Penguins Defense Leads to 68-56 Win over Georgia
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown State (2-0) | 25 | 43 | 68 |
| Georgia (1-1) | 14 | 42 | 56 |
| Stegeman Coliseum - Athens, Ga. | |||
| Youngstown State | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Pts: Kendrick Perry - 23 | Pts: Caldwell-Pope, Ken. - 27 |
| Reb: Damian Eargle - 10 | Reb: Caldwell-Pope, Ken. - 6 |
| Ast: Kendrick Perry - 5 | Ast: Brantley, Sherrard - 3 |
| Team Statistics | Youngstown State | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 41.5% (22-53 ) | 32.1% (17-53 ) |
| Rebounds | 42 | 31 |
| Assists | 10 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 8 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 7 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 14 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 7 | 11 |
Athens, Ga. – Junior Kendrick Perry scored a team-high 23 points, including 17 in the second half, and the Youngstown State men's basketball team utilized a tenacious defensive effort en route to a 68-56 win over Georgia on Monday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.
It marks the Penguins' first win over a team from the Southeastern Conference and improves the Penguins to 2-0. Georgia, who was led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's 27 points, falls to 1-1.
Junior Kamren Belin posted a career-high 17 points in a return to his home state while senior Damian Eargle recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Guins forced 15 Georgia turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to just 17 field goals made, including just three in the first half, and a 32.1 field-goal percentge. The Penguins blocked seven shots in the contest as well.
YSU shot 41.5 percent making 22-of-53 attempts. The Penguins won the battle of the boards 42-31 and shot 81.8 percent from the free-throw line making 18-of-22 attempts. Perry was 10-of-11 from the line, making 8-of-9 in the second half. YSU made its final eight free-throw attempts on the contest.
After trailing by 11 at half, Georgia was able to cut the YSU lead down to three, 32-29, but a jumper by Eargle, a free-throw by Perry and a 3-pointer by DJ Cole, the first of his career, put the Guins back up 38-29, with 11:43 left.
YSU then used a 13-4 run and led by as many as 18 after a four-point play by Perry made it 51-33 with 7:48 to go.
Georgia never got within 10 the rest of the way.
The Penguins played an intense defensive first half allowing just 14 points on three made field goals and forced 11 Georgia turnovers. The Guins, though, only scored four points on those miscues and committed 11 turnovers themselves.
The Guins shot 38.5 percent from the field and held the Bulldogs to a 12.5 field-goal percentage in the first half.
Amiker scored the first four points for the Penguins as they jumped out to an 8-0 start.
After the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 12-6 at the 9:16 mark, the Penguins defense allowed just one more field goal the rest of the half. Georgia scored its final six points at the free-throw line.
Belin gave the Penguins a jump start hitting a jumper and a 3-pointer to push the YSU lead to 13 points, 19-6, with 4:40 to go.
Fletcher Larson's base-line jumper at the 3:06 mark gave the Penguins a 21-8 edge.
Eargle and Perry each hit two free throws to close out the Guins' scoring in the first half.
The Penguins host Saint Francis (Pa.), Friday, Nov. 16, at 7:05 p.m. in the 2012-13 home opener at the Beeghly Center.
