Norris Cole scored 24 points and Trevon Harmon added 17 more as Cleveland State defeated Bryant 71-57 on Friday night in both teams' season opener.
The Vikings entered halftime with a 41-36 lead thanks to 53.6 percent shooting and started the second half on a 9-1 run to push their lead to 50-37 with 16:43 left in the game.
The Bulldogs closed their deficit to four, 54-50, with 9:51 left in the game, but Cleveland State reeled off 12 straight points to put the game out of reach.
Cleveland State led 71-52 with less than three minutes remaining before the Bulldogs scored the final five points of the game.
Alex Francis posted a double-double for Bryant with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Frankie Dobbs and Cecil Gresham added 15 points each for the Bulldogs.
