Youngstown State Rallies From 11 Down to Beat Marshall 74-71 at Beeghly Center

Youngstown State erased an 11-point second-half deficit with a 23-5 run and held off Marshall 74-71 on Saturday afternoon at the Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, improving to 2-2 on the season, Marshall University Athletics reported. Kelvin Amoako led the Penguins with 17 points and 11 rebounds, according to the Associated Press account of the game.

The game itself was a late addition to an unusual day in Youngstown. The contest was originally part of a Beeghly Center doubleheader, but Marshall Athletics reported on Friday that tip-off was moved to 1 p.m. because the nationwide flight ground stop had also pushed Youngstown State’s football kickoff against Illinois State back to 4:30 p.m. — a scheduling shuffle that put basketball first on a day when both Penguin teams were home.

For a half, Marshall looked like the team in control. The Thundering Herd led 34-28 at the break behind Noah Otshudi, who had 15 of his game-high 28 points by halftime, and Bryce Slay, who had 10 of his 21 by the break, Marshall Athletics reported. The Herd held Youngstown State without a 3-pointer in the opening half and stretched the lead to 11 points after halftime.

Then the game flipped. Youngstown State’s 23-5 run — fueled by four 3-pointers after the Penguins had made none in the first half, according to Marshall Athletics — turned the 11-point deficit into a 12-point lead with 5:27 remaining. Jeff Nwankwo added 12 points and Jaiden Haynes 10 for the Penguins, according to the Associated Press account.

Marshall, to its credit, refused to fold. Slay’s free throws tied the game at 69 with just over a minute remaining, Marshall Athletics reported, before free throws and a crucial late score sealed the win for the hosts. The foul line told the game’s larger story: Marshall was whistled for 30 fouls, Youngstown State attempted 37 free throws and scored 20 points at the line, and the Herd made 23 free throws of its own, according to Marshall Athletics.

“Tough loss, it’s not easy winning on the road, I thought we gave ourselves a chance early going up 11,” Marshall head coach Cornelius ‘Corny’ Jackson told Marshall Athletics. “Free throws again are the common tale. Buffalo shot 21, Toledo shot 35, Ohio State shot 35, and Youngstown State just shot 37. At some point we have to discipline ourselves and not put people on the free throw line as much,” Jackson told Marshall Athletics.

The afternoon carried a somber note for the visitors: Marshall intentionally wore its black uniforms for the first time this season as a tribute to the November 14, 1970 Marshall football plane crash, Marshall Athletics reported — the game was played on the 56th anniversary of the tragedy.

What we know — and what we’re still waiting on

What we know: Youngstown State is 2-2 with a home win built on a 23-5 second-half run and a decisive edge in free-throw attempts; Amoako’s double-double led a balanced Penguin attack; and Marshall’s Otshudi (28 points) and Slay (21) have now scored in double figures in all four of the Herd’s games, per Marshall Athletics and the Associated Press account. What we’re still waiting on: whether the Penguins can carry the Beeghly momentum on the road — their next test is their first true road game of the season against a Big 12 opponent. Saturday’s win was also the latest chapter in a busy Ohio college basketball weekend that included Xavier’s 81-63 win over Mississippi State at the Greenbrier and the Cavaliers’ 127-117 win over Dallas behind Tyrese Proctor’s first triple-double.

What happens next: Youngstown State visits the Cincinnati Bearcats on Wednesday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m., according to the Associated Press account, while Marshall returns home to Huntington to host East Tennessee State on Tuesday, November 17, at 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center, Marshall Athletics reported. Game details in this report are from Marshall University Athletics and the Associated Press account of the game.