From today’s Tribune/Vindy:
Penguins put it together in easy win
YSU SPORTS
FEB 13, 2021
ROBERT HAYES
Correspondent
sports@tribtoday.com
Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes -- YSU senior Michael Akuchie snags a defensive rebound during the first half of YSU’s 84-70 win over PFW. He led the Penguins with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
YOUNGSTOWN — For Youngstown State, it was the ideal type of game it envisioned all season.
Defense, effective use of the 3-pointer and multiple players in double figures scoring-wise. Injuries and erratic shooting beyond the arc have loomed over the Penguins for much of the season.
Now, with a mostly healthy roster, the Penguins gave a glimpse Friday evening of what their potential is with an 84-70 win over Horizon League newcomer Purdue Fort Wayne on the front end of a back-to-back.
“We looked like a pretty good basketball team throughout this game,” coach Jerrod Calhoun said following the win. “We did have some lulls. We’ve got to get more consistent balance on our bench, we’ve got to have these guys ready to go because they’re going to play a huge role down the stretch. Most of those guys are young.
“But I thought we locked in defensively, we shot the ball well. I thought our ball pressure was very good, our trapping was very good.”
Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes -- YSU senior Garrett Covington shoots and score on a three, he added 18 points.
Part of the Penguins’ success was their ability to shoot the ball from deep, above their season average of 29.6 percent. Freshman Shemar Rathan-Mayes nailed a 3 on the left wing early in the first half to score the first of 11 made 3s for the Penguins.
After Geoff Hamperian saw a layup attempt blocked by PFW’s Demetric Horton, Jalon Pipkins took a feed from Jarred Godfrey and performed a reverse dunk on the south end of the Beeghly Center to give the Mastodons a 12-11 lead — but it was the final time YSU trailed in the contest.
YSU senior Michael Akuchie netted a 3 with 11:47 to go before halftime to give the Penguins a 14-12 edge, then sank another trey from distance moments later to quickly bump the lead to five.
Akuchie, who came in averaging 10 points and eight rebounds a game, recorded 16 and 10 at halftime for his sixth double-double of the campaign. The Penguins took a 40-32 lead into halftime, YSU’s biggest halftime lead since owning a nine-point advantage over UIC on Jan. 23.
On the flip side of the coin, Purdue Fort Wayne ended the game shooting just 6-for-23 from deep for 26.1 percent, well below their normal 40.4 percent, which is third best in the nation.
“They have spent 52 days in isolation, in quarantine, it’s got to be the most of any team in our conference.” Calhoun said. “Jon Coffman is a great coach, not a good coach, a great coach. He’s done an unbelievable job there, you can just tell how dangerous they are on film.
“So, we really wanted to make them earn baskets, and I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job of that.”
Godfrey tallied a game-high 25 for PFW (6-12, 5-12), and averages 16 points a game. The 6-foot-5 guard shows tons of athletic ability, and stopping him on Saturday evening will require adjustments.
“Really, really long arms, can shoot it off the bounce, can drive the ball, we’ve probably got to try to deny him,” Calhoun said. “We’ve probably got to try and get the ball out of his hands, because I think when he gets it, he’s such a smart player, a heady player.”
Senior Garrett Covington was effective for YSU, scoring 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, with fellow senior Naz Bohannon tallying 14 and junior Darius Quisberry, along with Rathan-Mayes, adding 13.
A few weeks ago, Calhoun worked out a contract extension with YSU, signing him through the 2024-25 school year. He’s 50-69 in his fourth season, and led the Penguins to a bid in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament last season before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I like all of our players, I enjoy coaching them, we’re trying to build this into something, and in order to do that you got to have a little continuity and have a contract, so that you know with the next recruiting class, you’re going to be here, and get to work with these kids,” he said. “So, I cannot thank our administration enough, and our fan base.
“This is the kind of a community that I thrive in, where everybody kind of knows each other. Hard-working people, we have each other’s backs, the Penguins really mean something to this city, this is where I wanted to be, and I want to be here.”
YSU (12-10) looks to go for a weekend sweep over the Mastodons this evening with a 5p.m. tip-off in the Beeghly Center.
