Penguins Rally, Hold Off Detroit For 80-78 Road Victory

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Jan. 1, 2009 | Box Score

Penguins Rally, Hold Off Detroit For 80-78 Road Victory

Detroit, Mich. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team shot 58.7 percent from the field, rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit and staved off a late Detroit rally for an 80-78 victory on Thursday afternoon at Calihan Hall.

The Penguins improve to 4-8 overall and 1-2 in the Horizon League while the Titans fall to 4-8 overall and 0-3 in the league.

Junior DeAndre Mays tied a career high with 19 points and junior Kelvin Bright added seven points to lead the Penguins.

The Penguins led by nine points, 75-66, with 1:14 left before two lay ups by Detroit's Woody Payne and a three-point play Thomas Kennedy brought the Titans within three, 76-73, with 32 seconds left.

After Mays missed two free throws with 27 seconds left, sophomore Vytas Sulskis hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to go up by five, 78-73.

Kennedy though drilled a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to get within two, but Sulskis made two more charity tosses with six seconds left to seal the victory.

The Guins began the second half with a six-point deficit, 41-35, but scored the first four points on two Jack Liles free throws and a jumper by freshman Ashen Ward to get within two.

A jumper and a 3-pointer by Mays and a jumper by Liles gave the Guins their first lead of the game, 46-45, with 16:14 to go.

After a Woody Payne 3-pointer which gave the Titans a 48-46 lead with 15:49 left, the Penguins went on a 13-4 run over the four minutes to take a 59-52 lead midway through the second half.

Mays' three-point play put the Penguins ahead, 49-48, and baskets by Bright, Mays, Dallas Blocker, who scored eight points, Sirlester Martin and another by Bright keyed the Penguins' spurt.

Detroit though rallied and regained the lead, 63-62, after a 3-pointer by Nemanja Jokic, with 8:40 to go.

A lay up by Sulskis gave the Penguins the lead for good then Kelvin Bright scored seven straight YSU points and Jack Liles made two free throws to give the Penguins a nine-point edge, 75-66 with just over a minute remaining.

Youngstown State trailed by as many as 14 points, 31-17, with 5:54 remaining in the first half and by 13, 37-24, with 3:43 to go before the using an 11-0 run to get within two, 37-35, with 1:11 to go.

Ward, who scored eight points, sparked the Penguins' surge with two 3-pointers and Mays made two lay ups and two free throws during that span.

The Titans, though, scored the last four points of the half for a 41-35 halftime lead.
The Penguins continue their road trip against Wright State, Saturday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, and will be broadcast on NewsRadio 570 AM WKBN.