CLEVELAND, Ohio (1/23/15) – Trey Lewis scored a game-high 30 points and Cleveland State made 10-straight free throws down stretch to steal a 70-66 win over the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team Friday night at the Wolstein Center.
 
The Vikings (12-9, 6-1 HL) closed the game with a 23-14 run over the last six minutes after trailing 52-47 with 6:47 remaining. During the closing stretch CSU only made four field goals, but scored 13 from the charity stripe. 
 
Freshman Paris Bass matched his career-high with 19 points for the second-straight game and recorded his second career double-double with 10 rebounds. Senior Juwan Howard Jr. scored 14 points and sophomore Chris Jenkins pitched in 12 points with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Jarod Williams also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points, while freshman Jaleel Hogan added six points.
 
The Titans opened the game with a 6-2 run and were able to maintain the lead in the first half until the Vikings scored the final five points, including two free throws with no time left, to take a 30-28 lead into the locker room. Bass led Detroit with nine points and six rebounds in the opening stanza.
 
Detroit (10-11, 3-3 HL) opened the second half with a 15-4 run to build it largest lead for the game 43-34 with 14 minutes remaining. Jenkins sparked the run with a pair of 3-pointers, while Bass pitched in four points and Howard added three.
 
Cleveland State was able to trim the lead to one, 48-47, with 8:24 remaining. But a Jenkins layup and a pair of free throws from Bass put the Titans back up five, 52-47, with 6:47 left. Three-pointers from Lewis and Charlie Lee sparked a run for the Vikings that put them up four, 56-52, with four minutes left. Two free throws from Jenkins made it a two-point game with 3:25 left, but that was as close as the score would get as CSU made 10-straight free throws down the stretch to claim its six win in league play.

The Titans shot just 37 percent (22-of-59) for the game, while the Vikings made 44 percent (22-of-50) from the field. CSU also made 20-of-33 shots from the free throw line, while the Titans connected on 15-of-23. The Vikings won the battle of the boards 42-36 and forced 14 turnovers.
 
Detroit will continue Horizon League play as the Titans host Wright State on Monday, Jan. 26 at historic Calihan Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on WADL-38 and nationally on ESPN3. The game can also be heard on AM 1270 with the voice of the Titans Dan Leach.