Penguins snap 3-game losing streak, 74-65

COMBINED DISPATCHES

LORETTO, Pa. — DeAndre Mays scored a career-high 27 points to lead Youngstown State to a 74-65 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday night, snapping the Penguins’ three-game losing streak.

Sirlester Martin added 16 points for Youngstown State (4-5), which led by five in the first half and took a 32-30 lead into halftime.

A Mays jumper with 15:56 left gave the Penguins another five-point lead at 38-33, but the Red Flash (3-7) used an 11-2 run to lead 44-40 with 12:34 remaining.

After the score was tied for the eighth and final time at 48, Youngstown State had a 13-5 spurt to lead 61-53 with 4:46 left. Saint Francis never got closer than five the rest of the way.

The Red Flash, who were 0-for-13 from 3-point range Sunday in a 57-35 loss at Drexel, shot 3-for-15 from beyond the arc.

Cedric Latimer had 16 points for Saint Francis and Umar Shannon added 14.

Mays connected on 8-of-18 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, and made 9-of-11 free throw attempts.

The Penguins, who made 17-of-20 free throws in the second half, owned a four-point edge, 40-36, after two free throws by Mays but the Red Flash used an 8-0 run to gain a four-point lead of their own, 44-40, with 12:34 remaining.

A lay up by Zack Rebillot and a 3-pointer by Mays sparked a 14-4 run over the next six minutes to give the Penguins a 54-48 cushion,

Sophomore Ashen Ward’s three-point play on a put back capped the Penguins run with 6:50 left.

The Red Flash sliced the Penguins’ lead back down to three, 56-53, with Mays converted another three-point play to extend the advantage back to six, 59-53, at the 5:16 mark.

Saint Francis would never get any closer than five points the rest of the way.

In the first half, the Penguins and Red Flash battled through 13 lead changes and six times. Despite allowing the Red Flash to shoot 52 percent from the field, the Penguins were able to take a two-point lead, 32-30, into the locker room after Mays traveled the length of the court for a lay up with two seconds left.

The Penguins shot 46.2 percent from the field in the first stanza and were led by Mays’ 10 points.

Youngstown State concludes its five-game road swing with its third Horizon League game of the month when it visits Green Bay on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Resch Center.