Cleveland State men’s basketball erases 10-point deficit, beats Oakland 91-78 behind Tre Beard’s 24 points

Vikings turn a midgame deficit into a statement win at Wolstein Center

Cleveland State men’s basketball rallied from 10 points down Wednesday night, Feb. 4, to defeat Oakland 91-78 at the Wolstein Center, using a balanced attack and a high-tempo second-half push to flip the game’s trajectory.

The win moved the Vikings to 10-14 overall and 6-7 in Horizon League play. Oakland fell to 14-11 overall and 10-4 in the league, a setback in the race near the top of the conference standings.

Beard sets the tone as Cleveland State’s offense finds rhythm

Guard Tre Beard led Cleveland State with 24 points, adding five rebounds and nine assists. Forward Jaidon Lipscomb contributed 18 points and six assists, while Dayan Nessah scored 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting and added a 3-for-4 line at the free-throw line.

The scoring distribution mattered. Cleveland State reached 91 points without relying on a single high-volume scorer, and the Vikings paired playmaking from Beard and Lipscomb with secondary production to maintain pressure as the game tightened.

Oakland’s top scorers answered, but Cleveland State closed stronger

Oakland received 22 points from Brody Robinson, who also recorded eight assists and three steals. Tuburu Niavalurua added 22 points and two blocks. Michael Houge finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

Those numbers kept Oakland competitive even as Cleveland State’s comeback gathered pace. But the Vikings’ ability to generate points through multiple creators limited Oakland’s ability to key defensively on any single option down the stretch.

Context: a rebound from the earlier meeting and a boost for Cleveland State’s recent form

The result also served as a sharp contrast to the teams’ earlier matchup on Jan. 9 in Michigan, when Oakland defeated Cleveland State 97-72. In that game, Dayan Nessah scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Priest Ryan had 15 and Beard and Lipscomb had 11 apiece, but the Vikings were outscored heavily across both halves.

Wednesday’s win at home allowed Cleveland State to pull even in the season series and add another data point to a recent upswing. Entering the Oakland game, the Vikings had put together a four-game winning streak, a stretch that had materially tightened the standings picture in the middle of the Horizon League table.

• Final score: Cleveland State 91, Oakland 78 (Feb. 4, Cleveland)
• Key Cleveland State stat line: Tre Beard — 24 points, 9 assists
• Key Oakland stat lines: Brody Robinson — 22 points; Tuburu Niavalurua — 22 points

Cleveland State’s comeback combined efficient guard play and shared scoring to turn a 10-point deficit into a 13-point conference win.