Men's Basketball had a Cinderella season this year which culminated in a TCCAA Title and a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
The Cougars started their season in a bit of a rough patch, losing eight of their first 11 games, but they put together a four-game winning streak in January to bolster their resume. They entered the TCCAA Tournament as the seventh overall seed, sitting at 11-14.
Cleveland State went on a tear in the TCCAAs. They beat #10 Jackson State 76-61 in a play-in game, knocked off #2 Motlow State 92-76, upset #6 Columbia State 70-66, and then secured their first conference title since 1971 with a 83-66 victory over #8 Roane State.
The NJCAA National Tournament for the Cougars was nothing short of magical. Cleveland State became the first 24th seed to win a tournament game after they upset #9 Casper College 90-83 in the first round. They fell to #8 Ranger College in the second round after winning five straight postseason games.
The postseason wins placed the Cougars at 16-16 on the season and 7-11 in TCCAA play. Delaino Walker, who led the Cougars in PPG and RPG with 15.9 and 7.2, earned a TCCAA First Team spot and was also named the TCCAA Tournament MVP. Demonte Person led Cleveland State in assists with 4.0 per game.
Stay tuned to cscougars.com for more information on next year's signees and schedule release as the Cougars prepare for the 2019-20 season.
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