Penguins fall to Valparaiso

YSU coach Jerry Slocum blamed self-inflicted wounds.

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Two back-breaking scoring runs put Youngstown State down by as many as 20 points, and the Penguins couldn’t recover in a 77-58 loss to Valparaiso Saturday night.

Youngstown State (8-18, 4-12 Horizon League) had forged a 22-all tie with 4 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Crusaders (15-11, 6-8) finished the period on a 10-0 run.

Then, after the Penguins closed to within 37-31 with about 17 minutes remaining in the game, Valparaiso scored 16 of the game’s next 18 points. Michael Rogers’ layup with 13:39 to go made it 53-33. Youngstown State never got within 14 points the rest of the way.

“This is as bad as I have felt in terms of our performance since I have been at Youngstown,” said Penguins coach Jerry Slocum. “The fact that we keep [committing] self-inflicting wounds is beyond disappointment for me.

“We’re not a very good basketball team and we play like it.”

The Penguins committed just 11 turnovers but shot only 39 percent (21-of-54) for the game.

Valparaiso scored 13 consecutive points, spanning halftime, to break from that 22-all tie.

“We don’t score again the rest of the half [and had] six turnovers,” Slocum said.

“When we cut it to [a] 14 [point deficit] with six minutes to go in the game … I said to our guys, ‘If we make any foul shots whatsoever it’s a seven-point ballgame right now,’ ” he added.

YSU was 10-for-20 at the foul line.

Byron Davis scored 18 points — 13 in the first half — on 8-of-13 shooting, and he led the Penguins with six rebounds and three assists. Dwight Holmes and Vytas Sulskis added 10 points apiece.

The disappointing loss for Slocum came on the heels of an 89-73 loss to No. 9 Butler Thursday night.

“You’re not going to go on a weekend series like this and have a couple of our guys [got scoreless] … when they’re go-to people for us,” he said. “We got the result [Thursday and Saturday] because of that.”

Jake Diebler led Valparaiso with 14 points while Bryan Bouchie added 11 points and seven rebounds. Shawn Huff also finished in double figures with 10 points.

Youngstown State opened the game with a 5-0 lead, but the Crusaders quickly tied the score and led by as many as five points (12-7) on a 3-pointer by Bouchie with 11:25 remaining in the half.

The Penguins scored seven of the next eight points, though, and Davis’ basket with 9:26 to go gave YSU a 14-13 lead.

The score was tied at 18 and 22 (the latter with 4:12 remaining on another Davis basket), but Valparaiso closed the half with a 10-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers by Diebler and Jarryd Loyd, to make it 32-22 at halftime.

The Penguins shot just 33 percent (9-of-27) in the first half.