Chicago City Wire

The Chicago State men's basketball team battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit to lead by a point with under three minutes to play in the game before falling to the Minnesota Golden Gophers 58-55 Thursday afternoon at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The Cougars trimmed the lead to eight at halftime, 38-30, and knotted the score at 44-44 with 11:44 left to play. There was a combination of eight ties and lead changes the rest of the way as CSU took a one-point lead at the 2:53 mark and Minnesota answered with a bucket on their next trip. Bryce Johnson missed a three on the ensuing Chicago State possession but got his own rebound which led to a Jahsean Corbett miss and Gophers rebound. Minnesota missed a shot on their possession but scored on the rebound to go up three, 58-55, with 1:14 left to play. Both teams failed to score on their next possessions and Elijah Weaver attempted to tie the game with a three with four seconds remaining but was off the mark and Minnesota collected the rebound and the win.

Wesley Cardet led Chicago State in scoring with 17 points. Elijah Weaver was the only other CSU player in doubles figures with 16. Bryce Johnson and Jahsean Corbett each had eight points while Corbett also led the team in rebounds with 10.

The next action for the Cougars is scheduled for Wednesday, December 28 at Ball State at 6 p.m. at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana.

1st Half - Minnesota 38, Chicago State 30
The Cougars led or tied for the first nine minutes of the game, scoring the opening points on an Elijah Weaver three and a Bryce Johnson three made the score 6-2 CSU in the early going
With Chicago State leading 10-8 following an Arol Kacuol bucket, Minnesota went on a 12-0 run and led by 10 at the 8:59 mark
The teams exchanged baskets before a 5-0 run gave the Gophers their largest lead of the game, 33-18, with 3:41 remaining in the first half
The Cougars scored threes on back-to-back possessions as part of a 10-3 CSU run to cut the lead to eight, 36-28 at the 1:36 mark
The teams would exchange a pair of scores to end the half with Minnesota leading 38-30

2nd Half - Chicago State 25, Minnesota 20 
Minnesota opened the second half with a modest 6-4 run and again led by double digits, 44-34 with 16:23 remaining
At that point, Minnesota went on a five and half minute scoring drought and Chicago State took advantage with a 12-0 run to turn a 10-point deficit into a two-point lead, 46-44, following a pair of Jashean Corbett free throws
The Gophers then went on an 8-0 run to lead by six, 52-46, at the 6:26 mark
Elijah Weaver responded for CSU with a three to cut the lead in half, then following a Minnesota turnover, Wesley Cardet was fouled and make a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 52-51 with 5:40 remaining
Both teams failed to score on their ensuing possessions but Cardet converted a driving layup and Chicago State regained the lead, 53-52 at the 3:34 mark
Minnesota scored on a layup to take by the lead when Weaver was fouled on CSU's next possession. He made both free throws and the lead was once again one for the Cougars with 2:53 remaining
Minnesota answered with a bucket on their next trip. Bryce Johnson missed a three on the ensuing Chicago State possession but got his own rebound which led to a Jahsean Corbett miss and Gophers rebound
Minnesota missed a shot on their possession but scored on the rebound to go up three, 58-55, with 1:14 left to play
Both teams failed to score on their next possessions and Elijah Weaver attempted to tie the game with a three with four seconds remaining but was off the mark and Minnesota collected the rebound and the win

Minnesota 58, Chicago State 55

About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.

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