Youngstown State University
7-8, 2-4HL
Loyola Chicago
11-5, 2-4HL
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola | 31 | 36 | 67 |
| Youngstown State | 32 | 39 | 71 |
Seniors Pace Penguins to Thrilling 71-67 Win Over Loyola
1/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Youngstown State men's basketball team rode its seniors to a thrilling 71-67 victory over Loyola on Saturday night at the Beeghly Center. DeAndre Mays, Kelvin Bright and Sirlester Martin combined to score 60 of YSU's points, but Dallas Blocker's three-point play with 9.3 seconds remaining proved to be the difference maker.
With just under three minutes remaining, YSU led 64-55 following a Mays layup and the Penguins seemed poised to cruise to their second straight conference win. But Loyola had other thoughts.
The Ramblers scored nine of the next 10 points tying the contest on a first free-throw make by Terrance Hill. But with the game tied at 1:16 YSU grabbed the rebound and took possession in a tie game.
With 54.5 seconds left Mays laid in the go-ahead bucket as he was fouled by Courtney Stanley. Mays made the ensuing foul shot giving him 30 for the contest and becoming the first Penguin to eclipse the 30-point mark since Keston Roberts on Feb. 27, 2007 against Detroit.
Loyola's Walt Gibler made two free throws with 37.9 seconds remaining to get the Ramblers within 68-67.
However, LU decided not to foul and Martin found an opening but his shot was blocked by Andy Polka. Blocker picked up the ball in the lane and his off-balance shot in the paint went in with 9.3 seconds remaining. His free-throw attempt bounced on the rim four times before dropping through giving YSU a four-point advantage.
A 3-point shot by Stanley missed the mark and Martin blocked Polka's putback attempt before time expired.
With the victory, the Penguins improve to 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the Horizon League. Loyola drops to 11-5 and 2-4.
Mays made 11-of-21 from the field, going 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. He was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line as well.
Bright had 16 points while Martin finished with 14. Hill led the way for Loyola with 18 points, all in the second half.
For the game, the Guins shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) after making 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) in the second half. Loyola hit 50 percent of its shots from the floor making 23-of-46 shots.
The first half featured eight lead changes and the officials had to review the final bucker of the half before the Penguins took a 32-31 advantage to the locker room.
In the waning seconds just before halftime, Ashen Ward missed a 3-point shot from the corner and Martin grabbed the rebound. Martin's shot left his hand a split second before the halftime buzzer and was counted good by the officials. After a monitor review, the officials ruled that the basket did count giving the Guins a one-point lead at the break.
YSU committed just one turnover in the first half en route to shooting 41.9 percent making 13-of-31 attempts. Loyola had five turnovers, but shot an impressive 55 percent (11-of-20), but missed six free-throw attempts. The Guins made seven of their first 10 shots in the contest's first seven minutes.
The Penguins came out strong to open the game taking a quick 12-4 lead in the opening five minutes. The Ramblers took their first lead of the game at 20-19 on a Ben Averkamp jumper. Loyola's biggest lead of the opening stanza was 26-22 at 5:05 following another Averkamp basket.
Youngstown State scored the final four points of the half to overcome a 31-28 deficit and grab the halftime lead. Martin scored with 56 seconds left on a 17-footer and after a defensive stop, he made the go-ahead basket just before the horn sounded for intermission.
YSU plays its first road game since Dec. 19 when it travels to Valparaiso on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern time.
