CLEVELAND — This was not the way Daniyal Robinson wanted to start.
This was supposed to be a coronation for Cleveland State's new head men's basketball coach, an easy home victory for the two-time defending Horizon League champions.
Instead, the Vikings limped away from the Wolstein Center with a shocking 72-68 loss to Notre Dame College. Yes, that's the Division II Falcons from South Euclid, not the mighty Fighting Irish of South Bend.
CSU (0-1) struggled from the get go, trailing by one at the half. However, the Vikes managed to build a 12-point advantage with just 5:28 to play, with Tristan Enaruna eventually tallying 20 points and 11 rebounds.
But Mark Richmond's Falcons stormed back to tie it with a 12-0 run, and would eventually out-score Cleveland State 20-4 the rest of the way. Jaedon Willis led NDC with 23 points and DeAirius Barker added 17, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:45 left.
The Vikings were only 8-of-18 from the free-throw line on the night, and went 1-of-10 from the field during the late-game collapse. Ironically, while this was CSU's official season opener, it only counts as an "exhibition" for NDC.
Cleveland State won't have much time to lick their wounds, as they'll head southwest to take on Cincinnati Thursday night. Notre Dame College will travel to Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania for the Conference Challenge, with their "official" season opener set for Friday against Seton Hill.