Archive for the ‘YSU Basketball’ Category

Detroit had about three centers, YSU had one (Dan Boudler), and sometimes Damian Eargle who is more of a power forward.  As a result of a serious problem with height, rebounds, especially on the offensive end would be scarce.  The Penguins overcame the size disadvantage but were their own worst enemy at the free throw line again finishing the game 6-14 from stripe as they dropped another close one, this time to Detroit, 73-69.

In the first half, Detroit raced out to a 10-point lead just over five minutes into the game.  YSU would keep cutting into that lead only to see Detroit extend the lead back to at least seven a couple of times.  By the time the buzzard sounded, Detroit held a 41-40 lead.  Eli Holman paced the Titans with nine points and nine rebounds.  Chase Simon and Chris Blake had ten each in the opening half for the visiting Titans.  YSU got 12 points from Blake Allen and eight more from Kendrick Perry.

In the second half, YSU came out smoking and nabbed a 48-43 lead with 15:49 to go.  Vytas Sulskis led the charge for the Penguins with a couple of buckets.  Blake hit a layup to give Detroit back the lead on an 8-0 run at 49-48 with 14:31 left.  Blake Allen gave YSU a one point lead, the eighth lead change in the game, to put the Penguins ahead 58-57 with 11:15 remaining in the contest.  Chris Blake popped his career high (16 points) with 9:27 remaining for Detroit, putting the Titans ahead, 61-58.

YSU was struggling at the free throw line.  With 8:23 left in the game, the Penguins were an awful 3-10 from the charity stripe, points they need to beat the bigger Titans.  Detroit would battle over the next five minutes to maintain the lead and at the 3:56 mark, the Titans still held a 66-64 lead thanks in part to the Penguins lousy free throw shooting and some equally lousy officiating.  YSU had three very questionable calls go against them over he span of two minutes, and the 3,000 + in attendance really let them know.

Trailing 67-64 with 3:09 left in the game, Tre Brewer took a good shot that hit every part of the inside of the rim, but did not go.  Perry then hit a pair of free throws to cut Detroit’s lead to 68-66.  Perry’s second three of the game came with 18.4 seconds remaining and cut Detroit’s lead to one point at 70-69. Nick Minnerath was fouled to shoot a pair of free throws with 15.5 seconds to go and he made the second to make it 71-69.  Perry tried to hoist a three, but was unsuccessful.  YSU fouled Blake and the rest is academic.

YSU was lead by Allen and Sulskis with 15 points each.  The Penguins dropped to 7-12 on the season, and 1-7 in the league.  With the exception of Butler and Valpo, YSU has been in every league game until the end.  Having seen each Horizon League team with the completion of this game, no one will be writing off YSU as an easy win in the second half.

Detroit got 20 points from Chris Blake, his career-high.  Simon also contributed 14 points for the Titans.  With the win, Detroit improved to 11-10 and 5-4 in the Horizon.

Youngstown State goes West to Illinois for games against UIC and Loyola this week.

After the game, Coach Slocum talked about the woes that hamper his squad.  “We just aren’t good enough yet to win those close games.  It is very disappointing to work so hard all of the time and not reap the reward of winning.  This was a very tough match up for us because of the size difference, but I thought we did a great job battling and working hard.”

The Youngstown State Lady Penguins could only get better was the general feeling coming into this season under first-year coach Bob Boldon. Boldon has taken the stance that, “close but no cigar“, means nothing.  The improvement since last season is obvious and the team is much more competitive and focused.  Saturday, the Penguins played Detroit, team that demolished the Lady Penguins twice last year.  The Titans ended up winning by nine, 66-57, competitive and close but no cigar, yet again.

In the first half, Detroit built big leads on two separate occasions with the largest being nine.  Jalesa Jones (top photo) paced the Titans with nine first half points as Detroit  was ahead 31-26 at the break.  Brandi Brown had eight points and four rebounds for YSU in the half.  The story was shooting percentage in the opening half.  Youngstown State shot almost 35% from the field, but the Titans shot 41.4%.

In the second half, Maryum Jenkins buried a three from the corner with 15:24 left to make it 41-37 in favor of Detroit.  YSU surged even closer when Kenya Middlebrooks hit a three to cut the lead to just one point at 43-42 with 13:01 left in the game.  As the second half rolled along, Detroit gained control of things and had a 55-47 lead with 8:59 to go.

