Youngstown State University
18-15,10-8Horizon
UIC
17-16,10-8Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 24 | 37 | 61 |
| UIC | 33 | 34 | 67 |
Penguins Eliminated by UIC, 67-61, in Horizon League Quarterfinals
3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Chicago, Ill. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team was eliminated from the 2020 Horizon League Championship after falling to UIC, 67-61, in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at Gentile Arena.
With the loss the Penguins fall to 18-15 while the Flames improve to 17-16 and advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded Wright State, Monday, March 9, at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Junior Garrett Covington led the Penguins with 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds while sophomore Darius Quisenberry had 13 points, all in the second half, and junior Naz Bohannon just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Leading the Flames was Michael Diggins with 17 points while Marcus Ottey scored 10 points.
The Flames outrebounded the Penguins, 49-36, with 18 offensive rebounds that led to 18 points.
UIC used a 9-0 run midway through the first half and turned a two points deficit, 18-16, into a 25-18 advantage with 5:17 remaining. A jumper by Michael Akuchie and a 3-pointer by Covington got the Penguins within two, 25-23, at the 3:30 mark, but the Flames outscored the Penguins 8-1 to close out the half with a 33-24 lead.
After the Flames pushed the lead to 11 to start the second half, the Penguins went on 13-5 run to cut the deficit to three with 16:01 to go. A dunk by Akuchie, a jumper and 3-pointer by Covington and two 3-pointers by Quisenberry made it a one possession game, 40-37.
UIC scored two straight baskets to regain seven-point lead but a Jamir Thomas layup at the 9:52 mark capped an 11-5 run and got the Penguins wiithin one 49-48.
A basket by Donel Cathcart III sliced the Flames lead to 52-50 with 9:22 to go, but the Penguins just two points over the next 3:37 and UIC would extend its lead to nine, 61-52. A jumper by Thomas, a free throw by Bohannon and two more by Cathcart got the Penguins within four but the Penguins would not get any closer.
