Youngstown State University
8-15, 2-11
UIC
6-17, 2-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 24 | 44 | 68 |
| UIC | 37 | 37 | 74 |
Second-Half Comeback Falls Short in 74-68 Loss at UIC
2/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Chicago, Ill. -- Senior DeAndre Mays and junior Vytas Sulskis scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, in the second half and the Penguins cut a 17-point deficit down to three but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a 74-68 decision to UIC on Saturday afternoon at the UIC Pavilion.
The Penguins fall to 8-15 overall and 2-11 in the Horizon League while the Flames improve to 6-17 overall and 2-11 in the league.
Mays led the Penguins with 22 points and Sulskis posted 21 and grabbed six rebounds. The duo became the first pair of players to score at least 20 points in a contest since Vance Cooksey (24) and Kelvin Bright (21) accomplished the feat against Kent State in 2008.
Trailing 48-31 with 15:41 left in the game, the Penguins whittled away at the Flames advantage over the next 10 minutes with a 23-9 run to get with three points, 57-54, at the 5:13 mark.
After not making a 3-point field goal and shooting just 30.4 percent in the first half, the Penguins connected on four from behind the arc to spark the rally. Back-to-back 3-points from sophomore Ashen Ward and Sulskis brought the Penguins within 10, 48-38, with 13:35 remaining.
Mays drilled a trey at the 5:32 mark to bring the Guins within six, 57-51, and Sulskis' second triple cut the deficit to three points, 57-54.
The Penguins defense, which allowed just two Flames field goal over the last six minutes of the game, stepped up with two straight stops but two consecutive turnovers were costly.
The Penguins missed two free throws and two layups and the Flames capitalized with four made free throws to extend their lead back to seven points, 61-54, with 3:04 to go.
A layup by Sulskis and two free throws by Mays sliced the Flames' lead down to four, 62-58, at the 2:27 mark but the Penguins would not get any closer.
Mays' 3-point play with 31 seconds to go brought the Penguins back within five, 66-61, but the Flames made two layups and four more free throws to seal the game.
The Penguins return home to host No. 15 Butler, Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
