COLLEGE BASKETBALL YSU rallies past Lock Haven in season opener, 70-56

The Penguins were led by freshman John Barber, who pulled down 10 rebounds.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State opened its 2004-05 season with a 70-56 victory over visiting Lock Haven, before 1,399 fans at Beeghly Center Sunday night.
Senior forward Brian Radakovich and sophomore guard Quin Humphrey led the Penguins with 16 points apiece.
Radakovich was 5-for-15 from the field, including 1-of-3 on 3-pointers, and 5-for-9 at the foul line, and he pulled down six rebounds.
Humphrey was 5-for-12 from the field, missing all three of his 3-point shots, but was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. Humphrey also had a team-best three assists.
John Barber, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman making his first career start, added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for Youngstown State. Barber, from Detroit, was 6-for-11 from the field.
Coach's comments
"Barber played well and within himself," said Youngstown State coach John Robic, who began his sixth season with the Penguins. "He was active; he stepped up with a nice double double."
Derrick Harris came off the bench to score nine points for the Penguins, who were 25-of-57 from the field (43.9 percent). Junior guard Jon Mends added eight points for YSU, which returns to Beeghly Center Tuesday to play host to Slippery Rock in the second game of a doubleheader. The YSU women will play Ohio University at 5:15 p.m. in the opener.
Three players scored in double figures for Lock Haven (0-2). Sophomore guard James Chappell led the way with 14 points, while senior forward Joe Walker added 13 and senior guard Eddie Christiano tossed in 12.
The Bald Eagles led YSU in rebounding, 39-38, and they were paced by senior forward Quentin Terry, who had 13 rebounds. Walker and Chappell added eight rebounds each, and Chappell dished out five assists.
"Our guards must to a better job rebounding the ball," Robic said.
Christiano broke a scoreless game on a 3-point basket with 18:37 remaining in the first half, and Lock Haven held the lead for all of the first half, with the exception of ties at 5-5, 7-7 and 17-17. That last deadlock came at the 12:42 mark on a 3-pointer by Harris.
The Bald Eagles then went on a 13-3 run, leading 30-20 with 4:24 remaining on a 3-pointer by Julien Grandgirard.
Battling back
Youngstown State battled back, though. The Penguins scored the next five points, including a dunk by Humphrey, and after Lock Haven's Michael Dye made a layup, YSU scored the last six points of the half, including a jumper by Harris with two seconds to go, making it 32-31 at the intermission.
The Penguins continued their run at the outset of the second half, scoring nine of the first 13 points to take a 40-36 lead on a Humphrey dunk with 15:05 remaining in the game.
The YSU lead reached double figures for the first time, 50-40, on a Barber layup with 11:50 to go, but the Bald Eagles rallied to within five, 56-51, on Chappell's layup at the 6:03 mark.
The Penguins regrouped, however, going on a 7-2 run over the next 3:40 for 10-point lead (63-53) with 2:23 remaining. The final score was the largest margin.
Robic said the game was a "littler closer than I wanted," which was why he was unable to give more minutes for more of his players.
"We were fortunate to win the game," Robic said.