Brown started to heat up and heat a three with 8:04 left to cut the deficit to three points at 55-52.  Tieara Jones fouled out with just over eight minutes to play.  Jones (next picture down) finished with 10 points and seven boards.

Interesting stat of the game, last year the Horizon League chose to award the Newcomer of The Year award to Detroit’s Yar Shayok instead of Youngstown State’s Brandi Brown.  Brown had much better statistics for the season but was passed over when the chalice was awarded.  In their first head-to-head meeting since that award was given, Brown had 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Shayok finished the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

With Detroit ahead 51-47, Dominique Dixon, who finished with 15 points,  hit a pair of free throws to extend the Titans lead to 63-57. With just under a minute to go, YSU went into auto-foul mode and Detroit converted enough to keep the Penguins at arms-length.  Jones finished the game with 13 and Shayok had 17.  The Titans evened their record at 9-9 and 3-4 in the conference.

Youngstown State was paced by Brown’s double-double (18 points, 10 boards).  Boki Dimitrov chipped in with 11 points.  The Penguins fell to 3-16, and 1-7 in the Horizon League.

After the game, Coach Boldon talked about the loss.  “Tieara [Jones] played well for us tonight, we really needed her when she fouled out with eight minutes left.  We came out flat in the second half and we are nota good enough team to try to exchange baskets with anyone.”

In a must-win game for both teams, Youngstown State needed a win to prove that it belonged in a conference.  Wright State, coming off of a 69-63 win over Butler, needed a win to prove superior in the same conference.  When it was over,  YSU (7-11, 1-7) was winning for a majority of the game, at times by as many as ten, but the team competing for a championship came out on top on this night, 66-62.

“We turned the ball over and we didn’t make shots”, was pretty much all Coach Jerry Slocum had to say after this game.

The Penguins came out fired up scoring the first five points.  Wright State would answer and take a 6-5 lead.  The rest of the opening half was nip-and-tuck and the Penguins forged ahead for a 28-24 halftime lead.  Ashen Ward hit a couple of threes and a couple of twos for ten first half points to lead YSU.  Wright State got eight from N’Gai Evans and seven from Vaughn Duggins.

In the first half, Damian Eargle blocked a shot to become the second player in Youngstown State history to record 50 blocks or more in a single season.  Eargle finished the game with xx points and xx blocked shots.  Eargle joins Ricky Tunstill in the blocked shots hierarchy at YSU.

The beginning of the second half looked like the start of the first half.  YSU opened up with a 5-0 run to open a 33-24 lead.  Wright State took a timeout and then unleashed AJ Pacher.  Pacher hit a couple of threes to keep Wright State close.  At the 13:23 mark of the second half, the Raiders pulled within one at 41-40 until Vytas Sulskis nailed a three to make it 44-40.  Devonte Maymon then tacked on another three to make it 47-40 with 11:32 remaining.

Sulskis commented on the disappointment of this loss afterwards.  “We didn’t finish.  Four points over the final six minutes is ridiculous and we know we are better than that.”

YSU pushed the lead all the way to nine points with 8:15 left in the game at 53-44.  Every time Wright State would score a bucket or two, YSU was able to respond.  Tre Brewer had previously scored six points in three separate games, hit his ninth point, a free throw, to help the Penguins to a ten point lead at 58-48, biggest lead for either team in the game.  Wright State would chop that lead in half, and with 5:39 left in the game, YSU was ahead 58-53.

The Penguins lead was carved to just one point at 60-59 with just under three minutes left in the game.  Sulskis hit a runner down the lane to increase the advantage to three points.  Troy Tabler kissed one off of the glass to give Wright State their first lead of the second half at 63-62 with 1:11 left.  Eargle missed both free throw attempts after being fouled to keep the Raiders in front.  The Penguins then had a couple of wild looks that they could not convert.  A pair of Tabler free throws put Wright State up three, 65-62 with just 26.2 seconds remaining.

Youngstown State got a good all-around effort from Ward.  The junior from Cleveland finished this game with 12 points and battled for six rebounds.  Eargle played a great defensive game and increased his Horizon League lead in the blocked shot category with six swats and Devonte Maymon chipped in twelve more.

