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YOUNGSTOWN -- Coming off its most thrilling win of the season Wednesday, the Youngstown State men's basketball team made sure there was no letdown Friday night.
Michael Akuchie scored a career-high 34 points as the Penguins knocked off Detroit Mercy, 82-69, in front of 1,970 fans at the Beeghly Center. With the win, Youngstown State (16-10, 10-6) extended its win streak to six, the first such streak since the 2018-19 season.
It's also YSU's 49th win over the last three seasons. The last time the Penguins hit that mark were the 2011-12 through the 2013-14 campaigns.
In terms of handling the emotions of the season and staying on task, Akuchie said, "Tonight is over with. We have another team to focus on, to lock in on (next) practice. We're trying to do something that's never been done here, and everybody knows that it's the same attention to detail and focus every single practice."
Akuchie rolled from start to finish. The senior shot 8-of-11 in the first half for 20 points, and finished the night 13-of-17 for his career mark. He also hit six of seven free throws and went 2-for-3 from 3-point range while grabbing nine rebounds.
It was the second time this season Akuchie eclipsed 30 points, as he scored 33 against Milwaukee on Jan. 29. It was the first time a Penguin surpassed 30 twice in a season since Darius Quisenberry scored 37 against UIC and 32 against Cleveland State back in February 2019.
Akuchie capped his night with a thunderous one-hand slam that brought the Beeghly Center to a fever pitch after Myles Hunter swiped a loose ball and passed ahead to Akuchie for the breakaway dunk.
"I work every single day, get shots up before practice and after practice. So you start to work enough, you just develop confidence," Akuchie said of his performance. "Tonight, you know, you just have some nights where you might hit more than others. But nothing out of the ordinary if I'm being honest."
His performance was buoyed by strong nights from Tevin Olison and Dwayne Cohill, who scored 15 and 16 points, respectively and nabbed seven rebounds apiece. Each of them did most of their damage after halftime, as Olison scored nine after the intermission and Cohill logged 12 in that span.
It marked the 12th consecutive game Cohill scored in double figures.
As a team, YSU shot a blistering 29-of-50 overall and 7-of-13 from deep. The 58-percent shooting mark is YSU's highest against a Division I opponent this season.
YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun credited his team's shot selection -- not just Friday, but as a whole during this recent tear.
"When you take good shots, you have a better chance. We have really taken high-quality shots the last six games," Calhoun said. "I can count on probably one hand the number of bad shots in the span. When you take good shots, you move the basketball, you're cohesive with one another, you're in rhythm, then you have a shot."
Detroit Mercy (10-12, 7-5), which had won two straight entering the contest, was 25-of-59 overall and just 7-of-27 from 3-point range. Antoine Davis, the nation's second-leading scorer in terms of points per game, led the Titans with 28 on a 12-for-25 night, but he was just 1-of-9 from deep. D.J. Harvey added 16 points.
And, as it's been throughout this stretch, Youngstown State was able to secure a lead and make it stand. After taking a 12-10 lead in the first half, YSU never trailed the rest of the way. During this six-game stretch, the Penguins have maintained those leads remarkably well compared to January. It was also the largest margin of victory for either YSU or UDM in some time, as the previous five meetings were each decided by no more than five points.
"Just managing the game. Shemar (Rathan-Mayes), Dwayne, different guys, Luke Chicone when his number's called, just guys understanding the time and score and managing the game and executing," Calhoun said.
And also understanding what Detroit Mercy was trying to do with its pressure defense down the stretch, he added.
"(Detroit Mercy) coach (Mike) Davis did a great job there at the end. Their trap is a little bit different. They don't trap you in the backcourt, they trap in the frontcourt," Calhoun said. "We were up 10 or 12, so to play with that lead, that's really good for our guys to have to go meet the pass and do different things."
Up next for YSU is Sunday's matinee with Robert Morris, a team YSU defeated 64-60 back on Jan. 5 in Moon Township, Pa. The Colonials took Oakland to the wire before falling 71-68 Friday night. Tipoff is slated for noon.
In that initial matchup, the Penguins committed 26 turnovers but still managed to win the game.
RMU (6-19, 4-12) is a team Calhoun says he's quite familiar with.
"We're travel partners, so I've watched Robert Morris more than anybody in our league. In fact, we've stolen multiple plays off of them, to be honest with you," Calhoun said. "I think (coach Andy Toole) does a great job. ... They're playing better, that's for sure."