Cleveland State Community College's men's basketball team kicked off their season on Friday against Gordon State and South Georgia Technical College on Saturday.

The Cougars lost Friday's game in a thrilling heartbreaker, losing to Gordon State by a single point, 74-73. Cleveland State went into the lead with a 34-27 lead and after a solid second-half effort, narrowly missed the victory by one point. Delaino Walker led the Cougars in this one, dropping 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jonathon King delivered 18 points while Kerry Pratt scored 14 points.

In total, the team shot a 53.1% from the field and 40% from the arc. The Cougars also went 13-20 from the charity stripe.

The Cougars matchup against South Georgia Technical College sang a different tune as Cleveland State came out victorious with a 65-61 final score.

Going into the half, Cleveland State found themselves with a 25-19 lead and while they were slightly outscored in the second half, the Cougars held on for the win. 

Delaino Walker again led the Cougars with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Domont'a Wright also contributed nicely, dropping a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Kerry Pratt made his presence on the boards known as he snagged 8 rebounds to go along with his 7 points scored.

The Cougars shot 36.1% from the field, went 7-21 from the three-point line and shot a solid 70% from the free throw line.

Now sitting at 1-1 on the season, the Cougars will try to keep the ball rolling as they hit the road for a matchup at Snead State Community College on Tuesday, November 6th at 7:30 PM.