YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Bryn Forbes scored 17 points and Trey Lewis made a career-high five three-pointers, but Cleveland State committed 21 turnovers that Youngstown State turned into 28 points as the Vikings dropped a 67-66 game at the Beeghly Center on Monday night.
The Vikings fell to 10-8 overall and 2-2 in the Horizon League, while YSU improved to 11-8 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Forbes added five rebounds and four assists, while Lewis finished with 15 points – all on three-pointers. Marlin Mason added 10 points and four rebounds, while Anton Grady tallied nine points, nine boards and four assists.
CSU took a four point lead (66-62) on a Lewis three-pointer with 1:34 left in the game and after a YSU miss, CSU turned the ball over and Kendrick Perry hit a pair of free throws to pull YSU back within two (67-65).
The Vikings got the ball inbounds to Forbes who was fouled in the corner, but it was only YSU's sixth foul of the half, forcing CSU to inbound the ball from the corner.
Another turnover gave the ball back to the Penguins and Perry took advantage with a drive to the basket, scoring on a lay-in and drawing a foul. He made the free throw to put the Penguins up, 67-66.
Grady missed a jumper with eight seconds left, but CSU had once more chance after a Penguin travel. However, the Vikings were not able to get a good look at the basket as time expired.
Perry finished with a game-high 31 points for the Penguins.
The Vikings raced out to a quick 7-0 lead, but the Penguins would battle back to knot the contest at 13-13 with 12:20 left. With the contest still knotted (16-16), CSU used a 12-3 run to open up its largest lead of the half (28-19) on a Lewis three-pointer with 9:16 to play in the half.
However, seven straight points by YSU brought the Penguins back within two (28-26) and after a Forbes jumper, the Penguins would close the final six minutes of the half on a 17-7 run to take a 43-37 lead at halftime.
A 9-2 spurt to open the second half gave CSU a 46-45 lead four minutes in and the Viking lead grew to as many as six points (61-55) with 6:41 left on a Forbes three-pointer.
The Penguins closed the game on a 12-5 run.
CSU shot .511 (23-45) from the field and hit 9-of-17 (.529) from three-point. It was the ninth time the Vikings shot better than 50-percent from the field this year.
CSU is back in action on Thursday (Jan. 16) when the Vikings return home to host Oakland at 5:30 p.m. in the Wolstein Center as part of a doubleheader with the CSU women's squad. The Viking women will host Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.
