43
YSU finds momentum
Photo
YSU Penguin Zack Rebillot drives to the basket while being defended by Christopher Olafioye (3) and Yann Sani (4) of the Wilberforce Bulldogs.
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Watching Youngstown State drub Wilberforce on Tuesday was like watching the hare beat the tortoise. Or Goliath slay David. Or the Lions devour the Christians.
It was a college basketball game disguised as the last few minutes of an NBA blowout. The outcome was never in doubt, defense was an afterthought and offensive possessions went faster than a three-day weekend.
The final score was 86-51.
It might as well have been 186-51.
The game — the Penguins’ second against an NAIA member this season — was scheduled as a buffer between YSU’s toughest road trip and its most important homestand.
But after giving Butler all it could handle on Sunday, it was clearly hard for the Penguins to get up for a 2-12 team with no chance of winning.
“[We were] hoping to build on the momentum we got out of our [road] trip,” said YSU coach Jerry Slocum, whose team was coming off a close road loss to Horizon League power Butler on Sunday. “I thought we played hard in the second half.
“We defended better in the second half. The ball moved better in the second half,” Slocum said. “I wished we had shot better at the foul line but the guys worked pretty hard.”
The Penguins led just 15-14 at the 10-minute mark before taking control. They grabbed 61 rebounds — one off the school record — and had 21 assists to just five turnovers.
Freshman point guard Kendrick Perry came off the bench to post his first career double-double, turning in 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
“We can’t be content with a win tonight,” Perry said. “We have to have short-term memory and get ready for Cleveland State [on Saturday].”
Damian Eargle, a Warren Harding High graduate, scored a game-high 16 points with nine rebounds and two blocks for YSU (7-9), who also defeated NAIA-member Malone on Dec. 13. Devonte Maymon added 15 points.
Tremayne Scott scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (2-13), who shot just 32 percent from the field and were held to their lowest point total of the season.
The lopsided score aside, YSU’s performance was far from perfect. The Penguins shot just 32 of 81 from the field (39.5 percent), mainly because they treated offensive possessions like an AAU game.
They were bad at the foul line (14 of 26) and worse behind the arc (8 of 33) and it’s a safe bet that Slocum will find plenty to pick apart in today’s film study.
Tuesday’s effort was more than enough against the Bulldogs.
It won’t be nearly enough against the Vikings.
“It’s a rivalry game and even though I’m a freshman, I’ve been hearing a lot about it,” said Perry. “It’s a big game. If we win that one, we’ll have momentum for the next two games.”
If they lose, well, things could get ugly. The Penguins are just 1-5 in the Horizon League and the lone victory came against UIC, which is 0-5 in the conference.
YSU has played like a pretender and a contender this season, sometimes within 48 hours of each other. Its next three games will decide which label sticks.
“After the Butler game and how close it was, we can’t settle for less now,” Perry said. “We know our maximum potential.”