Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State’s Brandon Rush throws down an energetic dunk during the first half of Thursday’s contest against Westminster at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins hit 16 3-point shots in their 117-65 victory.

YOUNGSTOWN — Entering Thursday’s contest with Division III Westminster, Youngstown State had a number of goals in mind. Perhaps the biggest of those was moving the ball and generating assists, something YSU hasn’t truly excelled at thus far.

In their 117-65 decimation of the visiting Titans, the Penguins accomplished that goal, racking up 30 assists on 46 field goals, and turned the ball over just nine times.

“The main thing we pointed out in practice and in film was basically sharing the ball, because we’re not the best at that at this particular moment,” said YSU guard Bryce McBride. “We had to get better at that, and so today’s focus was to see how many assists we could have as a team while taking care of the ball. We hit our stride, and everybody’s starting to buy into the system and really figure it out.”

McBride had a huge part in that, dishing out 15 of YSU’s helpers in the win as part of his triple-double, which included 11 points and 10 rebounds. It was the second triple-double in YSU history.

Meanwhile, five other Penguins finished in double figures. Brandon Rush scored 17 points and snagged eight rebounds, while John Lovelace Jr. scored 19 points. Chris Shelton added 15 points on a 5-for-10 performance from beyond the arc, and Will Dunn and Josh Irwin each netted 10 points.

The Penguins (7-3) also impressed defensively, holding Westminster (6-2) to just 22 first-half points before the reserves played most of the second half.

Then, too, YSU was able to force 17 turnovers, which resulted in 32 points for the Penguins. That came in large part from a press YSU utilized, something McBride says is still a work in progress, but is something the Penguins could return to in the future.

“We’re a very versatile team, so we can press for 40 minutes when we get it down,” McBride said. “We’re very deep as well, so we can come five in and five out. Everybody can stay fresh, and we can keep it rolling when we get it down. I feel like it’ll come sooner rather than later.”

That’s something head coach Jerrod Calhoun hopes comes true.

“It’s something we have to do,” he said. “We have to make teams uncomfortable; we have to cause disruption. We’ve gotten better. We’re not anywhere near where we need to be defensively, but this group has gotten better. That’s where we have to be — we have to value the ball, pass the ball better and be an elite defensive team.”

Two Westminster players finished in double figures. Andrew Clark, a Springfield product, had a team-high 12 points, while Jaxon Hendershott, a West Branch grad, added 11 points.

YSU was without the services of usual starter Garrett Covington, who Calhoun said banged his ankle and wrist coming down with a rebound Wednesday. However, Calhoun added that Covington could have played if truly needed, and is expected to be ready for Sunday’s contest with Ohio.

The Bobcats enter at 4-4 and haven’t played since a Dec. 3 loss to Marshall in Huntington, W.Va. Still, Ohio U has been in the upper echelon of the MAC in recent seasons, providing the Penguins with a “great opportunity,” says Calhoun.

Earlier this season against Horizon League members, the Bobcats defeated Cleveland State 81-70 and fell to Detroit Mercy 88-74. Four days later, they took then-No. 20 Michigan to the wire in a 70-66 loss.

“Great program — one of the best mid-majors here in the Midwest,” Calhoun added. “NCAA Tournaments, great coaches, great players. So we need to pack this place.”