Wright State got 10 points from Evans, and another 10 from Duggins.  Pacher finished the game with three successful long-distance rainbows.

Youngstown State University looked pretty solid despite dropping a hard-fought contest to Wright State, 64-61.  Brandi Brown scored 23 points for YSU, but the Penguins were not able to get a good shot with six seconds left and fell to 3-16 and 1-7 in the Horizon League.

The first half was pretty much a coin flip with Wright State calling “heads” and guessing properly.  The Raiders took a one point lead into the locker room, 32-31, but the statistics for the opposing teams were not similar.  Wright State held a 23-12 rebounding adantage, while the Penguins enjoyed a 9-3 advantage in steals.  The Raiders got nine boards from Shaunda Sandifer and ten points from Molly Fox. The Penguins got nine points each from Brandi Brown and Kenya Middlebrooks.  It was surprising that the score was so close at the half when Wright State shot nearly 10% better from the floor than YSU.

With 14:34 left in the game, Middlebrooks hit a three to give YSU a 42-37 lead, their largest of the game to that point.  Maryum Jenkins pushed the lead to 49-43 with just under eleven minutes to go in the game when she buried a three.

With 8:47 left in the game, Wright State grabbed their first lead of the second half, 52-51, when LaShawna Thomas hit a couple of baskets for the visitors.  The Penguins would reclaim a one-point lead with 7:27 left when Brandi Brown gathered in a long rebound on the offensive end and dribbled through three Raider defenders like orange cones for a layup. Thomas tied the contest at 57 when she hit one of two free throws with 4:24 left.

After the game, Coach Boldon talked being competitive.  “Yeah, we played well, but it is still a loss. Until we get tired of losing it will not change and it really has to.  We got some good shots, but the last play was not very good, and I take responsibility for that.”

The Penguins got another solid night out of Brandi Brown, who just continually punches her card and works hard until the final whistle has been blown.  Brown’s evening consisted of 23 points and eight rebounds and the reigning Horizon League Player of The Week was just everywhere on both sides of the court.  Kenya Middlebrooks finished with 14 points.

Wright State got a good night from LaShawna Thomas who knocked down 17 points, as did her teammate Molly Fox.  Maria Bennett also chipped in 15 points for the Raiders who improved to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in the Horizon League.

The Penguins tee it up again Saturday against Detroit as part of a mens-womens doubleheader starting at 5.

Youngstown State sophomore forward Brandi Brown has been named Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan 10.

Brown notched two double-doubles as the Penguins split a pair of road games last week.  She averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds for the week while shooting 63.6 percent from the field.

The Pomona, Calif., native had a career-high tying 29 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in YSU’s 61-55 victory over Valparaiso. She was 12-for-19 from the field in the contest as she helped Youngstown State snap losing streaks of 39 on the road and 22 in conference play.

On Saturday, Brown overcame early foul trouble to post 21 points and 10 rebounds against Butler.  She was 9-for-14 from the floor against the Bulldogs, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range.

Brown has reclaimed the top ranking among the Horizon League’s scoring leaders. She is averaging 17.65 points per contest, which is just ahead of Wright State guard LaShawna Thomas‘ average of 17.63. Brown also ranks second in the league in rebounding at 9.4 boards per contest.

Brown was also named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Nov. 29.  No other Penguin has been named Horizon League Player of the Week twice in a season since YSU joined the conference in the 2001-02 season. She is that good…

Youngstown State welcomes Wright State on Thursday for a 5:15 p.m. contest. The Penguins then host Detroiton Saturday in a 4:35pm tipoff.

Butler shot a blistering 61.5 percent and nailed 14 3-pointers to win 88-69 and offset a solid offensive effort by the Youngstown State women’s basketball team on Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Youngstown State had its best road performance of the year on the offensive end, shooting 46.4 percent overall and 38.1 percent from 3-point range. YSU’s 26 field goals were also season high.

Brandi Brown led four Penguins in double figures, posting game highs with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Monica Touvelle scored a career-high 14 points while Tieara Jones had 12 and Kenya Middlebrooks added 10.

Alyssa Pittman hit six 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 points to lead Butler. Five other Bulldogs scored at least eight points.

Butler improved to 11-6 overall and remained undefeated in Horizon League play at 5-0. Youngstown State dropped to 3-14 overall and 1-5 in conference play.

