Toledo, Ohio – Despite shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and making 11 3-pointers, the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a 92-75 decision to Toledo on Wednesday evening at Savage Arena.
The Penguins fall to 2-3 on the year while the Rockets improve to 3-2.
Senior Bryson Dawkins led the Penguins with 16 points while Cris Carroll scored 14 points and Vlad Salaridze added 13. Dawkins connected on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor with three 3-pointers while Carroll also made three 3s and went 5-for-10 from the floor. Salaridze was also efficient going 6-for-9 from the floor and leading the team with six rebounds.
The Penguins committed 22 turnovers that led the 31 Toledo points, and the Rockets went 22-for-26 from the free throw line.
The Penguins used an early 8-0 run keyed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Tae Blackshear and Salaridze to take a 13-9 lead at the 13:08 mark.
Toledo went on a 15-3 run, including a 7-0 spurt, to take a 24-16 lead at the 7:38 mark.
Baskets by Salaridze and Rich Rolf and a three-point play by Drew King got the Penguins within three, 26-23, but the Rocket used a 9-3 run to push the lead nine 35-26.
Toledo extended its lead to as many as 11 in the first half, 41-29, with just over a minute left before Jason Nelson and Dawkins hit consecutive 3-pointers to get back within six, 41-35, at the half.
The Rockets quickly extended the lead to eight to open the second half, but a Dawkins 3-pointer trimmed the YSU deficit to five, 45-40, at the 18:01 mark. Youngstown State, however, scored just five points – a layup by Rolf and a 3-pointer from Imanuel Zorgvol - over the next 4:14 and the Rockets' cushion ballooned to 11, 58-47.
Toledo led by as many as 21, but Youngstown State went on 13-2 run to get back within 10, 78-68, after a pair of Rolf free throws with 6:08 remaining.
Youngstown State would not get any closer.
Youngstown State takes on UNC-Greensboro, Sunday, Nov. 23, as part of the Jacksonville Classic in Jacksonville, Fla. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Adams-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex at Edward Waters University.
