YSU starts slow in loss to Toledo

Staff report

toledo

Junior Blake Allen scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore Kendrick Perry added 19 but the Youngstown State men’s basketball team could not overcome a slow start and dropped an 86-77 loss to Toledo on Saturday evening at Savage Arena.

The Penguins (6-4) shot just 26.5 percent in the first half.

Junior Damian Eargle just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. He also had five blocks and sophomore Nate Perry scored a career-high 10 points off the bench.

YSU, which shot 56.3 percent and outscored Toledo, 49-47, in the second half, trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, 11 at halftime and 13 with 18 minutes left in the game, but used an 18-6 run over a four-minute span to get within one, 49-48, with 13:50 left.

Two layups by Allen and one by freshman Shawn Amiker brought the Penguins within seven, 43-36, with 16:14 to go.

The Rockets (7-3) built the lead back to nine, 49-40, but a jumper by Eargle, an old-fashioned three-point play by Perry and a 3-pointer by Perry brought the Penguins within one.

The Penguins, who made 12 of their first 17 shots in the second half, were within one on two more occasions, 54-53, with 11:16 left and 56-55 at the 10:26 mark.

Toledo, though, capitalized on a technical foul on YSU and scored 12 straight points to boost its lead back to 13, 68-55, with 7:46 remaining.

Perry’s second 3-pointer with 3:47 to go cut the deficit to nine, 76-67, but the Penguins would get no closer.

Allen, who scored 16 in the first half, scored YSU’s first eight points, giving the Penguins an 8-5 lead with 16:28 left before halftime.

Allen connected on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers.