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Niakate Sparks Cleveland State Past Spartan Men

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Mobido Niakate scored 31 points in 21 minutes off the bench to lift Cleveland State to a 79-47 win over visiting Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at the CSU Convocation Center.

Niakate made 12-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. The Vikings, who improved to 2-0, made 12 of their 32 3-point attempts and forced NSU (0-2) into 27 turnovers.

CSU used runs of 11-0 to start the game and 10-0 later in the first half to build a lead as large as 19 points before intermission. But the Spartans got seven points apiece from Calvin Brown (Mitchellville, Md.) and Chakowby Hicks (Washington, D.C.) in the opening half to pull within 35-26 at the break.

But the Vikings scored the first 11 points of the second half, including eight from Niakate, to open up a 46-26 lead. NSU did not score a second-half basket until Larry Vickers (Virginia Beach, Va.) hit a jumper in the paint with just over 12 minutes left in the game.

In all, Niakate scored 26 points in the second half. He hit 10 of his 11 field-goal attempts in the half, including all four of his 3-point tries. The Spartans managed just 21 points in the final 20 minutes.

Omari Westley had 10 points and 13 rebounds, Raheem Moss 12 points, and Walt Chavis seven assists and four steals for CSU.

Brown led NSU with nine points and nine rebounds. Hicks had seven points (none in the second half), five rebounds and four steals. Karandick Ogunride (Baton Rouge, La.) had a career-high five blocks, and Bass Dieng (Dakar, Senegal) had a career-high eight points off the bench. NSU outrebounded the Vikings 37-35.

The Spartans open their home slate on Tuesday when they host Savannah State at 7 p.m. at Echols Hall. It is School Spirit Night at NSU: anyone wearing green and gold gets free admission. Tuesday is also the first of a four-game homestand for the Spartans.

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