Perry Pours in 28 Points, Grabs 11 Boards in Win Over Valpo
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso (16-6, 6-2 HL) | 28 | 40 | 68 |
| Youngstown State (13-8, 5-3 HL) | 39 | 41 | 80 |
| Youngstown, Ohio (Beeghly Center) | |||
| Valparaiso | Youngstown State |
|---|---|
| Pts: VAN WIJK, Kevin - 14 | Pts: Kendrick Perry - 28 |
| Reb: BROEKHOFF, Ryan - 8 | Reb: Kendrick Perry - 11 |
| Ast: BOGAN, Will - 3 | Ast: Dj Cole - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Valparaiso | Youngstown State |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 41.1% (23-56 ) | 48.1% (26-54 ) |
| Rebounds | 34 | 37 |
| Assists | 5 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 10 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 30 | 16 |
Youngstown State junior Kendrick Perry scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Penguins snapped Valparaiso's six-game winning streak beating the Crusaders 80-68 on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center.
The fourth-straight conference win for the Penguins improves them to 13-8 overall and 5-3 after the first half of the Horizon League slate. Valpo falls to 16-6 and 6-2 on the year and is one game ahead of the Penguins in first place.
Perry had a spectacular all-around performance. He scored 15 in the first half before adding 13 in the second half to finish with 28. He grabbed 11 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive glass.
The Penguins never trailed on the evening and led by double figures for the final 15:20 of the contest. For the game, YSU shot an impressive 48.1 percent making 26-of-54 attempts. Perry was a solid 8-of-12 from the field and knocked down 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point line.
YSU held Valpo to just 41.1 percent from the field, as the Crusaders connected on just 3-of-20 3-point attempts and missed 12 free throws. YSU was 20-of-27 from the free-throw line.
The Penguins jumped out to a 39-28 halftime lead as Perry scored 15 and Kamren Belin had 10. YSU never trailed in the first half and the contest was tied only once - 4-4 at 16:21.
In the opening half, YSU shot 44.1 making 15-of-34 attempts. Belin and Perry combined to go 9-of-16 from the field for the Penguins and they made all of YSU's 3-pointers.
YSU was on top 15-9 following a Broekhoff 3-pointer at the 12:31 mark. Then the Guins scored the next seven points as Bobby Hain made two free throws, Perry knocked down a jumper and Cole converted a steal and fast-break layup opportunity.
In the second half, Valpo cut the deficit to nine on three occasions before the Guins went up 12 at the 15:20 mark. YSU led by 17, 60-43 at the 8:08 mark on a three-point play by Damian Eargle and 63-46 on a 3-pointer by Perry.
The Crusaders tried to play hack-a-Penguin in the final 2:14, but YSU was 9-of-12 from the line during that time to extinguish any comeback hopes.
Belin finished the contest with 16 points and nine rebounds while Eargle had 11 points. For Valpo, four players scored in double figures led by 14 by Kevin Van Wijk.
The Penguins return to action on Friday night making a visit to Detroit. Tipoff for the contest that will be televised on ESPNU is set for 9 p.m. The contest will also be carried on 570 WKBN.
