Archive for the ‘YSU Basketball’ Category

Youngstown State University finally got to come home and play a game Thursday night.  The suitcase-carrying YSU team last played home games on November 18 and December 6.  Robert Morris had not lost a game to Youngstown State since 2001 coming in.  The Penguins were unable to reverse their recent misfortune against the Colonials and fell 59-56 to fall to 6-6 on the season.

With seven seconds separating the game clock and the shot clock and the game tied at 56, Youngstown State turned the ball over giving Robert Morris possession with 8.2 seconds remaining.  Coron Williams fired a three right at the buzzer to seemingly give the Colonials the 59-56 win.  Coach Jerry Slocum argued that time had elapsed before the shot was taken, and after the refs reviewed the video, the shot was ruled as good.

In the first half, the Penguins looked to be in control.  In fact, at times they looked like they would pull away.  The Colonials trailed the Penguins by seven at the 13:43 mark of the first half, but to their credit, kept clawing back to keep YSU within reach.  The Penguins held a 32-31 lead at the half behind solid shooting from guards Kendrick Perry (above) and Blake Allen.  Perry scored ten first half points with a couple of threes and 4-5 shooting.  The consistent Allen poured in nine, hitting three triples.

In the second half, Perry continued to show his arsenal hitting a dunk and a three to put YSU ahead 43-39 with 11:43 left in the game.  A half-court pass caught by a cutting Mike McFadden, who easily laid the ball in, tied the game.  DuShawn Brooks then hit a couple of threes to put YSU ahead 49-45 with just under ten minutes remaining.

The second half of the game seemed much more physical than most for both teams.  It seemed every trip in either direction left a member of either team lying under the hoop and grabbing a body part while wincing in pain.

“I am very disappointed with the outcome”, said Coach Slocum.  “I am very respectful of our kids to come back and play as hard as they did against a good team like they did tonight.”

With 6:03 left in the game, and the Penguins ahead 49-48, Brooks hit a nice runner in the paint to stretch the margin to three.  After a stop, Fletcher Larson hit a pair of free throws to widen the lead to 53-48.  Brooks then was fouled grabbing an offensive rebound and he promptly hit a pair of free throws to make it 55-48 with 3:47 left in the game.  The Colonials fought back to make it a two-point game, 55-53, with 3:14 left in regulation.  That score would not change over a two minute span as YSU had a couple of empty possessions.  Anthony Myers hit a three with about 50 seconds left to tie the game at 56.

Perry finished the game with 18 points, Brooks knocked in 16 more and Allen finished with 12.  The Colonials are another quality opponent that the Penguins had on the ropes but could not put away.  Coach Slocum and this dedicated team will continue to work hard and get better for league play.

Velton Jones finished with 15 to lead the Colonials who improved to 10-3 on the year.

Every family has one…  that ‘hard to buy for’ relative that you can never figure out what to get for Christmas.  Here are a couple of nice gift options that are relatively inexpensive:

• The Youngstown State Athletic Department is selling a one-of-a-kind “Pete the Penguin” golf club head cover for $30. The head cover makes a great last-minute Holiday gift for any golf enthusiast.  All proceeds go to the YSU Athletics Department. To purchase a head cover, contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1YSU or visit the Stambaugh Stadium Athletic Ticket Office. Supplies are limited.
• The 2012 football Penguins open with a three-game homestand in September featuring FCS playoff qualifiers Albany and Northern Iowa. YSU also plays host to South Dakota, Southern Illinois and Indiana State in MVFC action at Stambaugh Stadium next fall. Season tickets are available for $84 (reserved) and $60 (general admission).
• Baseball season tickets are available as well for just $40. The Penguins play 22 home games, including 21 at Eastwood Field in Niles. The cost is less than $2 per game with the purchase of season tickets. YSU is set to play host to non-conference foes Akron, Kent State, Pittsburgh, Toledo and Ohio while the league slate features UIC, Valparaiso, Milwaukee, Butler and Wright State. The home opener is set for March 16 against Milwaukee.
• The new Horizon League Membership in the Penguin Club begins on December 31 with the women’s game against rival Cleveland State. All Courtside Coaches membership levels are discounted 15 percent from the original full-season packages. YSU will play 18 home basketball games at the Beeghly Center between Dec. 31 and Feb. 25.
• As a friendly Holiday reminder, the only way to purchase tickets for next year’s football season opener at Pittsburgh on Sept. 1 is to be a Penguin Club member or season-ticket holder. YSU returns 10 starters on an offense that averaged a school record 36.2 points per game in 2011.

