Youngstown State tops Canisius in season opener, 92-81
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After withstanding an early Canisius storm, Youngstown State answered with a surge of its own to take control and keep it en route to a 92-81 win Monday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
Trailing 32-25 with 9:05 left in the first half, the Penguins (1-0) finished the period on a 33-3 run to take a 58-35 advantage into the break and never looked back from there.
"It's a great start," said YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun. "We brought a lot of guys together this year for the first time, a lot of transfers. ... So real happy for our guys."
Canisius (0-1) began the game hot, particularly Tahj Stavenskie. His jumper at the aforementioned 9:05 mark was part of a 12-point first half for the guard, and he finished with 19.
The Golden Griffins also were fueled by early YSU turnovers, an issue that plagued the Penguins at different points throughout the evening. YSU coughed up 20 giveaways, which Canisius parlayed into 35 points.
"We can't have 20 turnovers, but we played awfully fast," Calhoun said. "This team's got to go through these early games and get some rotations and get some live game action, but I'm real happy for the guys."
After that, it was all Youngstown State -- and in particular, all Malek Green, who transferred to YSU from Canisius.
The forward scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half to spur the Penguins, and by game's end three others joined him in double figures -- Adrian Nelson (16 points), Brandon Rush (16 points) and Dwayne Cohill (15 points). Green recorded a double-double with his 21 points and 12 rebounds.
After Stavenskie's shot, Myles Hunter grabbed an offensive rebound off a Bryce McBride miss and then immediately dished back to McBride for an open layup.
Rush hit a jumper and a 3-pointer on the next two possessions to tie the game, and then Green hammered down two dunks -- the second off a steal -- to put YSU in front for good and get the Penguins off and running.
Rush hit another layup, and then he and Green sank 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put YSU up 44-32. From there, Canisius never got back within single digits.
"I think we just had to settle in," Green said. "… After the media timeout, we just locked in and started playing well."
Calhoun added of the Penguins' defense, "I think the pick and roll coverage (improved). We were running into a lot of screens early. (Canisius) can really shoot off the bounce, and we won't see many teams throughout the year that can come off a pick and roll and make a three. I think they do as good a job as I've seen, and it really hurt us."
The Penguins were especially dominant in the paint, outpacing the Golden Griffins 62-24. Part of that was built through a potent transition game that gave YSU 24 points. YSU's guards also attacked the rim well, while Green and Nelson were strong inside.
As a team, YSU shot 38-of-67 (56.7 percent), compared to a 28-of-69 night for Canisius. The Penguins sank 7 of their 14 shots from 3-point range, and outrebounded their hosts 48-26.
"That's how we want to play. We want to be in the 80s," Calhoun said. "We had foul trouble early. ... But when we play good defense, we're going to be a very good transition team with Dwayne, Bryce and Shemar (Rathan-Mayes). Those guys did a great job of pushing the ball. Brandon Rush is tremendously talented scoring the basketball, and Nelson and Green are going to dominate the backboard. So they did a good job of getting it out quick."
Calhoun also highlighted John Lovelace Jr., the team's only true freshman. He played 20:46 and scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds and dished two assists.
Canisius managed a couple small rallies in the second half, cutting YSU's advantage to 83-71 with about 3:30 to go and then to within the game's final score in the waning moments, though part of that was an inconsequential 3-pointer by Jordan Henderson at the buzzer.
Henderson scored 11 points for Canisius, while Jamir Moultrie went 5-of-8 from 3-point range as part of a 19-point performance. Bryce Okpoh added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Youngstown State returns home Wednesday to face UT Martin.
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com