Local Sports

Youngstown State blasts Milwaukee, 87-58

YOUNGSTOWN -- With the stakes at their highest, Youngstown State played its best.

In a battle of two teams tied for first in the Horizon League, Youngstown State led wire to wire in a 87-58 demolition of Milwaukee, and in the process securing sole possession of first in the league with three games to go in the regular season.

The win set a new program mark for regular-season Division I wins for YSU (21-7, 13-4 Horizon League), and avenged an 88-75 loss to the Panthers (18-9, 12-5 Horizon League) back on Jan. 21.

"I thought the guys for two and a half days were really locked in and really understood the scouting report," said YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun. "It was pretty simple. Up there, when they beat us, we didn't guard the ball, they spread us out, they got in the paint, they made kick-out threes. We wanted to keep guys in front. ... And we wanted to be on the attack all night. I thought we were for the most part."

From the start, it was YSU's defense that made the difference. The Penguins forced Milwaukee into 17 turnovers and kept the Panthers to a 22-for-54 night overall and 3-of-19 night from beyond the arc.

Six different Penguins had a steal, and Adrian Nelson and Bryce McBride each had two. As a team, YSU recorded eight steals while Milwaukee had just nine assists.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee's BJ Freeman, who scored 30 against YSU in January, was kept to 10 points on a 3-for-11 night from the field. He also went 0-for-5 from 3-point range and coughed up eight turnovers. Milwaukee was paced by Elijah Jamison's 12 points.

"Activity, just being active (with our) hands, feet, positioning off ball and understanding most of these kids on their team are driving the ball," Calhoun said. "(It was) understanding the scouting report. When the ball went into the post, our connectivity was great. I talked about being connected and being the tougher team, and that sounds good, but you have to execute."

That execution fueled YSU's transition game, which racked up 32 points off turnovers and 20 points in the fast break.

It also gave the Penguins plenty of exciting moments. Dwayne Cohill tossed an alley-oop to Nelson from well beyond the 3-point line in the first half, and then in the second, McBride threw the ball off the backboard to set up another Nelson slam that put YSU up 50-33 just 50 seconds into the second half.

Youngstown State continued to pour it on, as the final 29-point difference was the Penguins' largest lead of the game.

Nelson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, Cohill had 18 points and four assists, McBride tallied 16 points and Malek Green tacked on 12 points and 10 boards.

Meanwhile, with usual contributor Brandon Rush in foul trouble and struggling some, freshman John Lovelace Jr. picked up the slack and posted nine points and nine rebounds.

The Penguins had 14 assists to just seven giveaways.

"Everything always starts on defense, especially with our team. Offense is always going to come for us," Nelson said. "We have four or five go-to scorers in the starting lineup and even on the bench, we have guys that can score. So really it's making sure we guard the ball."

Of the transition game, Cohill added, "(Milwaukee is) a very good shooting team. Last time we played them, they hit 12 threes in the first half, so that was one of the big things -- pinching the floor, making them see a crowd so they can't get off easy shots. And then if we got stops, we knew we could run. No team in the country can keep up with us if we get stops and run, so that's our biggest emphasis every night ... and tonight, I think we did a great job sticking to the game plan."

Nelson and Cohill each hit millennial marks in the win. Cohill scored his 1,000th point in a YSU uniform, while Nelson recorded both his 1,000th overall career point and 1,000th career rebound.

The Penguins conclude their home slate Saturday against Green Bay and then visit Robert Morris and IUPUI next week. An outright title can be clinched by winning all three.

"Our guys responded. ... To see them rise to the occasion is what you want," Calhoun said. "If you want to have a good program, you have to win in February and March, and our team has gotten better. Now we have to finish."

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com