So why not spread a little cheer, and experience Youngstown State Athletics live!

With her clutch performance in leading the Youngstown State women’s basketball team to a comeback win at Akron, YSU senior guard Kenya Middlebrooks has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week.

Middlebrooks, a native of Toledo, Ohio, scored 13 of her career-high 27 points in the final four minutes as YSU rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit. Middlebrooks was 8-for-12 from the field, including 6-for-9 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the win.

With the Penguins down 67-62 at the 3:55 mark, Middlebrooks made two free throws to cut the deficit to three. She hit another charity toss at the 3:31 mark to make the score 69-65 with 3:31 left, and she went on to score the Penguins’ final 10 points. Her jumper with 2:41 left got YSU within one, and she hit a 3-pointer with 1:45remaining that gave the Penguins their first lead of the second half. Another triple put YSU ahead 76-72 with 50 seconds left, and she hit two free throws with 6.6 seconds left for the final margin.

Defensively, Middlebrooks had a steal with fewer than 50 seconds left when Akron trailed by four. She also grabbed the defensive rebound off an Akron miss with 23 seconds remaining.

Middlebrooks’ previous career high in scoring was 23 points in February against Valparaiso. She surpassed 20 points for the fourth time in her career and for the second time in 2011-12. The senior guard has made a Horizon League-leading 23 3-pointers.

Middlebrooks and the Penguins will be back in action on Dec. 27 at Stony Brook.

Kenya Middlebrooks scored 13 of her career-high 27 points in the final four minutes as the Youngstown State women’s basketball team rallied to defeat Akron 78-72 on Sunday afternoon at James A. Rhodes Arena.  The Penguins scored 51 points and shot 60 percent after halftime and overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to improve to 6-4 on the season. They’ve now matched their win total from last season and have won five straight road games for the first time since 1997-98. Akron dropped to 5-6.

Youngstown State trailed 60-47 with nine minutes remaining and by eight with five minutes left. Melissa Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark to start the rally, and Middlebrooks made two free throws after the media timeout to make the score 67-64. Akron upped its lead to 71-65 after two Taylor Ruper free throws at the 3:30 mark, but YSU closed out the game by outscoring the Zips 13-1.

Brandi Brown‘s 3-pointer cut the deficit in half, and Middlebrooks scored the next five points to give the Penguins a 73-71 lead with 1:45 left. Ti’eshia Stubbs made 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to make the score 73-72 with just over a minute left, but Middlebrooks hit her sixth 3-pointer of the game to push the lead to 76-72 with 50 seconds remaining.

Middlebrooks had a steal on Akron’s next possession, and she rebounded Akron’s miss with just over 20 seconds remaining. She made two free throws with 6.6 seconds left for the final margin.

Brown finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds, including 10 of each in the second half. Thompson added a career-high 12 points after having 11 points total in the first nine games.  Hanna Luburgh had 20 points to lead three players in double figures for Akron.

The Penguins outshot the Zips 43.5 percent to 35.7 percent and held the rebounding edge 44-40. Youngstown State made 13 3-pointers, which was two off of the school record. Ten of those triples came on 16 attempts in the second half.  Macey Nortey and Kelsea Fickiesen combined for 11 of YSU’s 19 assists.

