Staff photo / Joel Whetzel Youngstown State guard Dwayne Cohill goes up for a layup as Purdue Fort Wayne's Jarred Godfrey goes for a block. Cohill scored 33 points as YSU topped the Mastodons, 81-72.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — In a year full of milestones, Youngstown State added a couple more.

Dwayne Cohill scored 33 points as the Penguins shook off a sluggish start to earn their first road win at Purdue Fort Wayne, an 81-72 victory Friday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum which snapped a three-game skid against the Mastodons.

The win also gives YSU (20-6, 12-3 Horizon League) its first 20-win season since the 1997-98 campaign. The 20 wins also set the program record for regular season wins.

“It was a huge win,” said YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun. “We talked with our guys about what they’re able to accomplish. They’re the second Division I team in school history to get 20 wins. That’s a heck of an accomplishment.

“I talked to them a lot about the coach on that team, Dan Peters. He was my mentor. God rest his soul. … But to be able to do that tonight on the road is special, but we have bigger aspirations. This team wants to be the first to win a regular season title and get to an NCAA Tournament.”

At first, it appeared the Penguins were headed for a frustrating day. Purdue Fort Wayne (15-11, 7-8 Horizon League), which had won this season’s initial matchup at the Beeghly Center, jumped out to a quick 11-4 run as the YSU defense struggled to get stops and the offense couldn’t find rhythm.

But the Penguins answered the bell, racing back for a 14-13 lead and eventually a 31-25 halftime advantage. PFW began the half 5-for-9 from the field but finished 6-of-22.

The difference, Cohill said, was adjusting ball screen coverage and switching on those picks.

“We had to because they’re very good shooting, so you get late or hung up on the screen, they’re going to make you pay,” he said. “I think the first six minutes, we were in a different ball screen coverage and then we switched to switching, and it helped us out a lot because it took them out of rhythm a little bit. They weren’t able to get us on rotations as much.”

Then, in the second half, the Penguins came out on a quick 12-2 run that pushed their advantage to 43-27. That was keyed by Cohill and Adrian Nelson in the pick-and-roll game.

Nelson started the run with a 3-pointer, and then Cohill added a jumper next. The guard followed a few possessions later with a driving layup, and then Nelson sank another triple.

After PFW coach Jon Coffman was assessed a technical foul, Cohill sank a pair of free throws to cap the spurt.

Nelson finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

“I thought when we got on that pick-and-roll stuff with Adrian Nelson and he made those threes, it really loosened some things up,” Calhoun said. “And I thought Dwayne was fabulous. We put the ball in his hands. He was like a relief pitcher coming in and just ending it. He was an ace for us.”

Indeed, with the ball screens freeing up space for Cohill to get downhill, the Dayton transfer did what he does best and attacked the rim. He finished the night 12-of-17 from the field and 8-of-9 at the charity stripe.

As a team, YSU finished with a 44-30 scoring advantage in the paint.

“I think once we started moving and getting paint touches and then kicking out and getting opened threes, it just opened everything up and it made it easier for me and everybody else,” Cohill said.

Fort Wayne, which entered the game 13-1 when scoring at least 71 points, made a couple runs down the stretch and got as close as six points — a 78-72 YSU advantage with 22 seconds to play — courtesy of some late sharpshooting from Jarred Godfrey. PFW’s star guard finished with 33 points on an 11-for-24 night, but YSU hit its free throws to keep the Mastodons at arm’s length.

Ra Kpedi added 13 points and six rebounds for PFW, and Godfrey had seven rebounds.

Brandon Rush scored 12 points and snagged six boards for YSU, while John Lovelace Jr. had six points and two rebounds and Myles Hunter chipped in four points and six boards.

In his return from injury, Shemar Rathan-Mayes had two points for the Penguins in 5:15 of action.

“You have to give our guys a lot of credit. I thought their effort and their focus and attention to detail were there,” Calhoun said. “They really defended at a high level today. I give our guys a lot of credit. They executed the game plan against a great Fort Wayne team with a lot of good guards.”

The Penguins continue their quest for the Horizon League regular season crown Sunday at Cleveland State.

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com