Youngstown State University
0
N.C. Central
0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| N.C. Central | 31 | 29 | 60 |
| Youngstown St. | 38 | 28 | 66 |
Defense Buckles Down Late as Penguins Top North Carolina Central 66-60
11/19/2019 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun Postgame Comments
- Geoff Hamperian Postgame Comments
- Naz Bohannon Postgame Comments
- Highlights
- PDF Stats
Sophomore guard Darius Quisenberry scored 11 points in the second half, and the Youngstown State men's basketball team held North Carolina Central scoreless over the final 3:20 to beat the Eagles 66-60 at Beeghly Center on Tuesday evening.
The Penguins led by as many as 16 in the first half before NCCU rallied to eventually take a 60-58 lead with 3:20 left. Quisenberry scored on YSU's next possession to tie the score, and the Penguins got defensive stops on the Eagles' final five possessions. Jelani Simmons had two big blocks under the basket in that stretch.
Quisenberry finished with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Naz Bohannon scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to record first double-double of the season. Geoff Hamperian scored a career-best 14 points in his first career start, going 4-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Randy Miller Jr. scored 11 of his game-high 20 points from the free-throw line, and Jibri Blount added 15 points for NC Central.
Hamperian scored 12 first-half points to help the Penguins build a 38-31 lead at the break. The Penguins led by as much as 16 before North Carolina Central went on a 14-5 run to end the half.
Hamperian hit his first of three first-half 3-pointers on the initial possession of the game, and a Bohannon layup gave the Penguins a 7-2 lead 1:36 into the game. YSU's first double-digit advantage came on a Quisenberry basket that made the score 16-5 at the 12:43 mark.
Hamperian's third triple of the half put YSU ahead 28-15 at the 6:31 mark, and the lead reached its peak at 33-17 when Garrett Covington scored under the basket with 4:39 remaining. The Eagles scored 10 of the next 12 points to get to within single digits, and the visitors closed the gap to 38-31 at halftime.
Bohannon and Blount countered each other with 13 points apiece in the first half, and Hamperian had 12.
NCCU continued its good finish to the first half into the second half and tied the score at 45-45 at the 11:27 mark on a fadeaway jumper by Ty Graves.
Quisenberry hit a 3-pointer just over a minute later to start a 7-0 run for the Penguins, but the Eagles countered with their own 7-0 run to tie the game again at 52. NCCU then took its first lead at 56-54 on two Miller Jr. free throws with 5:39 remaining. The Eagles' final lead came at 60-58 on a Blount dunk with 3:20 left, and that ended up being their final basket.
Quisenberry tied the score on a drive with 2:56 left, and Simmons' first block of the final two minutes came with the game tied at 60. Quisenberry took advantage on the offensive end when he drove from the right wing and scored on a reverse layup to put the Penguins up 62-60 with 1:28 remaining.
Simmons had another block on the next possession, and Donel Cathcart III was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound. The senior converted both attempts of a one-and-one situation with 25 seconds left to push the lead to 64-60, and Simmons grabbed a rebound and made two more free throws six seconds later for the final tally.
Youngstown State won despite shooting just 38.7 percent overall and 22.7 percent from 3-point range. YSU grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points. The Penguins' defense held NCCU to 40.8 percent shooting.
Youngstown State will play three of its next four games on the road, starting with a contest at Akron on Thursday at 7 p.m.