Youngstown State battled through a sloppy first half to only trail by four at halftime. The Penguins scored 10 straight points early in the period but trailed by as many as nine before closing the gap late.  Akron hit a triple on the first possession of the game, but the Penguins scored the next 10 points to take a 10-3 lead on a Middlebrooks trey with 17:15 remaining.  After the fast start, YSU got out of sync offensively and committed eight turnovers in the first nine minutes. Akron used that to its advantage and went on a 12-1 run to go up 15-11 with 8:04 left.

Youngstown State’s next game will be at Stony Brook on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m.  Merry Christmas Lady Penguins!

*Story Courtesy of YSU Sports

Nobody knew how much of a contributor DuShawn Brooks could be this season.  Last year, Brooks played sparingly as a sixth man and showed flashes of the potential he has stabilized as a senior starter for the 2011-12 Youngstown State Penguins team. Brooks, or DB as he is called by friends, has already been named a Horizon League Conference Player of The Week this season and has really worked hard to get better. The most impressive part about Brooks’ role as a senior is that he puts the team first. The Chicago-area native had plenty to say in our recent interview.

Paneech: You have been called DuShawn, Terrell, and DB.  What should I refer to you as?

Brooks: My name on my birth certificate is DuShawn Terrell Brooks, my sister gave me my name.  On Facebook, I am listed as Terrell, it is what I go by.  Most people call me Shawn or DB.

Paneech: Being raised in a big city presents problems such as pressure to do drugs and join a gang.  Were you able to steer clear of that activity?

Brooks: Growing up, I lived with my grandmother until seventh grade, then I moved back with my mom in the suburbs.  As soon as I got back, she got me involved with a mentor and I started playing basketball around that time.  I really didn’t even have the time to get involved with anything that was bad.  I was either at basketball, in church, or in school.  I never got involved with any of those bad things, I was a pretty good kid.

Paneech: What was it like growing up in Chicago with Michael Jordan images and mentions everywhere?

Brooks: I never wanted to ‘be like Mike‘, I always wanted to play like him though.  You get sucked into it and you want to wear his shoes, you want to dunk over somebody like he used to.  You want to do the stuff he did to accomplish what he has — six rings, MVP awards, scoring titles.  It was fun watching him play.  Michael Jordan was like Batman, and Scottie Pippen was his Robin. It wasn’t always Michael.  If Jordan was having a bad night, Pippen stepped up many times to provide the win.

Paneech: Is the basketball at the high school level in Chicago better than the product the Youngstown area schools put on the courts?

Brooks: I notice a difference when I come up to watch some of the high school games here.  I think to myself ‘this kid wouldn’t get any playing time on my old team’ when I watch.  That isn’t an insult to the area, but Chicago is a much bigger area with many more athletes that are bigger, faster, and stronger.  Everybody plays basketball in Chicago.  Here it is much smoother and a second sport to a lot of the student athletes. In high school, I was the last guy on the bench, never got any praise, and was relied upon to do all of the dirty work.

Paneech: How did you end up at Youngstown State?

Brooks: I started out at a prep school in Cincinnati.  After that, I went to a junior college in Kansas for two years.  We won our conference and regional championships there.  Coach Wernicki showed up down there and told me that Youngstown was interested in me and invited me on a visit.  I liked it here because it was not too big.  A big part of me signing on was that I get to go home and play two games in Chicago.  I never really got to play ball in front of my family until last year, and I really enjoyed it.

Paneech: When you get to Youngstown State, you meet Jerry Slocum.  How is your relationship with him?

Brooks: I came in with an open mind.  I won’t lie, it was very hard sometimes.  Last year, I understood that I had to learn things before I could be given a lot of playing time.  Coach Slocum was very supportive and would tell me not to get frustrated and that my time will come.  He always let me know what I needed to do to get better, and I learned to just go out there and listen to him.  Coming into this season, it has been better in the sense that I knew what to expect from him.  I think he is a great coach and openly lets you know where you are excelling or falling short.

Paneech: What kind of a role do you think you play on this team?

