Men's team blows lead, falls to KSU

YSU's second-half bust against Kent State was almost a replay of Saturday's loss to Akron.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- It was almost like watching a replay of last Saturday's Akron game for the Youngstown State men's basketball team.
With a home crowd of more than 4,000 in the stands, the Penguins held a 16-point second-half lead only to hit a huge dry spell that allowed Kent State University to pull out a 77-69 victory at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins, who blew a 15-point second-half lead last Saturday at Akron, led 47-31 Wednesday with just more than 12 minutes remaining.
But the Penguins were outscored 20-2 over the next five minutes, and found themselves trailing 51-50. They never regained the lead again.
It was YSU's (1-3) first home defeat while Kent improved to 3-2 on the season.
"Obviously we didn't close the deal again," YSU coach Jerry Slocum said. "We got back on our heels when we shouldn't have been and let them take control of the game.
"Execution, that's the word that best describes out last two losses," Slocum said. "We just didn't execute when we had those leads."
Press hampered YSU
The Flashes made some adjustments in the second half. One was a half-court press that really hampered the Penguins during Kent State's big run.
"I guess 22 turnovers tells you that it bothered us," Slocum said. "But half of those were what I called unforced turnovers, where under pressure we just tossed them the ball."
Junior guard Quin Humphrey led the Penguins with his best performance of the season, as he scored his third career double-double and second in a row with a 29-point, 10-rebound effort.
"We just weren't aggressive when we had the lead and that was the difference in the game," Humphrey said.
Junior Keston Roberts was the only other Penguin in double figures with 13.
Kent State had four players in double figures led by Jay Youngblood with 21, while Kevin Warzynski and DeAndre Haynes each added 15 and Omni Smith scored 13.
KSU hits from long range
The Flashes shot 46 percent from the field, but were 10-of-19 from 3-point range and those four top scorers made nine of them.
YSU, which shot 50 percent in the first half, finished the game 25-of-54 for 46.3 percent, but was just 4-of-17 from long range. The Penguins outrebounded the Flashes, 37-34.
The Penguins jumped out to a 10-7 lead before Kent State came back to pull in front 15-12.
The Penguins tied the game at 15. Roberts then hit a 3-pointer to put YSU on top where the Penguins remained the rest of the half. The surge included a 6-0 run by Humphrey at the end for a 31-23 halftime edge.
YSU came out cold in the second half, missing its first seven shots, but held the Flashes to just two baskets during those first three minutes.
YSU takes 47-31 lead
Then the Penguins went to work as freshman Jack Liles scored two baskets and sophomore Colin LaForme hit a pair and two free throws. YSU outscored the Flashes 16-4 and took a 47-31 lead with 12:16 remaining.
The bottom then fell out for the Penguins and after the 20-2 run, which included five 3-point goals by the Flashes, the Penguins were trailing 51-49.
YSU tied it at 51-51 on two Humphrey free throws, but Kent State went on a 7-2 run and never trailed again.
YSU got to within two points 62-60 on John Barber's 3-point shot with 3:55 remaining, but the Flashes hit another 9-2 run to put the game out of reach 71-62 with under a minute remaining.
The Penguins begin a three-game road trip on Sunday when they travel to meet Marshall University in a 2 p.m. tip-off in Huntington, W. Va.