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VINDY.COM
The Valley's Home Page Radakovich's return not enough for YSU Published: Sun, Jan 9, 2005 Cleveland State snapped a seven-game losing streak. CLEVELAND The Youngstown State men's basketball team welcomed senior forward Brian Radakovich back to the court, but it wasn't enough in a 78-62 loss at Cleveland State on Saturday at the CSU Convocation Center. Radakovich, who had not played in the previous three contests, scored a team-high 14 points before fouling out with 8:51 remaining in the game. The Penguins dropped to 3-11 overall and 1-4 in the Horizon League at the mid-point of their season. Cleveland State improved to 4-7 and 1-3 by snapping a seven-game losing streak. "Seeing Brian surprised the heck out of me," said Youngstown State coach John Robic. "He hasn't done anything (on a court) for 10 days." Second-half lead In the second half, YSU overcame a 39-35 halftime deficit to pull in front 42-41 on a basket by Radakovich. CSU answered when Raheem Moss scored on a fast break at the 16:54 mark and never trailed again. Moss followed that basket by drilling a 3-pointer to push the lead to 46-42 at the 16:08 mark. Quin Humphrey made two free throws to get the Penguins back within two with 14:51 remaining. After Humphrey's free throws, the Vikings went on a 16-6 run, eventually taking a 62-46 lead with 10:22 remaining. Derrick Harris scored 13 points while Humphrey finished with 12 for the Penguins. "We got off to a good start, but it came down to us defensively," said Robic. "It's the second straight game we've given up over 50 percent [shooting]. "We're just not defending. That's the bottom line." Viking leaders For the Vikings, Omari Westley had game-high honors with 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Moss finished with 16 points while Mike Redell and Justin Henderson each finished with 10. YSU managed 35.8 percent (19-of-53) from the field while the Vikings shot 51.1 percent (24-for-47). Both teams finished with six 3-pointers. The Penguins return home on Wednesday to face UW-Milwaukee. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7:35 p.m. following the YSU women's contest against Loyola that's scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. "Milwaukee is a tough team to try to bounce back against," added Robic. |