Terrapins put ultra-pressure on Penguins

By DAVID DRIVER

Youngstown State had 23 turnovers against its first Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in 16 years.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Greivis Vasquez of Maryland passed to Cliff Tucker for a basket.

Eric Hayes passed to Tucker for another bucket. And Vasquez hit a long jumper for another two points, again off transition.

The closing seconds of the first half resembled a track meet for the University of Maryland, whose defense forced the Penguins into 13 turnovers in the first half.

And Youngstown State (0-2), in its first game against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference in 16 years, was left gasping for air following a 73-49 loss Tuesday against the host Terps.

“We obviously have to get better,” YSU head coach Jerry Slocum said. “We just turned the ball over. It was just self-inflicted wounds.”

The Penguins made just 19 of 57 shots from the field, including 0 of 13 from long range. YSU made just 2 of 18 shots from the new 3-point range in its season-opening loss against Buffalo.

The visitors, who led 6-0 early on, had 23 turnovers Tuesday.

“It wasn’t their defense. It was our offense,” said senior forward Jack Liles, who had a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds. “Their pressure defense, we pretty much couldn’t get the ball past midcourt.”

Youngstown junior guard Kelvin Bright (six points, three turnovers), from nearby Silver Spring, said it was a good feeling to play in front of the hometown crowd.

He left 12 tickets for family and friends but the outcome left him with a bitter taste.

“We felt like we shot ourselves in the foot,” said Bright, who played at nearby Blake High School. “At times we had trouble with their press.”

The Terps took the lead for the first time with 11:42 left in the first half on a pair of free throws by Vasquez to make it 12-10.

After a basket by Youngstown’s DeAndre Mays (11 points, five turnovers) tied the game at 14, the Terps went on a 15-2 run before YSU called a 30-second timeout with 4:27 left in the first half.

Maryland then went on another run, punctuated by Vasquez’s jumper from the left baseline, to give the Terps a 37-18 lead at halftime. Vasquez, who played the point, off guard and small forward, had 16 points in the first half and 28 in all to go with eight rebounds.

“He is a pro. That guy is going to the next level,” Slocum said.

Maryland, picked to finish in the lower half of the ACC, led by as many as 28 points in the second half. Eric Hayes added 13 points for Maryland.

“You have to establish your defense,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “We did a good job tonight.”

Maryland did not score until a dunk by Hayes with 16:30 left in the first half made the score 6-2.

YSU did win the battle of the boards 45-34 and had 17 offensive rebounds. But poor shooting was the culprit for the second game in a row.

Is Liles concerned about the team’s 3-point shooting?

“No and yes. We know we played bad,” he said. “We know we have to get in the gym.”

The Penguins have scheduled the likes of UCLA and Ohio State in recent years. Is there any fear these one-sided loses will hurt the team’s confidence?

“I won’t let it,” Slocum said sternly. “Every year it’s made us better, and we’ve grown from it. And that’s the way we’ll take this one.

“We’ll work at getting better, learn from our mistakes and go forward.”