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Penguins pull away

Defense leads YSU?to dominant win over SEMO

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU’s Darius Quisenberry, center, cuts through the SEMO defense for a layup during the first half at the Beeghly Center on Sunday.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State’s Michael Akuchie rose up just outside of the lane. His 6-foot-8 frame was vertical and, for a brief moment, floating.

The Florida native didn’t let the restrictions of gravity inhibit him from swatting away the one of many attempts by Southeast Missouri State in the first 20 minutes of their game Sunday night.

An errant ball started to trickle toward the YSU bench on the south end of the Beeghly Center. A Redhawks player tried to save the orange sphere to his team, but with no success. Olamide Pedersen, Daniel Ogoro and Kenny Ganley, Jr., sitting on the bench in their half gray and half white polo shirts with a Y emblem on the chest, started to point, along with the rest of the bench — giving a helping hand to the three officials on the floor. It was out of bounds. YSU basketball.

These Penguins had position by boxing out and holding the Redhawks to one attempt most offensive tries during Sunday’s 65-50 YSU win.

YSU executed plenty of box-out drills prior to Sunday’s match-up, considering the Penguins had a week to prepare for SEMO.

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State’s Tyler Foster, right, drives toward the paint during the second half of the Penguins’ victory over Southeast Missouri State.

“Every day coach (Jerrod Calhoun) threw in a new box-out drill, making it more difficult for us to box out — guard boxing out bigs, bigs boxing out guards and just getting the ball and running after that,” said YSU junior Naz Bohannon, who had 14 points and nine rebounds.

Calhoun saw his team display the lessons they learned in practice.

“We did it quite a bit throughout this week, whether it was two-on-two box outs, one-on-one box outs, circle box outs, box and run,” he said. “That was a big emphasis tonight, being in the gaps. They’re really good at living at the free-throw line.

“I thought our stunning was really good.”

SEMO had a first-hand view of the defensive presence the Penguins have displayed most of the non-conference season. The Redhawks shot 20 of 59 from the floor, while YSU was 26 of 51.

“We talk about defense being our niche,” Bohannon said. “We’re going to score points if we get baskets. If we stop them from scoring, obviously, they can’t win the game.

“When our shots aren’t falling, let’s score off of our defense in transition.”

Settling.

The Penguins have done too much of that offensively against some of their 10 opponents, often rushing a 3-point shot and in mass quantity. Not this night.

Most attempts outside the arc were with purpose, not a knee-jerk reaction. Look, then drive toward the basket. That was the first instinct, one that proved to be the demise of this Redhawks team, who struggled to get any semblance of a game against YSU

The Penguins led in points in the paint, 38 to 24.

YSU coaches Jason Slay and Chinedu Nwachukwu emphasized to finish through pads, finish through contact to set a wall on one another during this past week’s practice.

“We want to make it a key that we live in the paint,” Bohannon said.

YSU saw multiple people get in the paint Sunday, not just the high-flying sophomore point guard Darius Quisenberry, who had 12 points.

It was about creating more opportunities on offense.

“I thought our ball movement was spectacular in the first half,” Calhoun said. “We put a huge emphasis on getting box and runs. We want to get a defensive rebound. We want to push it.”

The Penguins are one of the best defensive teams in the Horizon League, holding teams to around 70 points per game.

Bohannon, a 6-6 Lorain native, is an undersized post player, but played with the dogged determination not the be outdone by any opposition he may face each and every night.

“I make jokes out of it,” Bohannon said. “In my head, I’m the biggest center in the country. Got to have the heart of a 7-footer. When I go down there, I don’t see anybody or fear anybody when it comes to getting a rebound or doing the dirty things my team need me to do.”

There were some lapses as those rushed, long-range shots were launched. Those weren’t as prevalent at the beginning of the season, something the Penguins can squash as the season progresses.

YSU had 16 turnovers.

Calhoun’s arms were folded, looking on at his team in the final 10 minutes of the game. They were up by about 20 but started to get complacent — settling for shots, turning over possessions. The drive to the hoop seemed to be extinct.

“We have to learn how to finish games,” Bohannon said. “It’s the same thing the came back and haunted us (Dec. 7 at Western Michigan). We were up big and we didn’t get baskets for a 4-5 minute spell. We can’t do that going on.”

Wednesday, YSU hosts Binghamton starting around 7:45 p.m., the nightcap of a Penguins doubleheader where the women begin hosting Lake Erie College at 5:15 p.m.

The Penguins want to exert 40 minutes of aggressive play offensively and defensively, nothing less.

YSU let a 22-point lead get down to 14 in the final minute.

“I thought we got a little careless on probably a few possessions,” Calhoun said.

This was Calhoun’s 150th career win, where he got most of them in his first five years at Fairmont State University. This Calhoun’s 26th win at YSU.

“Hundred and fifty wins is nice, but what I remember is all the relationships with the players,” he said. “Every day I try to reach out or hear from a former player along our journey. The friendships and the memories is what you remember, not really the wins.”

jvargo@tribtoday.com

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