St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – Five players scored in double figures, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a tightly-contested 84-80 decision to St. Bonaventure on Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center.
Junior Rich Rolf led the Penguins with 14 points while Vlad Salaridze and Cris Carroll each scored 13 points while Cam Polak contributed 12 points and Bryson Dawkins added 11.
Youngstown State falls to 2-2 on the season while the Bonnies remain undefeated at 4-0.
In a game that featured 11 lead changes and 11 ties, the closing minutes decided the outcome.
Down four, 80-76, after a 3-pointer by SBU's Amar'e Marshall with 1:44 remaining, Salaridze cut the lead to two on a layup at the 1:27 mark. The Bonnies turned it over on the next possession, and Salaridze knotted the game at 80-80 with a pair of free throws with 42 seconds left.
After a timeout, SBU's Daryl Simmons II hit a pull-up jumper in the middle of the paint with 28 seconds left to regain the lead, 82-80.
Carroll's game-winning 3-point attempt was off, and the Bonnies sealed the victory with two free throws.
Youngstown State trailed for most of the second half and was down by as many as six, 55-49, but rallied to tie the game at 59-59 and 61-61.
The Penguins took the lead 64-61 after a free throw from Imanuel Zorgvol and a basket by Carroll, and led 66-63 before the Bonnies went on a 7-0 run to reclaim a 70-66 advantage
In the first half, the Penguins made seven 3-pointers and were led by Rolf's nine points and eight from Polak.
The teams battled through nine lead changes and eight ties in first half.
Youngstown State used a 10-2 run to erase a two-point deficit, 25-23, and turn it into a six-point lead, 33-27. A driving layup by Salaridze tied the game, and 3-pointer from Caroll put the Penguins up three, 28-25.
Following a Bonnies bucket, Rolf buried his third 3-pointer of the half, and a Jason Nelson layup gave the Penguins a 33-27 edge at the 5:09 mark
SBU, though, closed out the half on a 9-0 run for a 36-33 halftime lead.
Youngstown State visits Toledo, Wednesday, Nov. 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
