YSU BASKETBALL Two tough to handle

YOUNGSTOWN -- Boston University's two-man game handed Youngstown State its first loss of the season.
Rashad Bell dominated inside and Chaz Carr heated up from the perimeter in the second half for the Terriers in a 71-55 victory over the Penguins Saturday at Beeghly Center.
Bell, a 6-foot-8 senior, made 10-of-13 shots for a game-high 24 points, while Carr, a 6-0 senior guard, scored all but two of his 14 points in the second half, as Boston pulled away from a 36-32 halftime lead.
"We're still a work in progress," said Boston coach Dennis Wolff. "But, any road win is a good win."
The opening minutes of each half were, as Youngstown State coach John Robic noted, "the tale of it."
Fast starts
The Terriers bolted to a 13-2 lead in the opening four minutes of the game, causing YSU to play catch up from the opening tip.
Then, Boston started the second half with a 13-1 run, assuming a 49-33 lead with 13:12 to go. The Penguins couldn't get the margin under 12 the rest of the way.
"We dug ourselves out of [the first deficit]," Robic said, "and I thought we had the momentum going into halftime. We talked about starting the second half strong but we just didn't do it. It seemed like we went forever before we scored again."
In reality, it wasn't until the 12:15 mark, when Quin Humphrey sank a jump shot, that the Penguins scored from the field in the second half. That still left YSU trailing 51-36.
"It seemed like we were getting good shots," Robic said. "I'm going to have to really take a good look at the film to see what happened."
Bigger, stronger, quicker
With eight players new to Division I basketball, Robic allowed that perhaps the Penguins, collectively, were "shell shocked" after opening the season with wins over Div. II opponents Lock Haven and Slippery Rock.
"We just didn't put forth the effort," said Humphrey, who scored 12 points but on just 4-of-16 shooting. "We learned that in Division I basketball there is more intensity, the speed of the game is faster and that we have to be more physical.
"The bad thing is, we didn't give 100 percent, we didn't play hard," added Humphrey. "The good thing is, nobody down in the locker room is hanging their head."
Kevin Gardner added 14 points and seven rebounds for Boston, while Etienne Brower had 12 points and eight rebounds.
"We were a little more patient offensively in the second half," Wolff said. "In the first half we had the numbers [in transition] but we spent too much time dribbling."
Top Penguins
Derrick Harris came off the bench to lead YSU with 14 points. Humphrey finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Brian Radakovich also had eight rebounds, but struggled for his nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Jon Mends had 10 assists, his second straight game in double figures.
"I'm fine with the rebounding [a 44-41 Boston edge]," Robic said. "That was the best we've offensive rebounded all year."
The Penguins trimmed an early 11-point deficit to as little as three (19-16) on a Humphrey free throw with 7:49 remaining in the first half. By the 2:59 mark the margin was back to 11 (34-23) before YSU closed the half on a 9-2 run, including a 3-pointer by Harris at the buzzer.
But the second half was marked by the Penguins' repeated inability to score around the basket. On the defensive end, their focus on Bell opened up the perimeter game for Carr.
"They were physical, they took the ball to the basket," said Robic of the Terriers. "Our rotations were slow and as a result, they had a lot of easy shots."
Upcoming
The Penguins are off until Friday, when they play at the Price Cutter Classic, hosted by Southwest Missouri State. YSU plays the host team Friday at 9 p.m. The other teams are Southeastern Louisiana and Arkansas-Little Rock.
"It's going to be a great gauge for me to find out what I have," said Robic. "We're going to be playing a good team [SMS] in a hostile environment."