Youngstown State University
4-3
Kansas City
2-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMKC | 29 | 34 | 63 |
| Youngstown State | 36 | 30 | 66 |
Keene Knocks Down Game-Winner As Guins Best Kangaroos
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Marcus Keene drained a deep 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left as the Youngstown State men's basketball team earned a gritty 66-63 win over UMKC on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center.
The Penguins (4-3) led by as many as 11 points in the first half, watched Kansas City rally early in the second half then finally Keene scored the last nine points to give YSU its third straight victory.
Keene was 6-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc, and went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. He had 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half.
The Penguins watched a seven-point halftime lead evaporate quickly as UMKC took a brief 38-36 lead just 3:01 into the second stanza. DJ Cole answered with a 3-pointer to put YSU ahead 39-38 and despite five ties in the last 8:43, it never trailed again.
The Guins built their lead back to seven at 50-43 as Bobby Hain knocked down a nice eight-foot jumper, but UMKC went on a 7-0 run to knot things up at 50 with 8:43 left and it was a nip-and-tuck affair the rest of the way.
YSU's biggest advantage in the final stretch was 57-53 on a Keene 3-pointer with 4:02 remaining, however UMKC rattled off the next four points to force another tie 52 seconds later.
Keene broke the tie again with a 3-pointer and after he split a pair of free throws, UMKC tied the contest at 61 on a reverse layup off the glass by Martez Harrison with 53 seconds left. Keene quickly raced down the court and converted a layup with 46.7 ticks remaining to put YSU up 63-61.
UMKC tied the contest with 22.8 seconds as Harrison hit another off-balance layup.
After YSU called a timeout with 16.7 left, Keene found some space and drained a nothing-but-net game-winner from 23 feet. UMKC had one final chance, but Harrison's shot was short.
YSU shot 45.3 percent (24-of-53) for the contest while UMKC connected on 35 percent (21-of-60).
Shawn Amiker had 18 points for the night, including 13 in the first half.
The Guins connected on 45.5 percent from the field making 15-of-33 shots while their defense held the Kangaroos to just 9-of-30 from the floor (30 percent). A 4-of-7 mark from beyond the 3-point arc kept UMKC in the contest in the opening half.
YSU had 18 points in the paint while scoring 11 points off UMKC turnovers on the way to taking a 36-29 lead at the intermission. YSU had four 11-point leads in the first half.
With YSU ahead 9-7, it went on a six-point run as Amiker scored four and Fletcher Larson chipped in a bucket to push the lead out to 15-7 at the 13:28 mark.
The Penguins return to the road on Saturday when they visit Illinois State. Tipoff at Redbird Arena is set for 3 p.m. Eastern time.
