Box Score
Junior guard Dwayne Cohill bucketed a career-high 31 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor to lead the Youngstown State men's basketball team to an 88-79 win over UIC on Thursday night at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins, who shot beyond 46 percent from the field, improve to 17-11 overall and 11-7 in the Horizon League, while the Flames fall to 10-15 and 6-10 in the conference.
Tallying his second double-double in as many games, senior Michael Akuchie reached double figures scoring 20 points, 11 rebounds and two assists while sophomore Shemar Rathan-Mayes posted 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting that included 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Myles Hunter also notched a double-figure performance, going 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 points.
UIC had four players score in double figures led by Damaria Franklin's 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Jace Carter logged a 17-point outing, while connecting on a game-high five 3-pointers.
Both squads found the hot hand early, combining to shoot 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from long range by the 17:38 mark of the first half. A 3-pointer from Cohill at that point would spark a 7-0 scoring run that gave the Penguins their first lead of the contest at 11-8.
The first of two Cohill free throws would deadlock the score at 12 at the 14:51 point, with both teams meeting again at 17 points apiece at the 12:41 mark prior the Flames embarking on a 10-2 scoring run that gave them a 25-20 edge.
After a pair from Cohill at the charity stripe to cut it to 25-22, UIC scored on five straight possessions that included 5-of-6 shooting from the floor to extend its advantage to nine points, 35-26, with 7:15 to play in the half. Ending a near two-minute Penguins dry spell, a pair of long balls on consecutive possessions from Akuchie and Rathan-Mayes at the 6:15 and 5:50 marks cut the Flames advantage to three.
Finding itself at a 10-point deficit with 3:46 left in the opening half of play, a trio of made baskets by Cohill, Akuchie and Owen Long brought the UIC advantage to 42-39 by the 1:29 mark. During the span, the Penguins defense forced the Flames to come up empty from the field, shooting 0-of-3. However, a 3-point heave at the buzzer from UIC's Franklin connected and sent the Penguins into the half down six.
Out of the locker room, Tevin Olison recorded his first points of the evening and the Penguins' first of the second half at the 19:35 mark to counter the Flames' and-1 on its first second-half possession.
An Olison 3-ball at the 15:35 mark halted an 8-2 scoring run by the Flames that stretched nearly four minutes and contained an 11-point UIC lead – it's largest of the contest. The Flames would reach the 11-point margin again with 14:29 on the clock following one of Carter's five made treys during the contest.
A duo of 3-pointers from Rathan-Mayes and Long on consecutive Penguins possessions, followed by two Akuchie free throws brought the Penguins back to within three of the Flames by the 11:43 mark. Continuing to battle, a trio of Rathan-Mayes freebies knotted the game at 67 points apiece with 9:19 left in regulation.
A Michael Diggins layup at the 11:25 point of the second half acted as the final UIC basket for a 6:15 field goal-less stretch, ending at the 5:10 mark. The Penguins capitalized by moving from a five-point deficit to as much as a four-point lead during the span. In between, a nifty turnaround jumper by Rathan-Mayes at the 8:46 point gave YSU its first lead since the 12:07 mark of the first half. Forcing a stop on the defensive end, Hunter found Cohill for the transition layup to up the Penguins' lead to four at 71-67.
YSU would take a 77-72 advantage prior to a 5-0 UIC run that deadlocked the score at 77 with 2:53 to play in regulation. Subsequently, a pair of Akuchie free throws and a Hunter steal leading to a Cohill 3-pointer fueled a 10-2 run to end the final two and a half minutes of the contest.
Overall, the Penguins more than doubled-up the Flames 26-12 over the final 10:15 minutes of Thursday's action.
During YSU's 29-of-62 shooting performance (46.8 percent), the Penguins were able to bucket 10 3-pointers in the game at an astounding 62.5 percent clip (10-of-16). YSU was also able to sink 20-of-24 from the free-throw line for 83.3 percent. UIC shot 50 percent (31-of-62) for the contest, including 7-of-23 from long range. The Flames were held to just a lone 3-ball in the second half, shooting 12.5 percent (1-of-8).
Youngstown State is back in action to conclude the home portion of its 2021-22 conference schedule on Saturday, Feb. 19, taking on IUPUI. Tip off from Beeghly Center is set for 2 p.m.
