Dayton, Ohio — The Youngstown State men's basketball team made 13 3-pointers and led for more than 15 minutes before falling 77-69 at UD Arena on Friday evening.
The Penguins led by as much as 10 points in the first half, but the Flyers ended the opening session on a 9-0 run and led for the entire second half.
Youngstown State's 10-point lead came at 28-18 when Ziggy Reid made the Penguins' eight 3-pointer with 7:38 on the first-half clock. YSU made just two field goals over the next nine minutes, and Dayton took a 37-35 lead at halftime. The Guins got within three on four different occasions in the second half but were never able to catch their opponents from the Atlantic 10.
Brandon Rush scored 18 points and made four of YSU's 13 3-pointers, and Reid finished with 17 points while going 7-for-11 from the field. Bryson Langdon and Brett Thompson both added 14 points apiece for YSU, which saw its record move to 3-3.
Five Flyers scored in double figures, and Daron Holmes II scored 18 points and blocked four shots to lead the effort. He was fouled 11 times, and Dayton had a 26-10 advantage in free-throw attempts. Nate Santos finished with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Youngstown State's first lead came at 9-8 on a transition 3-pointer by Reid with 17:31 on the clock, and that bucket was part of an 8-0 run by the Penguins that allowed them to take a 14-8 lead. Dayton reclaimed the upper hand at 18-16 with 10:44 left, but Rush hit a 3 25 seconds later for YSU that sparked a 12-0 run. Reid's 3-pointer at the 7:38 mark ended the burst and gave the Penguins their 28-18 advantage, and YSU still maintained a 35-28 lead on a John Lovelace Jr. basket with 3:04 on the clock. However, Youngstown State did not score again in the half.
Santos hit a 3 for Dayton to tie the game at 35 with 43 seconds left in the first half, and Holmes II had a fast-break dunk off a turnover in the final five seconds to give the Flyers a 37-35 advantage heading into the locker room.
Dayton scored on its first possession of the second half to push the margin to five, and the margin was between three and nine in the Flyers' favor until the final horn.
The Penguins worked the deficit down to a possession twice in the final 6:10 of the game. Thompson converted a transition basket at the 6:07 mark to make the score 58-55, and Reid scored in the lane just under a minute later to make it 60-57. Dayton scored the next six points to stretch the lead to nine, and YSU got no closer than six.
The Penguins shot 41% from the field for the game, and they finished 13-for-29 from 3-point range. Dayton shot 54.5% in the second half and 51% for the game, and it was able to stay ahead despite going 15-for-26 from the free-throw line.
Youngstown State will return home to host in-state and Horizon League rival Cleveland State, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Beeghly Center. The contest will be the conference opener for both schools.
