three steals, former Cleveland Blue Raider, Dominique Macon had a solid night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Johnson added 14 points and 15 boards while Jones finished with 10 points.Thayer led the Lions with 19 points, Calvin Smith had 14, Blasser finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Derek Hankins had 13 points.
Overall Record 1-0
