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Penguins run out of gas

Robert Morris pulls away from exhausted YSU, 81-74

By John Vargo 3 min read

YOUNGSTOWN -- Jaylen Benton had that look in his eyes, one his teammates have seen in preseason and in practices.

Intensity. Pressure. Forcing turnovers.

A quick pass to Naz Bohannon and a flip to Garrett Covington for a quick basket.

More pressure followed the up-tempo offense.

For six minutes, fans could see the on-court excitement first-year Youngstown State University men's basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun has been touting since he's been hired in late March.

YSU forced Robert Morris into 19 turnovers, but only got 19 points off of the Colonials miscues.

The other minutes of Wednesday's game, not so much. Robert Morris sent YSU to its fifth straight loss, 81-74.

Covington, who had 12 points off the bench, said his team has to get past their state of exhaustion and not be complacent.

"Fatigue set in," Covington said. "We couldn't get it done. I think we have to stay mentally engaged, have the will to work hard. I don't think we do right now."

Francisco Santiago, who has been fighting knee issues all season, had his right knee shift in the second half.

He hopped off the floor on his left leg and spent the rest of the game at the end of the bench near the southeast entrance to the Beeghly Center.

"That's one kid that he's everything that's right about in college athletics," Calhoun said. "It really is a shame. Going into your senior year. You're not going to get the year back. To me, a kid like that he should be able to redshirt and guarantee that year back. He wouldn't get it. So he's trying to play.

It deflates you to see a kid that just loves basketball, not be able to do something he loves. He can not only help himself, but help others when he's out there. He can't be out there that much."

Devin Haygood, who fouled out, led YSU (2-6) with 15 points.

Braun Hartfield had 12 points, but was 5 of 15 from the floor and 0 of 3 from 3. Cameron Morse was 1 of 9 from the floor and 0 of 5 from 3, hampered by Robert Morris' Matt McConnell, who had 18 points. Dachon Burke led the Colonials (4-3) with 21 points.

"I think they did a tremendous job of guarding those two guys and it showed," Calhoun said of Robert Morris taking away Hartfield and Morse.

This team gave up 53 percent from the floor, not something they wanted.

Covington said his team needs to play better defense.

"We get tired," he said. "We mentally shut down."

This team has to build upon those six minutes, showcasing that up-tempo style. It's something Calhoun wants his team to display to the paying fans inside the Beeghly Center.

"I tell the guys in the huddle, 'Do you hear the crowd?'" said Calhoun, whose team plays Saturday at DePaul -- starting a six-game road trip. "Youngstown people want their team to reflect Youngstown. That's what I came here. That's why I agreed to take this job. I relate to Youngstown. Nobody's ever handed me anything in my life to be honest with you. I didn't come from a whole lot. I had to claw. We've got to get our players to do that.

"When they did that tonight, they looked really good."

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