43
Cathcart’s late shot downs IUPUI to push win streak to five games
Cathcart’s shot extends YSU’s winning streak
By Brian Dzenis
YOUNGSTOWN
For the second time in three games, Youngstown State made a 3-pointer in the final seconds to win.
Thursday night, it was Donel Cathcart III’s turn to be the hero as he drained a corner 3 with 5.9 seconds left in regulation to lift the Penguins to a 75-73 victory against IUPUI.
“I knew it was going in when I shot it. I worked on that every day,” Cathcart said. “It felt good. It definitely did.”
YSU (11-16, 7-7 Horizon League) has won five games in a row for the first time since 1998-99. Cathcart’s shot brought back memories of the Penguins’ 72-71 win against Milwaukee on Feb. 7, which ended with Garrett Covington hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer. In both sequences, the plan was to set up Darius Quisenberry for a drive to the basket, but Quisenberry elected to defer for the final shot.
“What a pass. I don’t think people understand most freshmen would go in there and try to score. He drives on the baseline and finds Donel exactly where he’s supposed to be,” coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “He’s made two incredible passes. Those are big-time plays.”
Quisenberry also tied with Jelani Simmons for the team lead with 17 points, with Michael Akuchie coming off the bench for 14 — which ties a season-best for him.
“I made sure I stayed ready. That’s been the biggest thing for me,” Akuchie said. “I put in the time and I knew coach would put me in a position where I can do what I can do. I just had to make sure I was ready to go in.
YSU led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but IUPUI (14-12, 6-7 HL) didn’t go away. In the course of the final 10 minutes of the contest, YSU lost a double-digit lead, got on the wrong end of a 21-7 run and went almost four minutes without scoring.
“It was painful. We played so good in the first half and then we got a lot of guys in foul trouble. We didn’t do a great job showing our hands,” Calhoun said. “[Naz Bohannon] had fouls early. Noe Anabir was in foul trouble and he fouled out and that kind of stopped the game.
“Basketball is a fun game to watch when it’s up and down, but when both teams are fouling a lot, there’s not a lot of rhythm and that took us out of our rhythm.”
YSU was assessed 22 fouls to IUPUI’s 16 in a physical contest. The Jaguars’ Camron Justice — the Horizon League’s second-leading scorer at 19.4 points per game — was sent flying out of bounds twice. Once, he fell into the press row seating. The masked guard also tumbled into the table where his team’s water cooler sat. On the latter play, Penguin forward Olamide Pedersen was assessed a technical foul.
The Jaguars gave as good as they got. During the final four minutes of the game, Covington hit the floor hard enough for officials to stop the game. Covington initially waved away Calhoun and the officials, but not long after play resumed, he sat down in front of press row and the team’s trainers had to help him off the court.
“He got the ball and it looked like his face was flushed. I don’t if it was dehydration, but [athletic trainer Todd Burkey] said he was OK. All the kids went in and saw him,” Calhoun said. “We have to get it figured out whether it’s a fluid thing or what. Our biggest concern is making sure he’s OK.”
D.J. McCall led IUPUI with 16 points and Ismail Ahmed fell two rebounds short of a double-double with 15 points and eight boards. Justice finished with 14 points and six assists and Nick Rogers came off the bench for 11 points.
Following Cathcart’s shot, Rogers took the inbound pass and drove the length of the court. While he was able to get off a jumper, it clanged off the rim as time expired.