Box Score
Highland Heights, Ky. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team shot 53.8 percent and outscored Northern Kentucky, 45-33, in the second half en route to a 70-60 win over the Norse on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Arena.
The win snapped an eight-game losing streak to Northern Kentucky and marked the program's first win at BB&T Arena.
With the win, the Penguins improve to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Horizon League while the Norse fall to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Leading the Penguins was senior Naz Bohannon with 19 points and seven rebounds while senior Michael Akuchie posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Shemar Rathan-Mayes add 13 points with three 3-pointers.
After trailing by two at the half, the Penguins battled the Norse through five lead changes and four ties in the second half. Down 40-36, Rathan-Mayes hit a 3-pointer and Bohannon added a pair of free throws to give the Penguins a 41-40 lead at the 11:57 mark.
After a Norse basket, the Penguins went on a 9-0 run keyed by a basket by Bohannon, a 3-pointer by freshman Alex Vargo and two more buckets by Bohannon to take a 50-42 lead at the 8:30 mark.
The Norse trimmed the YSU lead to five, 54-49, before a baskets by senior Garrett Covington and a 3-pointer by Rathan-Mayes gave the Penguins a 10-point, 59-49, advantage. Akuchie hit a 3-pointer to answer a trey from Marques Warrick to regain the 10-point.
Rathan-Mayes third 3-pointer of the second half extended the Penguins' lead to 67-56 with 1:41 remaining to put the game out of reach.
The Penguins got off to a solid start and forced NKU to call an early timeout after Vargo had a put back and 3-pointer at the 13:03 mark to put YSU up 14-7.
YSU bulit an eight-point lead with 8:18 left in the first half after a a three-point play by Bohannon, but the Norse closed out the half outscoring the Penguins 16-6 to take a 27-25 lead into the lockerroom at halftime.
The Penguins continue Horizon League play with two more road games at Cleveland State, Dec. 26-27. Both games will tipoff at 1 p.m.
