Nov. 25, 2008

Last-Second Basket Lifts Robert Morris Past Youngstown State, 74-72

    Moon Township, Pa. -- Sophomore Vytas Sulskis tied a career high with four three-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points but the Youngstown State men's basketball team (1-3) allowed a 23-point second-half lead to evaporate and dropped a 74-72 loss to Robert Morris (2-3) at the Sewell Center on Tuesday evening.

    Robert Morris' Baketo Francisco jumper with 2.7 seconds remaining broke a 72-72 tie and gave the Colonials the victory.

    The Penguins held a 23-point lead, 57-34, at the 16:07 mark after Kelvin Bright, who scored a career-high 17 points, made a layup.

    Over the next five minutes, the Colonials used a 17-2 run to cut the YSU lead down to eight, 61-53, at the 1:02 mark.

    A layup by Sirlester Martin, who scored 13 points, extended the YSU lead back to 10, 63-53, but Robert Morris used an 11-2 run to bring the deficit to one, 65-64, at the 6:02 mark after a Jeremey Chappell three-pointer.

    A jumper by Francisco at the 3:03 mark knotted the game at 67-67 and Chappell gave the Colonials their first lead of the game, 70-67, with a trey with 2:20 left.

    Trailing 72-69, Sulskis drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 72-72 with 38 seconds remaining.

    Chappell missed a go-ahead three-point attempt but Francisco grabbed the rebound and put-back.

    The first half belonged all to the Penguins, shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from the three-point arc.

    The Penguins led by two, 6-4, at the 16:29 mark but went on a 14-4 run to extend their lead to 12, 20-8, with 12:16 to go Three-pointers by Bright and freshman Ashen Ward and  a jumper by Dallas Blocker keyed the Penguins run.

    The Penguins led by as many as 16 points, 31-15, with 8:34 to go in the half and went into the lockerroom with a 15-point advantage, 45-30, at halftime.
    The Penguins return home to host Saint Francis (Pa.), Saturday, Nov. 29. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.