Youngstown State University
10-14, 1-8HL
Detroit Mercy
11-12, 4-4HL
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State | 22 | 50 | 15 | 87 |
| Detroit | 34 | 38 | 21 | 93 |
Men's Basketball's Comeback Falls Short in 93-87 Overtime Loss at Detroit
1/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Detroit, Michigan -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team erased a 15-point second-half deficit and forced overtime, but the Penguins' come-back attempt fell short in a 93-87 loss to Detroit on Thursday evening at Calihan Hall.
The Penguins (10-14, 1-8 Horizon League) shot 52 percent in the second half, outscored the Titans, 50-38, and connected on seven 3-pointers after halftime to force the extra period.
Sophomore Marcus Keene led five players scoring in double figures with a game-high 24 points and tied a career high with six 3-pointers, four coming after halftime. Senior DJ Cole scored 15 points with four assists and classmate Shawn Amiker posted 13 points. Junior Bobby Hain and sophomore Osandai Vaughn each added 12 points. Vaughn scored all of his points after halftime, while Hain posted 10 of his 12 after the break.
As a team the Penguins made a season-high 11 3-pointers and went 22-of-29 from the free-throw line.
Detroit (11-12, 4-4 Horizon League) placed five players in double figures led by senior Juwan Howard, Jr., with 22 and freshman Paris Bass had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Anton Williams scored 17 points and made four 3-pointers while Brandon Kearney had 11 and Jaleel Hogan added 10 points.
A 3-pointer by Williams to open the second half pushed the Titans lead to 15 points and Detroit maintained a double-digit advantage for the first three minutes of the stanza.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Hain and Keene brought the Penguins within five before the Titans answered and regained a 10-point edge, 45-35, with 15:19 to go.
The Penguins went on a 20-8 run over the next six minutes and took their first lead of the game, 55-53, after Cameron Morse sank a pair of free throws with 9:08 left. Hain converted an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 53-53.
The Penguins led by as many as three on two occasions, 58-55 and 60-57, before the Titans built a five-point lead, 69-64, with 2:45 to go.
Hain made two free-throws and Vaughn tied the game at 69-69 on a three-point play with 2:05 to go.
A three-point play by Kearney gave the Titans a 72-69 lead, but Vaughn answered with a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game again with 58 seconds left.
The Titans missed a pair of jumpers and Cole came down with the defensive rebound. Morse' running jumper for the win at the buzzer rolled off the rim.
In the overtime, the Titans built a eight-point lead with just over a minute remaining but 3-pointers by Cole and Keene got the Penguins within three, 85-82, with 38 seconds left.
Following two charity tosses by Kearney, Morse made three free-throws to cut the deficit to two, 87-85, with 28 seconds left.
Detroit made its final six free throws and went 14-of-16 from the line in the overtime to seal the victory.
The Penguins shot just 37 percent in the first half and committed 13 turnovers that led to 13 Detroit points. The Titans, who shot just 39.4 percent in the first half, used 13-4 run over the last six minute to turn a three-point lead, 21-18, into a 12-point halftime advantage, 34-22.
The Penguins host Oakland, Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 12:35 p.m. on 570 WKBN-AM and the American Sports Network.
