Feb. 5, 2009 | Box Score

Men's Basketball: Penguins Use Complete Second-Half Effort to Slip Past Loyola, 60-49

    Chicago, Ill. -- The Youngstown State men’s basketball team used a stifling defense and shot 54.2 percent from the field in the second half en route to a 60-49 victory over Loyola on Thursday evening at the Joseph J. Gentile Center.

    Youngstown State improves to 7-15 overall and 4-8 in the Horizon League while the Ramblers fall to 12-12 overall and 4-8 in the league.

    Junior Kelvin Bright scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Penguins while sophomore Vytas Sulskis added 10 points, Junior DeAndre Mays scored nine points with six rebounds and and five assists.

    After trailing by six at halftime, 30-24, the Penguins came out of the lockerroom outscoring the Ramblers, 12-6, to tie the game at 36-36 midway through the half.

    A lay up by Bright and back-to-back 3-pointers by Sulskis and Bright led the Guins to an 8-0 run and a 44-36 lead with 9:12 remaining.

    A jumper by J.R. Blount brought the Ramblers within six, lay ups by Sulskis, Bright, another by Sulskis and a three-point play by Dallas Blocker ballooned the Guins' edge to 14 points, 52-38, with 5:03 left.

    The Ramblers, who shot just 25 percent from the field for the game, would only get as close as a 10-points, 55-45, at the 1:21 mark.

    Loyola connected on just 1-of-14 3-point attempts in the second half.

    In the first half, Loyola jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead before the Guins rallied to cu the deficit to two, 11-9, at the 12:53 mark.

    The Ramblers extended its lead back to six, 22-16, before a jumper by Sirlester Martin and a 3-pointer by Tom Parks brought the Penguins within one, 22-21, with 4:29 to go.

    Junior Vance Cooksey nailed a 3-pointer at the 1:43 mark to knot the game at 24-24, but the Ramblers scored the last six points of the half to take a 30-24 lead into the lockerroom.

    The Penguins close out their road trip against UIC, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion.