Lovelace, Rush lead YSU men's basketball team past Westminster

Dec. 9—YOUNGSTOWN — The first 10 minutes decided the winner between the Youngstown State and Westminster men's basketball teams.

The Penguins beat Westminster 117-65 Thursday night at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio. It was the first time the Penguins scored 100 or more points this season.

YSU forced the Titans into six turnovers in the first 10 minutes. They got stops but couldn't keep up with YSU's offense in the early possessions. Westminster trailed 51-22 by halftime.

The Titans committed 17 turnovers, leading to 32 Penguins points. YSU also dominated the interior and scored 54 points in the paint.

"I was really pleased with the way we passed the ball — 30 assists, nine turnovers. Everybody came in locked in and ready to play," YSU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said.

It was the 54th meeting between the two programs. The Titans still hold a 29-24 record against the Penguins despite losing the last seven meetings.

There were some stats of note for the Penguins (7-3).

Guard Bryce McBride scored 11 points with 15 assists and 10 rebounds to record the second triple-double in YSU history. His 16 assists were the most since Joe Votino had 16 against Buffalo on Valentine's Day 1979.

The victory was also the 203rd for Calhoun. He moved into third place for career wins among YSU head coaches behind longtime coach Dom Rosselli and the Penguins previous coach Jerry Slocum.

Thursday also marked the first start for Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Brandon Rush. The senior guard got the start for Garrett Covington, who missed the game with an injury suffered during Wednesday's shootaround.

Covington could have suited up against the Titans (6-2) and is expected to play against Ohio, according to Calhoun. But Rush stepped in to fill the scoring void. Rush led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field.

"He's a talented player — averaged 14 a game at Fairleigh Dickinson. Local guy, Cleveland kid, can really score," Calhoun said. "Did a nice job."

Andrew Clark was the leading scorer for the Titans. He scored 12 points and brought down six rebounds. Freshman Jaxon Hendershott scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Former Hickory standout Peyton Mele finished with nine points with five rebounds and two assists.

The Titans' loss to YSU was the more likely outcome. The Penguins entered the game as one of the top teams in the Horizon League with a potential to make a run at the HL title once the conference schedule is in full swing.

Westminster started slow offensively. The Titans began the game 0-for-6 shooting before Reese Leone hit a 3-pointer almost four minutes into the game.

"We had great defensive stops. We just couldn't put the ball in the hoop," Westminster head coach Kevin Siroki said. "I think we missed four, five in a row. We had some good open looks. If we knock two of those down, maybe it's a different situation the first 10 minutes of the game."

The Titans rebounded in the second half. They shot 18-for-41 (43.9 percent) from the floor and 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) from 3-point range in the half.

Now the Titans refocus on Presidents' Athletic Conference play. Westminster will travel to Bethany to face the Bison, who enter with an 0-8 record.

Siroki referenced the Titans' poor play on the road last season against PAC competition. The best way to avoid a road loss is to start strong in the opening minutes.

"Besides last game against Grove City, three games in a row where we didn't get off to fast starts and had to battle from behind," Siroki said. "We were down 10, 12 points and we had to battle back and spend a lot of energy to get back to that point. We gotta keep getting good starts."

For YSU, the non-conference schedule is quickly coming to an end. The Penguins host Ohio and Southern before traveling to Central Michigan on Dec. 21.

"We want to wrap up our non-conference the right way, but we understand that we have some really good opponents," Calhoun said. "We gotta have some better practices. That's the key. Gotta string some better practices together."