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CLEVELAND, Ohio (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Green Bay nearly took down league-leading Cleveland State in the series opener on Friday night at the Wolstein Center, but the Vikings were able to hold off the Phoenix for their 11^th win in league play, 74-68.
 
CSU improved to 11-2 in the league season while GB fell to 5-8.
 
Green Bay brought the energy from the tip, scoring the first five points of the game and jumping out to an 11-6 lead.
 
Cleveland State battled back and eventually knotted the game at 15, but the Phoenix used a 9-0 run minutes later to build a 32-25 lead.
 
Amari Davis scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half to help GB control most of the opening 20 minutes, but a triple from CSU's Tre Gomillion at the buzzer gave the Vikings a lead, 39-38, as the teams headed to the locker room.
 
The Vikings knocked down two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half, aiding in an 8-2 run and the construction of a seven-point lead at 47-40.
 
As baskets were exchanged over the following minutes, neither team was able to gain an edge. CSU's lead eventually reached double figures when Alec Oglesby buried a triple, putting the Vikings in front 65-55 with just over five minutes remaining.
 
The Phoenix pieced together a 9-2 run, with seven points coming from Davis, to make it a one-possession game, 67-64.
 
GB was unable to erase the rest of the deficit as Cleveland State buried a big triple and hit its free throws down the stretch to secure a 74-68 win.
 
Davis' 27-point performance marked the sixth time this season the sophomore scored at least 20 points and the 13^th of his career. He finished a near-perfect 8-for-9 at the free throw line and pulled down three rebounds in 38 minutes.
 
PJ Pipes notched his 12^th game of the season in double figure with 12 points and was in double-double territory with eight rebounds in 37 minutes.
 
Cleveland State had five scorers in double figures, all led by Craig Beaudion with 16 points.
 
Green Bay and Cleveland State will return to the Wolstein Center tomorrow night to close out this year's series. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. (CT) and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
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