YSU MEN'S BASKETBALL Penguins come up short, again

Oakland handed Youngstown State its fourth straight loss, 70-67.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Junior Doug Underwood missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer and the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 70-67 decision to Oakland (Mich.) Saturday at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins, down by 13 points midway through the second half, rallied in the final minutes and almost pulled out a win over the Grizzlies (6-5), picked as the team to beat in the Mid-Continent Conference.
The Penguins are 2-7 and have dropped four straight games, the last two at home.
But coach John Robic, although disappointed in the loss, was pleased with the way his Penguins rebounded against the Grizzlies.
"We came out flat in the second half and fell behind, but we overcame that and it came down to the final shot," Robic said. "I feel a whole lot better about this team today than I did on Thursday."
Pulling close
The Penguins trailed by nine points, 68-59, with 30.7 seconds remaining, but Underwood hit a 3-point goal with 26 seconds remaining.
Senior TeJay Anderson then stole the inbounds pass and scored to pull the Penguins to within three points, 67-64, with 23 seconds to play.
After Oakland's Pierre Dukes made a pair of free throws with 19.3 seconds left, freshman Quin Humphrey canned another 3-point shot to put the Penguins within two points, 69-67, with 11.6 seconds to play.
The Penguins fouled Kelly Williams with 7.5 seconds remaining and he made just one of two free throws. The Penguins were a 3-pointer from sending the game into overtime.
Freshman Mike Woodard took the inbounds pass and made a great effort getting the ball up-court. He tossed it to Underwood, who had an open shot and let it fly with two seconds to play. The ball hit the front of the hoop and bounced off as the buzzer sounded.
"I really thought they [Oakland] were going to foul us right away, but they didn't and Doug got a good look at the hoop. It just didn't go in," Robic said.
Leaders
Anderson led the Penguins with 19 points, while senior Adam Baumann and Underwood each finished with 14 and Humphrey added 10.
Baumann had his second double-double of the year as he also pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds to lead the way as YSU outrebounded the taller Grizzlies 46-35.
Baumann's total was the most by a Penguin since Jerome Simms had 22 rebounds in a game against Radford back in 1992.
"He [Baumann] had a great game and he probably could have had five or six more," Robic said. "We've got to get some stickum on his hands.
"I was proud of my guys, the way they came back," he added. "We penetrated well today. Now we just have to make the shots once we get in there."
Different halves
The first half ended in a 36-36 deadlock, and that's the way the first 20 minutes were played as there were nine ties and seven lead changes. The biggest margin was six points, held twice by the Grizzlies at 15-9 and 36-30, but the Penguins scored the final six points of the half to tie the score.
YSU came out flat in the second half and turned the ball over five of the first seven trips up the court. The Penguins didn't score a point until 16:17 remained as Oakland jumped out to a 10-point advantage, 46-36.
Oakland still led 55-42 with 10:40 to play, but the Penguins kept them to within 10 points until their final run in the closing minutes.
YSU will close out its three-game homestand on Monday when it plays host to UMKC in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Beeghly.
"This team needs a win, especially since we have a long layoff before we play again and we need to go into the break on a positive note," Robic said.
mollica@vindy.com