Youngstown State University
5-4
Malone
7-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malone | 31 | 31 | 62 |
| Youngstown State | 33 | 45 | 78 |
Big Second Half Propels Men's Basketball Past Malone, 78-62
12/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Coach Slocum Postgame Video
Vytas Sulskis Postgame Video
Youngstown, Ohio -- Vytas Sulskis scored a game-high 25 points and Damian Eargle finished with 24 points to lead the Youngstown State men's basketball team to a 78-62 victory over Malone on Monday night at the Beeghly Center.
The Penguins improve to 5-4 overall while the Pioneers fall to 7-4. The win marks the first time the Guins have won five straight home games since the 2000-01 season.
Sulskis, who tied a career high with five 3-pointers made, and Eargle are the first players to score at least 20 points in the same game since DeAndre Mays (22) and Sulskis (21) accomplished the feat on Feb. 6, 2010, at UIC.
Sulskis and Eargle were a combined 21-of-25 from the field while Sulskis was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and Eargle was 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. They also combined for 18 rebounds, eight blocks and six assists.
Eargle recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds and he tied a career high with six blocked shots.
Junior Tre Brewer also posted his first career double-double with a career-high 13 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. He also finished with seven assists in 36 minutes of action making his first career start.
The Pioneers hung tough with the Penguins for the first 26 minutes and had the game tied 43-43 with just under 14 minutes to go. With 13:56, Sulskis drained a 3-pointer to put the Penguins on top for good. Malone was able to get within 46-45, but a layup by Brewer, a Sulskis driving slam dunk off a nice pass from Kendrick Perry and an Eargle basket gave the Guins a 52-45 cushion and they never allowed Malone within six points the rest of the contest.
YSU used a 27-12 run over the next nine minutes to put the game out of reach from the pesky Pioneers.
The Guins shot an impressive 54.3 percent (19-of-35) in the second half and limited Malone to a mere 25.7 percent (9-of-35) from the field after the intermission. Youngstown State outscored the Pioneers 45-31 in the final half.
For the game, YSU shot 46.4 percent (32-of-69) while Malone hit just 30 percent (18-of-60). The Guins dominated the boards 51-29 and the assists 21-10. The Pioneers had an advantage at the free-throw line making 18-of-24 to YSU's 7-of-11.
In the first half, Sulskis and Eargle combined to score 25 of YSU's 33 points and went 10-of-14 from the field together. Sulskis drained 3-of-4 3-point attempts and Eargle was 2-of-3 from the line.
YSU could not shake the Pioneers leading 33-31 at halftime.
In the first half, the Guins shot 38.2 percent making 13-of-34 shots while Malone hit on 9-of-25 field-goal attempts (36 percent). However, five of the nine from behind the 3-point arc. The Pioneers also held an advantage from the free-throw line making eight to YSU's four.
YSU's biggest lead was six, which came on two occasions. The first came with 9:59 left in the first half on a basket by Eargle that capped a 5-0 YSU run. The second was following an Eargle slam dunk off a nice pass from Sulskis with 5:38 left.
After Eargle's dunk, the Pioneers scored nine consecutive points, six of came on free throws and three came on a triple by Isiah Elliott.
YSU scored five of the final seven points of the half to go on top 33-31 at the break.
Overall, the opening half featured five lead changes and four times.
The Penguins return to action on Thursday when they travel to Raleigh, N.C., to take on North Carolina State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on 570 AM.