Both teams found the net early and often in the first half as Butler shot 66.7 percent in the opening period while YSU shot 56 percent. The Penguins hit their first four attempts from 3-point range, and Touvelle’s second triple of the contest cut YSU’s deficit to 17-16 at the 11:55 mark.

YSU did not score for nearly five minutes, and Butler went on an 8-0 run to go up 25-16 with 9:04 remaining. Jones scored the next six points for YSU, which climbed back to within five twice over the next three minutes. Claire Freeman and Pittman hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to push Butler’s margin up to 11, but YSU did not let the game get away and remained in striking distance at halftime with the score 43-36.

Two free throws by Macey Nortey made the score 56-49 with 13:28 left in the second, but Butler’s Devin Brierly scored the next five points, and the Bulldogs led by double digits the rest of the way.

The game was still within 10 points after Bojana Dimitrov hit a free throw with 10:33 left, but Butler scored the next five points to back up by 15 at 67-52. The Bulldogs led by 19 at the 5:50 mark, and they closed out the contest by scoring the final five points to equal that margin.

Brown was 9-for-14 from the field and hit both of her attempts from 3-point range. Jones was 6-for-11 before fouling out with 5:51 remaining in the contest.

The Penguins will return home to play Wright State on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. The game will be the first half of a doubleheader with the YSU men’s basketball team.

Youngstown State University seems to play well but come up just a bit short when playing quality opponents.  The Penguins did well at North Carolina State, and more recently, at Butler.  Cleveland State brought their 15-3 record to Youngstown, and the Penguins would once again play the underdog and take swings at Goliath.  Norris Cole again torched the Penguins, this time for 21 points, and guided the Vikings to a 61-51 win.

The first half was defense-oriented.  Neither team shot real well as YSU only shot 21% (6-28) and Cleveland State shot 28%.  Both teams committed 11 turnovers and neither team shot more than five free throws.  The Vikings held a 21-14 lead at intermission, which was their biggest lead of the half.  Jeremy Montgomery and Norris Cole, a couple of guys who seem like they have been playing at Cleveland State since 1997, had seven points each.  Youngstown State got seven points and five rebounds from Damian Eargle, who played well at both ends of the court.

Once the action resumed, both offenses showed signs of life.  With Cleveland State ahead 27-15, Youngstown State went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five points with 15:57 to go in the game.  Cleveland State’s Trevon Harmon and YSU’s Vytas Sulskis then took turns scoring for a few minutes.

Cleveland State then went on a 14-0 run to open their lead to 46-29.  The Penguins got a three from Devonte Maymon to end the run with 11:46 left in the game, but still trailed 46-32.  Maymon hit another three with 8:56 left in the game to cut the score to 46-37, but Cleveland State regain their bearings and full-court pressure was causing Youngstown State to commit a few turnovers in the last ten minutes.

Eargle hit a bucket and got fouled with 4:50 left in the game to but could not convert the charity toss, keeping YSU down by an even ten points.  Norris Cole threw the Vikings on his back hitting a couple of game-defining shots to keep YSU safely at an arms length.  A weak reach foul on Sulskis with 1:56 left in the game sent him to the bench for the night.  Sulskis finished with nine points.

With the loss, YSU dropped to 7-10 and 1-6 in the Horizon League.  Cleveland State improved to 16-3 with the win and may be peeking into the Top-25 soon.

Cleveland State got 21 from Cole and 12 from Montgomery.  Youngstown State was paced by Eargle who finished the game with 20 points and 8 rebounds.  Maymon also chipped in with 9.

After the game, Coach Slocum pointed out the major difference in the loss.  “We shot 54% in the second half, they shot 37% in the second half, and we lost by ten.  The free throw shooting tells the tale.  If we can’t make free throws, we can’t win the game.  In the second half we really executed well, but we still need to make free throws, they were the difference.”

One of the new buttons Coach Jerry Slocum has to press this year is named Blake Allen.  The Blake Allen button is versatile in the sense that it can start, come off the bench, shoot, score, pass, rebound, and play defense.  Just a sophomore, Allen has been turning heads as YSU’s most consistent scorer over the past couple of weeks.  He has a good attitude, is enjoying the college experience, and can hoop with the best of them.  Along with his roommates Devonte Maymon, DuShawn Brooks, and Tre Brewer, the future looks a little brighter than the past for Youngstown State fans.

