Youngstown State University
0-1
Kent State
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 35 | 34 | 69 |
| Youngstown State | 33 | 28 | 61 |
Amiker, Hain Lead Penguins in Opener Against Kent State
11/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Shawn Amiker scored 20 points and Bobby Hain added 17 as the Youngstown State men's basketball team opened the season with a 69-61 loss to Kent State on Saturday night at the Beeghly Center.
YSU hung tough with the Golden Flashes throughout the contest and led 48-47 on an Amiker layup and free throw with 13:31 remaining. However, Kent State took a 50-48 lead on a three-point play by Khaliq Spencer and it never trailed again.
The Penguins (0-1) trailed by just a pair at the break, 35-33, despite Kent State connecting on 52.4 percent from the field. The Guins were 12-of-23 from inside the 3-point arc and held a four-rebound edge in the first half.
Neither team led by more than five points in the opening half with the Golden Flashes' biggest lead of the contest coming at the games outset (5-0) while the Guins took a 26-22 lead on two Umude free throws with 7:28 left in the opening half. The first half featured six ties as the Penguins outscored KSU 20-10 in the paint and 9-1 off turnovers. Kent State had seven turnovers in the opening half while YSU had just two.
Amiker scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, but Kent State outscored the Guins 34-28 in the stanza. In the first half, Hain had 11 points making four-of-six attempts from the floor to lead the offensive charge. Battling foul trouble in the second half he ended the game 7-of-9 from the field and had five rebounds.
With 6:13 remaining, DJ Cole connected on a 3-pointer to pull the Penguins to within 62-57. After a KSU miss, YSU had two possessions to cut into the lead before a free throw by Kris Brewer made it a six-point deficit. The Guins had three opportunities on their next trip down the court to slice the deficit but could not convert.
Kris Brewer scored to push the advantage up to 65-57 with 3:01 left and the Penguins were never able to get the deficit under eight for the remainder of the game.
YSU shot 37.1 percent for the contest making 23-of-62 shots while KSU made an efficient 23-of-44 attempts (52.3 percent). Each team had its ups and downs from the free-throw line as the Penguins made 13-of-26 while KSU connected on 16-of-30 shots. The Guins led in rebounding 37-36.
YSU will turn around quickly to play Oberlin on Sunday at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff for the contest is set for 4 p.m.
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