Brooks: Probably doing whatever I have to do to help the team get a win.  I have been scoring a lot lately, but that doesn’t mean it is going to continue.  Sometimes I have to concentrate harder on grabbing rebounds, sometimes I have to dive after a loose ball.  I have to worry about blocking a shot, going for a steal, — really, anything I can do to contribute to the success of this team.  As a senior, I have to step up and do some of the things others may not want to do.  Ash [Ashen Ward] is the leader, and I am going to do whatever I can to help him be a good leader.

Paneech: Coach Slocum has had bad luck taking junior college guys who sometimes put their personal statistics in front of the team.  For him to be as positive as he is this season, he obviously believes in this team.  What is different?

Slocum: None of us like to lose.  Earlier this season, we lost to Wright State by one, and in the locker room after the game, everyone was really mad.  We think we have the best team in the league and want to win the Horizon League.  Everyone has been working hard and when we practice sluggish, coach [Slocum] lets us know we are practicing badly.

Paneech: You are dating a YSU women’s basketball player, Melissa Thompson.  How in the world – between school, travel, and practice schedules do you two ever see each other?

Brooks: (laughs)  She lives in the same building as me, so as soon as I get done or she gets done, we text each other.  Then we can meet up and hang out.  I have been with her for a year now, it has been really fun.

One Word Answers

Favorite Fast Food Order: 10 Honey Barbecue Wings at Sharks in Chicago.

Favorite Drink: Kool-Aid, Any Flavor.

Favorite TV Show: Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, And ESPN.

Closest Thing To Jordan In The NBA: Lebron James.

Best Friend On The Team: Everybody.

Who Would Win On Jeopardy Out of Damian Eargle, Coach Slocum, and Ron Strollo? Probably Damian Eargle because he is very smart.

How Far Can This Team Go? As far as we want to.

One Word Describing Coach Slocum: Tough.

Worst Class You Have Taken At YSU: Child Development.

Best Class Taken At YSU: Deviant Behavior.

Stores You Have To Go To: Foot Locker and Macy’s.

Breakfast Food: I love to cook.  Probably Bacon, Sausage, and Eggs.

Junior Blake Allen scored a game-high 22 points and sophomore Kendrick Perry added 19 but the Youngstown State men’s basketball team could not overcome a slow start and dropped an 86-77 loss to Toledo on Saturday evening at Savage Arena. YSU shot just 26.5 percent in the first half, fall to 6-4 overall while Toledo improves to 7-3.

Junior Damian Eargle just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. He also had five blocks and sophomore Nate Perry scored a career-high 10 points off the bench.

YSU, which shot 56.3 percent and outscored Toledo, 49-47, in the second half, trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, 11 at halftime and 13 with 18 minutes left in the game, but used an 18-6 run over a four-minute span to get within one, 49-48, with 13:50 left.  Two layups by Allen and one by freshman Shawn Amiker brought the Guins within seven, 43-36, with 16:14 to go.

The Rockets built the lead back to nine, 49-40, but a jumper by Eargle, an old-fashioned three-point play by Perry and a 3-pointer by Perry brought the Penguins within one.  YSU made 12 of their first 17 shots in the second half, were within one on two more occasions, 54-53, with 11:16 left and 56-55 at the 10:26 mark.  Toledo, though, capitalized on a technical foul called on YSU and scored 12 straight points to boost its lead back to 13, 68-55, with 7:46 remaining.  Perry’s second 3-pointer with 3:47 to go cut the deficit to nine, 76-67, but the Penguins would not get any closer.

Allen, who scored 16 of his points in the first half, scored YSU’s first eight points of the game that gave the Guins an 8-5 lead with 16:28 left before halftime.  Allen connected on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, while the rest of the team made just 4-of-26 (15.3 percent) field-goal attempts.

The Penguins visit Akron, Monday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.

Youngstown State tied the school record for most 3-pointers in a game for the third time this season, but dropped an 80-72 decision to Buffalo on Saturday evening at Alumni Arena.  Youngstown State falls to 6-3 while Buffalo improves to 6-2.

