MEN'S BASKETBALL YSU builds win streak to 3 games

The Penguins haven't won that many consecutive games since the 2000-01 season.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team owns a three-game winning streak.
The Penguins led from start to finish and posted a 71-61 victory over IPFW in a non-conference battle Saturday at Beeghly Center.
The three-game win streak is the Penguins' first since the tail end of the 2000-01 season when they defeated IUPUI, Chicago State and Oral Roberts while a member of the Mid-Continent Conference.
"The thing that impressed me today was that we took control from the first possession and held it all the way through the game," YSU coach John Robic said. "That was our No. 1 goal going into the game."
The Penguins improved their overall record to 7-12, while the Mastodons dropped to 3-17 and have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Balanced attack
The Penguins put four players in double figures led by freshman guard Mike Woodard and senior Adam Baumann with 11 points apiece.
Junior Doug Underwood and sophomore Andy Jahnke each netted 10 points.
Underwood, who was held to 1-for-12 shooting from the field, made eight of nine free throws while Jahnke had the Penguins' only two 3-point shots of the contest.
The game's top honors went to IPFW's David Simon, who tallied 27 points and 17 rebounds, but the Penguins kept the rest of the Mastodons in check.
"I feel good about the win," Robic said. "But we have been playing very well of late."
Woodard, who got his fourth starting assignment, said the Penguins needed a game like they played Saturday.
"We needed to come out quickly and then keep that momentum going and we did," Woodard said. "We've been working very hard in practice and it's starting to show."
Early action
The Penguins took an early 4-0 lead and then were sparked by two straight buckets by Jahnke, one a 3-pointer, to pull ahead 14-6.
The Mastodons cut the margin to 14-10 on two straight buckets by Jim Kessenich before the Penguins took their first double-digit lead of the game, 22-12, on Derrick Harris' jump shot with 8:17 remaining.
The Penguins led 32-20 with 2:38 remaining, but the Mastodons scored the final four points to trail 32-24 at intermission.
IPFW got to within six points early in the second half on two shots by Keion Henderson, but the Penguins went on a 15-4 run to pull ahead 49-32 with 12:03 left.
The Mastodons came back to cut the lead to nine points, 54-45, with 6:15 to go before YSU went on an 8-2 run and pulled to a comfortable 62-47 margin.
The Mastodons never got below double-digits the rest of the way, scoring the final five points to get to the final margin of 10.
YSU will return to action on Thursday when it travels to Detroit for a Horizon League game at 7 p.m.
The Penguins are 1-11 all-time against the Titans and have lost the last eight meetings. Detroit (9-9, 3-5 Horizon) dropped an 80-77 overtime decision to Loyola on Saturday.
mollica@vindy.com