#HLMBB Scoreboard (Jan. 13)
Youngstown State 67, Cleveland State 66
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Another night, another thriller in Horizon League men’s basketball.
For 13:53 of the second half, Cleveland State stymied Kendrick Perry, denying him the ball at every turn. But over the final 6:07, Perry found his groove, scoring the final 12 points for Youngstown State to lead the way past the visiting Vikings, 67-66, at the Beeghly Center.
Perry, the Preseason Player of the Year in the Horizon League, delivered the game-winning basket with 28.3 seconds left, driving to the rim for a layup and foul to put the Penguins ahead by a single point.
The lead was the first for Youngstown State (11-8, 2-2 Horizon) in nearly eight minutes of game time, as Cleveland State (10-8, 2-2 Horizon) overcame a six-point halftime deficit to build a 61-55 edge with 6:41 left after Bryn Forbes knocked down a 3-pointer in the right corner.
The Vikings seemingly gave themselves a chance to control the outcome, as Trey Lewis knocked down his fifth three of the night to hold a 66-62 lead with 94 seconds to play. But Cleveland State sent Perry to the line for two free throws that sliced the Penguin deficit in half with 38.3 showing on the clock.
Youngstown State burned its foul to give before trapping Lewis on the baseline after Cleveland State inbounded the ball. Lewis stepped on the baseline, setting the stage for Perry’s late-game dramatics.
Cleveland State had two chances to win the game in the final seconds, but Anton Grady’s fadeaway jumper was short, and after YSU traveled on the rebound, Bryn Forbes never got off a feasible shot at the buzzer.
Perry finished with 31 points, the fifth time this year he has reached the 30-point mark. The senior was 10-for-15 from the floor, giving him 1,730 points for his career.
A game after turning the ball over just six times, Cleveland State was plagued by miscues throughout, turning the ball over 21 times. Youngstown State converted those opportunities into 28 points.
Forbes led Cleveland State with 17 points, while Lewis added 15 in 28 foul-plagued minutes. Marlin Mason added 10 for the Vikings.
Perry was joined in double figures by the sophomore duo of Bobby Hain and Ryan Weber, each of whom had 10 points.
