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Phoenix rise up to down Penguins
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Youngstown State’s Shaun Stewart shoots over Green Bay’s Turner Botz during their game Wednesday at YSU’s Beeghly Center. The Penguins were leading by 10 points late in the second half but couldn’t hold off the Phoenix, who won 63-62.
Phoenix rise up to down the Penguins in final seconds
By SteVE Wilaj
Youngstown
Youngstown State head coach Jerry Slocum knew his Penguins shouldn’t have even been in the situation.
Still, YSU had the final possession on Wednesday as it trailed Green Bay by one point with 17 seconds left. And although the Penguins didn’t get their ideal shot, point guard D.J. Cole was able to get off a 15-foot jumper.
“We obviously wanted to go to Marcus [Keene], but they guarded it,” Slocum said. “But it was an elbow jump shot — open.”
But Cole’s jump shot missed the mark as YSU fell to the Phoenix, 63-62, at Beeghly Center.
Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes capped the Phoenix comeback by connecting on a floater with 23 seconds left for what proved to be the game-winning shot. It was the final bucket of a 15-4 run Green Bay used over the final 8:08 to close the contest.
“That was one of the bigger shots in his career to be honest with you,” Phoenix coach Brian Wardle said. “He took a gash in the eye and had a hard time even seeing at times.”
YSU (10-17, 1-11 Horizon League) built its lead to 58-48 with 8:08 remaining in the second half. But from there on out, it was all Green Bay (20-5, 9-2). A 3-pointer by Sykes tied the contest at 58 with 2:06 left. Carrington Love then hit a 3 on the next possession for a 61-58 Green Bay lead.
YSU answered to regain the lead on a Bobby Hain layup and two Cole free throws with 35 seconds remaining. But that set up Sykes’ game-winner.
“Our backs were against the wall, but I do have some veterans that know how to win,” Wardle said. “We needed to play sound down the stretch the last eight minutes and we did that.”
Green Bay — which was led by Greg Mays’ 15 points and Alfonzo McKinnie’s 14 points — turned up its defensive pressure for the final stretch, forcing YSU into five turnovers in the last four minutes.
“That was terrible basketball on our part.” Slocum said. “They went to the zone and I don’t think we had a whole lot of good looks. They’re long upfront and that bothered us a bit. But again, it’s just turnovers.”
Green Bay built its lead as large as 27-14 in the first half with 8:55 remaining. But YSU — led by Keene (who finished with 21 points) — responded with a 19-4 run to close the first 20 minutes and take a 33-31 advantage into the break.
Early in the run at the 6:38 mark, YSU’s Larry Johnson Jr. took an elbow to the face from Tevin Findlay, who received a flagrant foul.
“It was just one of those unintentional elbows that caught him on a ball screen,” Wardle said. “But, yeah, after that they went on a run and got a little bit of momentum.”
Shawn Amiker added 11 points for YSU, while Cole and Hain each scored 10. The Penguins have now lost four games in a row and 11 of their last 12. Green Bay moved into a three-way tie for first place.
“I thought that we played well enough to win and I thought we outplayed them except for the last 25 seconds,” Slocum said.
LARSON LEAVES
Senior forward Fletcher Larson is no longer with the YSU men’s basketball program. The 6-foot-8 Larson — a native of Lakewood, N.Y. — was removed from the Penguins’ roster and YSU’s official athletics website.
Larson had played in all 26 games — including two starts — prior to Wednesday night. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. He averaged 11.8 minutes per game.
Slocum called Larson’s departure “a coach’s decision.”