Akuchie powers YSU past Milwaukee, 86-72
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Even when he doesn't feel like shooting, Michael Akuchie is encouraged by his teammates and coaches to fire away.
It's a matter of confidence, he said. His teammates have confidence in him, and he has confidence in himself to sink open looks.
That certainly was the case Saturday afternoon, as the senior piled up a career-high 33 points on a 10-for-17 day from the field to set the pace for YSU's 86-72 Horizon League win over Milwaukee at the Beeghly Center. Akuchie also hit six of his 10 shots from 3-point range.
"I tried to just pick my spots and not force," Akuchie said of his performance. "A couple ones, you feel it and just let it go, but for the most part, I try to play the game based on flow and if I feel good, I get my feet set, I'm just letting it go, knocking it out, letting the ball do whatever it does. Confidence was definitely rolling."
The win completes a sweep of the Panthers (7-15, 5-8), and also marks the first time in program history YSU (12-10, 6-6) completed a season sweep of both UWM and Green Bay.
Youngstown State never trailed and jumped all over its visitors early on, piling up a 22-8 lead by the under-12 timeout. The Penguins led 41-21 at the intermission, and held UWM to an 8-for-25 performance from the field and forced five turnovers in that span.
Akuchie, meanwhile, scored 22 of his day's points before the intermission, while four other Penguins hit the scorebook by then.
"Our ball pressure was really, really good. We've talked about it for the last three or four days," YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun said, crediting his assistant coach Ethan Faulkner.
Calhoun added, "You have to guard the ball, you have to be in the gaps. We talked about building a wall on the ball, like being really good on the ball, really good in the gaps, finishing possessions."
The Penguins also took care of business on the boards, outrebounding UWM 35-26 and allowing just eight second-chance points, a statistic that's been a drag for Youngstown State in recent weeks. Akuchie led that effort, too, with eight boards.
Will Dunn also continued his recent breakout, tallying 19 points and five rebounds. Dwayne Cohill added 16 points for YSU, nine of which came at the charity stripe. Myles Hunter also played well, scoring 12 points and securing four rebounds.
Calhoun said he and Hunter had a "great talk" Friday, and added, "My message to Myles was just get into the game and star in your role."
He added, "I thought Myles starred in his role. This is a young man that went from starting, playing 20 to 23 minutes, then a backup role, to maybe not playing. We're trying to manage our bench, and we're trying to get the most production out of our bench. I knew this game would be a great matchup for him."
The Penguins have now won back-to-back games for the first time since their five-game win streak in December.
It wasn't without its drama in the second half, though. The Penguins pumped their lead up to as high as 26 -- a 64-38 advantage with 10:50 to play -- before Milwaukee began gradually chipping away. The Panthers got it to as close as 10 points -- 82-72 -- with 42 seconds to go, but never closer than that.
Jordan Lathon scored 20 for UWM, while DeAndre Gholston added 13 points.
"We had some lulls where we couldn't find the basket, and (Milwaukee) just kept coming and coming. You could almost hear it in the gym when they cut it to 12 with about 3:40 to go, and I think the crowd helped us put it over the top with the momentum," Calhoun said. "We just have to learn how to (handle leads). We practice it, but there's nothing like playing a game with a lead."
YSU was without Shemar Rathan-Mayes, who was serving a one-game suspension following his altercation with Green Bay's Japannah Kellogg and Kamari McGee on Thursday night. He'll return to action next week when the Penguins visit IUPUI and Illinois-Chicago.
It will mark the final time Youngstown State visits UIC, as the Flames are headed to the Missouri Valley Conference beginning July 1.
Calhoun wants to see his team continue to build momentum as the calendar enters the final month of the regular season.
"I think momentum is everything," he said. "And I think momentum at the right time can be a dangerous, dangerous thing for a sports team."