The Penguins, who made 14 3-pointers, were led by sophomore Kendrick Perry‘s double-double of 18 points and 10 assists and 17 points from both senior Ashen Ward and junior Blake Allen (above).   Perry connected on 7-of-18 shooting from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Allen made five 3-pointers, Ward made three, Nate Perry had two and DuShawn Brooks added one each.

Although YSU shot 40 percent from behind the arc (14-for-35), they had no answer for the inside presence of Buffalo’s Javon McCrea and Mitchell Watt, who scored 29 and 20 points, respectively.  McCrea, who connected on 14-of-17 from the field, also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Penguins trailed by just one, 62-61, after a layup by Perry at the 8:38 mark and by six, 67-61, after a 3-pointer by Buffalo’s Tony Watson and two free throws from Watt with 7:43 left.

An offensive rebound and layup by McCrea extended the Bulls’ lead to eight, 69-61, with 5:10 remaining.  Ward (above) hit three late 3-pointers to get YSU, who trailed by as many as 10, 74-64, within six, 78-72, with 12 seconds left but Buffalo made two free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Penguins used a 13-5 run to build a 26-18 lead midway through the first half after the Bulls knotted the game, 13-13. A 3-pointer from Allen and two from sophomore Nate Perry spark the Guins first-half spurt.  Buffalo, though, outscored the Penguins 12-4 to take a 30-29 lead at the 6:17 mark after a dunk by McCrea.

Kendrick Perry, who scored 15 points in the first half, and Allen put the Guins back up by four, 36-32, after a pair of treys with 4:17 left.  After Buffalo scored six straight points to take a 38-36 lead,  Perry drained a 3-pointer with three seconds to give YSU a 39-38 halftime lead.

The Penguins take a break for finals before visiting Toledo, Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. in Toledo, Ohio.

Youngstown State University handed Fredonia State a 69-35 defeat at home Tuesday night.  This game was not much of a contest, but Coach Jerry Slocum found solace in getting his bench a good chunk of playing time in a game situation.  The Penguins took a 31-12 lead into half and never looked back.

“We have been in so many close games lately that it makes it hard to develop guys who don’t get a lot of playing time”, noted Slocum.  “I was really happy with Fletcher Larson‘s play in the post and DJ [Cole] did a good job at the point for us.”

With the victory, YSU improves to 6-2 while the Blue Devils drop to 6-2. The 35 points allowed on Tuesday by the Penguins were the fewest in a contest since Hiram had just 35 on Dec. 22, 1970.

Leading the way offensively was Blake Allen who scored 14 points, DuShawn Brooks (above) finished with 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half and Kendrick Perry had 12. For FSU, Julius Bryant had a team-high 13 points and six rebounds.

The Penguins used the night to get some reserves involved. For the game, 12 players saw at least eight minutes of action while none played more than 25.  Nine players saw double figures in minutes on the evening for YSU.

On the defensive end, YSU held the Blue Devils to just 31.9 percent shooting from the field (15-of-47). The Penguins shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) and were 9-of-24 from behind the 3-point arc. The team’s combined to attempt just 14 free throws.

YSU never trailed after scoring the first five points of the game. Fredonia cut the deficit to 5-2 then the Penguins went on a 10-0 run and never looked back. Capping the run were the first collegiate points for redshirt freshman Fletcher Larson (above). Larson’s tip in of a miss by Shawn Amiker gave the Guins a 15-2 lead at the 12:48 mark of the first half.

Slocum talked about Brooks elevating his game over the pat couple of weeks.

“We sat him down a couple of weeks ago and told him he was only going to take what he puts in.  He was probably the best player on the floor these last three games and he has played really well for us.

Blake Allen talked about the team effort.  “Coach wanted us to hold them under 40 points.  We also wanted to have more assists than turnovers.  There is a lot of room for improvement, but we were overall pretty happy with the effort.”

The Penguins return to action on Saturday when they play at Buffalo. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be carried live on 570 WKBN.

