Youngstown State University
3-4 (0-1HL)
Detroit Mercy
5-2 (1-0HL)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 28 | 43 | 71 |
| Detroit | 39 | 43 | 82 |
Men's Basketball's Two Second-Half Rallies Fall Short in 82-71 Defeat to UDM
12/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Detroit, Mich. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team rallied from two second-half double-digit deficits but could not overcome a hot-shooting Detroit squad and dropped its Horizon League opener, 82-71, on Thursday evening at Calihan Hall.
The Penguins fall to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the Horizon League while Detroit improves to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Senior DeAndre Mays led the Penguins with 16 points and five assists while senior Sirlester Martin and junior Vytas Sulskis each added 14 points. Junior Dan Boudler, who made his first career start, scored a season-high nine points.
Detroit shot an impressive 67.4 percent from the floor for the game, including 69.6 percent in the first half and 65 percent in the second.
With just under five minute remaining, the Penguins trailed Detroit by 14 points, 70-56, after a 3-point play by Detroit's Eugene Blue and a 3-pointer by Chase Simon.
Two free throws by Sulskis, a steal and layup by Mays and a three-point play by Boudler cut the Detroit lead down to seven, 70-63, with 3:05 remaining.
Detroit pushed its lead back to nine but Mays buried two free throws, collected another steal and his layup brought the Penguins within five, 72-67, at the 2:18 mark.
After two free throws by Detroit's Woody Payne cushioned the lead to seven with 1:07 left, Sulskis made two free throws for the Guins to get back within five, 74-69, with 57 seconds left, but the YSU would not get any closer.
The Penguins, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, faced 39-28 halftime deficit, but started the second half quickly chipping the Titans lead down to six points, 42-36, after layups by Boudler and Sulskis at the 17:08 mark.
Detroit clung to a seven-point advantage, 44-37, at with 14:54 left but Mays and junior Tom Parks each nailed a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, 47-44, with 13:05 to go.
Over the next eight-and-a-half minutes, though, Detroit would extend its lead to 14 points, 70-56, with 4:48 left in the game.
In the first half, the Titans shot a blistering 69.6 percent from the field and scored 26 points in the paint en route to a 39-28 halftime lead.
Martin scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half and made two 3-pointers.
The Penguins jumped out to a 10-6 lead keyed by Martin's two treys five minutes into the game, but the Titans outscored the Guins, 23-8, over the nine minutes to take an 11-point lead, 29-18, with 6:04 to go.
Detroit was able to extend its first-half lead to as many as 15 points, 37-22, with two minutes left in the stanza.
The Penguins continue their road trek against Wright State, Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio.
