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Penguins drop 4th straight game
Long-range shots are issue
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State is still searching for what a good version of its men’s basketball program is supposed to look like.
Saturday at Beeghly Center, the Penguins lost their fourth straight game, an 88-77 setback against Western Michigan after going six-and-a-half minutes without a basket. It’s apparent that the Penguins’ losses have a similar look.
Opponents shooting 50 percent or better, YSU (3-8) taking 30-plus three-pointers and not hitting enough of them and because of all those threes, the Penguins aren’t getting to the line as much as the opposing side.
“It’s one of the biggest frustrations. Teams are shooting 10 or 20 more free throws than us. That has to change. I think I’ve done a really bad job of coaching this group,” YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “We have to get them an identity.
“When you think of good coaches and good programs, they have an identity and we’re struggling with ours. It falls on the coach and coaching staff.”
YSU came out of the halftime down 49-38, but a 6-0 run cut the deficit to four points. Later on, Antwan Maxwell Jr. hit a three to briefly give the Penguins a 58-56 lead at 11:29.
Since that three, Western Michigan responded with a 15-1 run and YSU managed the lone point from a Naz Bohannon free throw in the next six minutes and 29 seconds before Kendale Hampton made a layup with 5:21 left. At that point, Western Michigan led 73-61 and held on from there.
“It was like there was a lid on the basket. I thought we had good looks. I thought we had layups and we were driving the ball. I thought we were hit on a few of them,” Calhoun said. “I thought our concentration wasn’t there as we went to shoot the shot.
“It wasn’t like we didn’t get good looks. We put an emphasis on not settling for three point shots, let’s try to get to the line.”
During that lengthy scoreless stretch, the Penguins missed 10 shots and had four turnovers.
Five different YSU players finished in double figures for scoring. Garrett Covington had a team-high 15 points. Kendale Hampton added 14 points and Maxwell and Darius Quisenberry each had 11. Donel Cathcart had 10 points. Hampton and Maxwell came off the bench.
The scoring output between the starting five and the bench was comparable with 36 of YSU’s 77 points coming from the reserves.
“I think some of our bench guys are ready to play, like [Maxwell], he’s somebody we have to get going,” Calhoun said. “He’s a four-year guy who was at Division I [with Charleston Southern], played junior college and now he’s here. We have to get him the ball. You can’t win without some veteran guys out there. He’s a veteran guy that has to play well.”
Seven of the first nine made shots of the game were threes, but WMU (5-4) proved to be more apt at keeping up the hot shooting. The Broncos shot 51 percent from the floor, including a 13 for 31 mark from 3 as the visitors had a double digit lead less than 10 minutes into the contest.
Michael Flowers led the Broncos with 25 points, Josh Davis had a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds and Jared Printy added 14. The Broncos had 23 free throw attempts to YSU’s 10.