One of the best teams on the Youngstown State Lady Penguins schedule this season is Bowling Green.  Tuesday, the Falcons rolled into town and faced a very determined Penguins team.  In a gutsy showing, the Penguins fell 73-61 to the Falcons, but the game was very competitive until BG pulled away at the end.

“I was disappointed with our free throw effort tonight”, said Penguins Coach Bob Boldon.  “I thought we played with good energy, just not long enough.  We played terrible defense the last five minutes and did not deserve to win.”

In the first half, Bowling Green asserted a pretty good size height advantage.  Alexis Rogers and Brandi Brown (both pictured above) are both All-American potential players.  Rogers had  strong first half with 14 points and seven rebounds.  Brown had to play cautiously and had three fouls by intermission.  The Eagles showed good balance working the ball inside and out as they held a 32-27 lead at the break.

The Lady Penguins worked hard to stay close to the Falcons in the second half. Kelsea Fickiesen hit a pair of free throws to make it a 42-39 game.  Brown then gathered an offensive rebound and tallied a put-back to trim the deficit to one point.  Devan Matkin gave the Penguins a two-point lead, 46-44, at the 13:04 mark when she drilled a three on the right wing.

Brown drilled a three with just over nine minutes left in the game to give YSU a 55-54 lead.  She later got to the line with 5:45 left in the game and hit two free throws to keep YSU at arms length of the lad, at 60-59.  However, the Falcons got a couple of buckets to take a 66-59 lead with 3:57 left.

“We have grown a lot”, said Brown.  “We aren’t focusing on competing like we were last year, we are now focused on winning games.  We did not play a full 40 minutes and lacked energy and intensity.”

The Penguins (4-4) got 15 points out of Kenya Middlebrooks (above).  The senior has been a consistent contributor on offense all season for the Penguins thus far.  Brown finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds.  YSU got solid bench play, something Coach Boldon has strived to improve on this season.  The Penguins reserves poured in 23 points.

Bowling Green got a big night out of Rogers who finished the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds.  Chrissy Steffen chipped in with 20 for the Falcons (5-2).  As a team, Bowling Green shot 41% from the floor.

The Penguins now head to Athens to take on the Bobcats of Ohio University on Friday.  As a good mark of just how much better this team is, the Penguins defeated Western Michigan by 25 last week, their first 20+ point win since 2006.  Conversely, since that 2006 win over Buffalo, the Penguins lost 46 times by more than 20.

Shooting 64 percent from three-point range, Youngstown State senior forward DuShawn Brooks (Chicago, Ill./Thornton) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 4.  The accolade is the first of Brooks’ career, while the senior is the first player from Youngstown State to collect the honors since Jan. 11, 2010.

Helping Youngstown State (5-2 1-1 Horizon) open with a road split in the first weekend of Horizon League play, Brooks averaged 20.5 points per game, knocking down 9-of-14 three-point attempts as the Penguins knocked off Detroit, 64-61, before suffering a 63-62 defeat at Wright State on Saturday.

In the conference-opening victory at Detroit, Brooks carried Youngstown State down the stretch, scoring 11 straight points to turn a five-point deficit into a late lead. In the spurt, Brooks knocked down three attempts from long distance, finishing the game 6-of-9 from three-point range. Brooks’ 24 points in the win were a career high.  The senior followed up the effort by going 3-for-5 from three-point range en route to 17 points on Saturday. On the week, Brooks went 16-for-26 from the field.

Through the first month of the season, Brooks is part of a YSU offense that is leading the Horizon League in three-point shooting, attempting 23.6 threes per game. The Penguins are knocking down a League-best 39.4 percent of those attempts.

Returning to non-conference play, the Penguins welcome Fredonia State to the Beeghly Center on Tuesday, Dec. 6 for a 7:45 p.m. ET tip. The game will be carried live on the Horizon League Network. On Saturday, the Penguins travel to Buffalo, N.Y., for a 7 p.m. ET game against the MAC’s Buffalo.