CSU Falls To Rutgers 70-38 On The Road

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Stefan Kenic scored 12 points and Kenny Carpenter added 12 as Cleveland State fell at Rutgers, 70-38, in the opening game of the Showcase on the Banks Classic on Tuesday night in the Rutgers Athletic Center.

CSU fell to 0-2 this year, while Rutgers improved to 3-0.

STAT LEADERS

• Kenic led the Vikings with 12 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers. He added four rebounds.
• Carpenter had his second straight game in double figures with 11 points, going 5-of-7 from the floor. He also had six rebounds and four assists.
• Tyree Appleby tallied six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Anthony Wright finished with four points and four rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Stefan Kenic gave the Vikings early offense, hitting a pair of three-pointers as the game was tied 6-6 four minutes in.
• Rutgers opened up a seven point lead (17-10) midway through the first half and would extend the lead to as many as 13 points late in the second half.
• The Vikings scored six of the last eight points of the half to slice the deficit under single digits (31-22) at halftime.
• Rutgers used the long ball – hitting three three-pointers early in the second half – as part of an 18-4 run over the first five-plus minutes of the second half to open up a 49-26 lead.

COACH TALK

• “We are learning a lot of things for the first time with this group, including how to win. It starts with learning how to compete and play through some adversity. I thought we had some good possessions and got good looks, but we didn’t make those high-quality shots. I liked some of the things we did defensively in the first half, but we didn’t sustain it the entire game.” – Head coach Dennis Felton

KEY STATS

• Today was just the second all-time meeting between the two schools with the series now tied at 1-1. The Vikings won the only other meeting between the teams in the 1979-80 season.
• The Vikings shot 16-of-52 (.308) from the floor, while Rutgers was 29-of-65 (.446). The Scarlet Knights also held a 45-34 advantage on the boards.
• Both teams struggled at the free throw line with CSU hitting 3-of-11 and Rutgers going 5-of-11.

UP NEXT

• The Vikings open the 2017-18 home slate on Friday (Nov. 17) with a 7:00 pm contest against Coppin State in the Wolstein Center.
• CSU travels to ECU on Monday (Nov. 20) for a 7:00 pm contest and returns home to host Central Connecticut in the fourth and final game of the Showcase on the Banks on Friday (Nov. 24) at 5:00 pm.

Recap stats and info sent via Greg Murphy of CSU media communications team.