BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The magical ride has come to an end.
The Cleveland State University men's basketball team was beaten by Houston on Friday night in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament by the final of 87-56. The Vikings, who were the 15 seed in the Midwest Region, finish their season at 19-8.
The No. 2 seeded Cougars will play No. 10 Rutgers in the Second Round on Sunday.
D'Moi Hodge led Cleveland State with 11 points in the loss. Houston was led by Quentin Grimes, who scored 18 points.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tied John Wooden on the NCAA's career wins list on Friday, talling victory No. 664 in his first game at Assembly Hall since resigning as Indiana's coach in February 2008. He and Wooden are now tied for 38th on the all-time NCAA career wins list.
Below is a time-stamped update from tonight's action:
SECOND HALF
As the game and season is winding down for the Cleveland State Vikings, there is one final moment that will make you smile.
Ben Sternberg, the former manager who got an opportunity to join the team had an opportunity to see some action at the end of the game. You can find out more about Sternberg from a story our Pat Chiesa did earlier this season.
11:08 to play - Houston 59, Cleveland State 35. The onslaught continues for Houston as Quentin Grimes has dialed up a couple of triples to help stretch the lead out to 24 points. The Vikings have been outscored 22-6 so far in the second half.
15:46 to play - Houston 49, Cleveland State 31. The Cougars have roared out to a 12-2 run to start the second half. The Vikings have gone cold from the field and have committed three turnovers in the first four-plus minutes of the half. Another problem for CSU: Tre Gomillion and Torrey Patton have combined to score just 10 points so far. Someone is going to have to get hot quickly for Cleveland State.
HALFTIME
Houston 37, Cleveland State 29 - Every time that you think that the Cougars are about to pull away, the Vikings find a way to push themselves back in the game. Down 25-14 with 5:57 to go in the half, CSU went on a 10-2 run sparked by a pair of D'Moi Hodge three-point baskets to get back in the game.
Hodge leads Cleveland State with eight points. Three different Cougars have scored eight points as well.
The Vikings must do a better job in the second half of holding Houston to one shot. The Cougars corraled seven offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
FIRST HALF
10:18 - Houston 14, Cleveland State 8. The Vikings got off to a poor start, falling behind 7-0 and 9-2 before pulling themselves together. Four different Cleveland State players have scored, which is always a good sign that everyone is active. All of their points have been in the paint as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
More coverage:
- Cleveland State to face Houston in first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday
- How Cleveland State University basketball coach Dennis Gates changed the team on and off the court: 'They're in my life forever'
- Cleveland State seeded 15th in NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Midwest Region; Ohio State No. 2 in South
- Time to go dancing! Cleveland State beats Oakland to capture Horizon League Championship and punch ticket to NCAA Tournament
Editor's Note: The below video aired on March 10, 2021