Youngstown State University
16-13,9-7Horizon
Northern Kentucky
21-8,13-4Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ky. | 34 | 27 | 61 |
| Youngstown St. | 20 | 39 | 59 |
Comeback Falls a Bucket Short; Penguins Fall 61-59 to Northern Kentucky
2/22/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
- PDF Boxscore
- Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun Postgame Comments
- Senior Donel Cathcart III Postgame Comments
- Highlights
The Youngstown State men's basketball team shaved 14 points off a 16-point deficit and had a shot at the buzzer to win but fell 61-59 on Saturday afternoon at Beeghly Center.
Northern Kentucky closed out the first half on a 21-6 run, and it scored the first two points of the second half to build a 36-20 lead. Youngstown State got the lead within single digits for the final 11 minutes, and it trailed by six on six different occasions before Donel Cathcart III's basket with 1:29 left made the score 59-55.
After Jalen Tate answered for NKU, Garrett Covington scored four straight points to get the margin down to two with 37.3 seconds remaining. Tate was whistled for an offensive foul with 10.4 seconds left to give the Penguins the last shot, and Darius Quisenberry's long 3-point attempt from the right wing hit the side of the rim.
Northern Kentucky improved to 21-8 overall and 13-4 in Horizon League play and clinched a top-two seed in the conference tournament. Youngstown State dropped to 16-13 overall and 9-7 versus the league.
Cathcart finished with a team-high 14 points in his final regular-season home game, and Naz Bohannon added 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Dantez Walton paced the Norse with 20 points, and Tate finished with 18.
Youngstown State shot 22.2 percent from the field in the first half as NKU built its lead, and it improved to 41.9 percent in the second half. The Penguins scored 11 points off turnovers and nine points from offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes as they made their charge. The Norse shot 48.4 percent in the first half and 47.4 percent in the second half, and they held a 34-14 edge in scoring in the paint.
The Penguins got a great start from Cathcart and fellow senior Devin Morgan as they took a 6-0 lead. Morgan drew an offensive foul on NKU's first possession, and Cathcart hit a 3 on the offensive end 30 seconds into the game. Cathcart then grabbed a defensive rebound and assisted on a Morgan 3 at the 18:53 mark.
NKU's first lead came when Walton put them ahead 11-10 with 1:32 remaining, and YSU's final advantage came at 14-13 on a Morgan triple at the 10:52 mark. That's when the Penguins hit their cold spell as they went more than eight minutes without a field goal. By the time Morgan ended the drought on a floater with 2:42 on the clock, NKU had built a 27-16 lead.
The Norse led 34-20 at halftime, and Walton scored on their first possession of the second half to give them their 16-point advantage. YSU scored 10 of the next 13 points to get within nine and stay in striking distance for the final sprint.
Youngstown State will play two big road games in Wisconsin next week as it fights for positioning in the Horizon League Tournament. The Penguins will begin the road swing at Green Bay on Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
