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This time, Penguins finish strong
By STEVE WILAJ
It’s been more than 10 days since Youngstown State blew a 10-point halftime lead to American in a Dec. 4 home loss, but head coach Jerry Slocum certainly hasn’t forgotten.
“That American game still rubs me wrong,” he said following Tuesday’s match-up against Geneva.
Against the Golden Tornadoes, the Penguins once again jumped to a big halftime lead (19 points). This time, YSU was able to finish the contest, downing Division III Geneva, 99-58, at the Beeghly Center behind a strong second half.
“There’s gonna be times in the [Horizon League] where we’re gonna go in and do a really good job and be right where we want to be at the half,” Slocum said. “But we have to come out and establish ourselves at the start of the second half. I thought we did a really good job with that.”
YSU (5-6) used a 17-0 run to open the final 20 minutes, stretching its lead to 36 points against the overmatched Golden Tornadoes (0-8).
The Penguins forced 28 steals (second most in school history) as they shot 58 percent from the field (although just 14 of 26 at the foul line). Sophomore center Sidney Umude led with a career-high 21 points, Matt Donlan scored 15 and Cameron Morse added 10 points.
“Coach told us during halftime to go uptempo and don’t give them a chance in the second half to make a run like we have in previous games,” Umude said. “We were more aggressive in the 2-3 zone — just getting our hands on loose balls and pushing it up the floor.”
Outscoring Geneva 50-28 in the second half, the Penguins basically did what they were supposed to do after letting the Golden Tornadoes hang around in the first 20 minutes (Geneva trailed just 29-23 at the six-minute mark).
Next, YSU — which lost by 31 at Purdue on Saturday — once again takes the underdog role in contests at Michigan on Saturday and Notre Dame on Monday to close out its non-conference schedule.
“This was a game that we needed to get a lot of our younger guys some playing time — get some of those younger guys to fight through some of their mistakes,” Slocum said. “Now we’re on to the second leg of the guillotine run that we’re on here.”
One of the younger players that gained valuable playing time was redshirt freshman forward/center Bryce Nickels, who — at 6-foot-9 and a solid 210-pounds — is YSU’s most physically-imposing player.
However, he’s also coming off a foot stress-fracture, which caused him to miss the first nine games of the season.
After playing seven minutes at Purdue in his first action of the campaign, Nickles scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes on Tuesday.
“Before he got hurt, he was really one of our better players in terms of sub-minutes,” said Slocum, who estimated Nickels being at 60 percent. “We’ve got to get him back — especially for league play.
“He’s obviously gonna get baptized here in these next two games. But he’s a high IQ guy, plays with good energy...he’s long, anticipates well, gets to the offensive glass well and has a good feel. It’s good to have him back getting some time.”
Umude, another promising young big-man, went 7 of 9 from the field and also grabbed five rebounds during his career-day. This follows a 14-point performance against the Boilermakers large front court.
“I’m getting more comfortable with the offense and all the play-calling,” Umude said. “I’m finding my shots better and being more aggressive on the glass. ...Guys are getting more confident on the team, including myself. And confidence is the key to being a stronger team.”
Suspensions
In off-court news, Slocum announced after the game that junior backup center Jorden Kaufman and freshman forward Devin Haygood are suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.