CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Green Bay Phoenix (14-7, 6-3 Horizon League) fell short in its second-half comeback try at Cleveland State (8-12, 4-4), dropping a 64-50 decision Friday night at the Wolstein Center.

The Vikings stormed out of the gates, hitting five of their first six shots, including two 3-pointers, to take a 13-2 lead just 2 minutes and 12 seconds into the contest. CSU stayed hot, building its advantage to 18 by doubling up Green Bay 36-18 with 3:20 remaining before half on its sixth trey in seven tries.

Cleveland State had a 38-22 lead at intermission after shooting 60 percent from the floor (15-for-25) and scoring nine points off seven Green Bay turnovers.

Green Bay cut into the deficit to open the second stanza, narrowing the gap to single digits just five minutes in. But Cleveland State held the Phoenix scoreless for the next five minutes, and the Phoenix was never able to get the game under nine.

Rian Pearson (Raytown, Mo.) topped the Phoenix with 14 points, establishing a new career high. Randy Berry (11 points, 11 rebounds) posted his seventh double-double of the season. CSU's Norris Cole led all scorers with 22.

Statistically, the game was mostly even; the biggest discrepancy came from beyond the arc, where Green Bay made just 1 of 8 3-point attempts, while the Vikings made 7 of 16. As a result, Cleveland State outshot Green Bay 51.2 percent to 42.2.

Green Bay plays its third and final game of its three-game road trip Sunday at Youngstown State. Game time is 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT).

--GreenBayPhoenix.com--