Youngstown State University
16-12,9-6Horizon
Wright State
23-6,13-3Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright St. | 35 | 35 | 70 |
| Youngstown St. | 40 | 48 | 88 |
Quisenberry Goes Off for 41, Penguins Beat League-Leading Wright State 88-70
2/20/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- PDF Boxscore
- Highlights
- Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun Postgame Comments
- Junior Naz Bohannon Postgame Comments
- Sophomore Darius Quisenberry Postgame Comments
Darius Quisenberry went berserk and scored a career-high 41 points, and the Youngstown State men's' basketball team emphatically beat Horizon League-leading Wright State 88-70 in front of a raucous crowd on Thursday night at Beeghly Center.
Quisenberry scored 25 points in the first half, and he scored the other 16 in the final 9:22 to help the Penguins flex their muscles and pull away. The sophomore guard from Springfield, Ohio, finished the night 14-of-26 from the field, including a career-best 7-of-11 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line as he posted the first 40-point game by a Penguin in three years.
Youngstown State improved to 16-12 overall and 9-6 in Horizon League play as it continues to battle for a home game in the conference tournament. Wright State dropped to 23-6 and lost for just the third time in league play.
The Penguins shot 50 percent in both halves, and they led for more than 33 minutes.
After scoring 25 of the game's 75 points in the first half to help the Penguins build a 40-35 lead, Quisenberry was held scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Wright State got within one three times and trailed just 58-56 on a Bill Wampler 3-pointer at the 10:13 mark. Quisenberry fed Naz Bohannon for a layup on YSU's next possession, and he made two free throws at the 9:22 mark as part of an 11-2 run that helped the Penguins separate.
Youngstown State ended up outscoring the Raiders 30-14 over the final 9:40 of the game, and Quisenberry and Bohannon either scored or assisted on all but six of those points. Bohannon finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, and YSU beat Wright State 43-24 in rebounding.
Loudon Love had 17 points to lead four Wright State players in double figures.
In a game that was much-hyped as the Penguins began their final homestand of the regular season, Quisenberry was up to the task of defending home court. The sophomore point guard had a steal and layup for the first points of the game, and he went on to make nine more baskets in the first half. He was 10-of-16 from the field overall and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in just over 18 minutes of action in the first half. Each of his five triples came in the final 8:05 of the half.
Both teams had three point-leads in the first 10 minutes of the game before Quisenberry took over. Jaylon Hall's 3-pointer gave Wright State a 16-13 lead at the 10:29 mark, and Bohannon and Quisenberry scored on back-to-back possessions for the Penguins to put them up 17-16. That basket sparked Quisenberry, who was an unconscious 8-of-11 from the field over the final nine minutes.
Quisenberry's first 3-pointer tied the score at 20-20 at the 8:03 mark, and he hit again from long distance 42 seconds later to put the Penguins ahead 23-20. After YSU led 27-22, Wright State scored five straight points with Quisenberry on the bench to knot the score at 27. Quisenberry came back in and scored the game's next eight points to quickly put Youngstown State ahead 35-27 with 2:50 remaining.
After a 5-0 Raiders run cut the margin to two, Quisenberry scored five of the final seven points of the half to give the Penguins a 40-35 lead at halftime. His final bucket of the half came on a step-back 3-pointer in the final five seconds.
Wright State had a 14-4 edge in points off turnovers in the first half as it forced the Penguins into 10 turnovers. YSU had just four turnovers in the second half, and Wright State did not score on any of them.
Youngstown State will go for the weekend sweep on Saturday as it hosts Northern Kentucky at 2 p.m.