Paneech: Last year this team was harder to watch.  With only three returning players, it is almost a whole new group.  You guys are, for the most part, competitive.  What’s the team feeling these days?

Allen: I think we gel as a team.  Guys genuinely like each other on and off of the court.  That has been a big part of this group and an important part of building the trust factor within this group.

Paneech: What factors have given you more minutes, and what have you done to maximize the opportunity?

Allen: I just tried to always work hard at practice and to take advantage of any opportunity that I was given.  I try to stay at the gym as much as possible.  It was difficult early on to adjust to the Division-I style, but I think I have come along and am playing as hard as I can trying to help the team win.

Paneech: Familiarize the Youngstown State fans with Blake Allen, tell everyone how you got here.

Allen: Out of high school, I went to a prep school in Virginia and last year I went to a community college in Oklahoma.  I am from Tampa, Florida.  (Laughs)  I’m still adjusting to this weather.  Virginia and Oklahoma were both colder than what I was use to, but it snows a little more out here.  I try to stay bundled up.

Paneech: You have had an array of coaches throughout your upbringing to get to this point.  Have you ever had one like Coach Slocum?

Allen: He is definitely a very good coach.  He has a very sophisticated offense that gets our guys as many shots and opportunities as possible.  The offense is very well set to make plays.  I have really enjoyed playing for him so far.  He definitely has a sense of humor, but when the game is going, he only cares about getting 40 solid minutes from the team.

Paneech: How do you like Youngstown the community, and Youngstown State the college?

Allen: I like the area and the people have treated me really well.  The school part is very challenging.  It is a lot to keep up with all of the schoolwork, especially during the season with practices, traveling, and distractions.  I think I have been able to adjust to that as well, I was satisfied with my first semester and hope I can maintain that over the time that I am here.  It gets tough, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m an accounting major.  I like numbers and my aunt is an accountant, so I’m interested.

Paneech: Who are you closest with and what do you guys do when you get some spare time?

Allen: I’m really close with all of my roommates – Devonte [Maymon], DB [DuShawn Brooks], and Tre [Brewer].  We hang out quite a bit, and I am pretty good friends with all three.

Paneech: What goes through your head when you hit the floor at North Carolina State?

Allen: That game was a memorable one for me because it was actually my first start.  I was a little bit nervous, but I just told myself to go out there and play as hard as I possibly can and to let everything that I have done for preparation up to that point take over.  It was definitely the biggest crowd I have ever played in front of.  I had thoughts like “wow” early in the game, but once you get out there and start playing, it’s just basketball and they are humans, just like we are.

Paneech: Do you have a favorite team or player?

Allen: I love the Los Angeles Lakers, I am a huge Kobe Bryant fan.  Being from Florida, I kind of grew up an Orlando Magic fan.  The whole Shaq and Penny thing was going on when I was a kid, but I switched over to LA.  I also watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I watch tennis sometimes.

One Word Answers

Favorite TV Show: The Game.

Favorite Movie Ever: American Gangster.

Your Order At Taco Bell: Five crunchy tacos and a Baja Blast.

Favorite All-Time Football Player: Mike Alstott.

Favorite Drink: Hawaiian Punch.

Song On Your ipod That People Wouldn’t Think: My Gospel tracks.

What’s Worse, Doctor or Dentist? Dentist.

Favorite Cartoon Character: Scooby Doo.

Toppings On a Pizza: Pepperoni.

Name The Other Cast Members Besides Scooby: (laughs) Fred, Shaggy, Velma, and the other one…  Daffney I think?

If this YSU group that Slocum has assembled can stay together for the next few years, expect more wins and dare I say competing for championships.  Blake Allen has the mindset to be a key component in the development of a very young team and has some fire power around him to ride the wave of the ascent.

Sophomore Brandi Brown tied her career high with 29 points and the Youngstown State women’s basketball team made some key free throws down the stretch to beat Valparaiso 61-55 on Thursday night at the Athletics Recreation Center.

The win on the road was the first for the Penguins away from the Beeghly Center since March 8, 2008, which came at UIC. It also snaps a 22-game Horizon League losing streak dating back to a win over the Crusaders at the Beeghly Center on March 7, 2009.

The Penguins are now 3-13 overall and improve to 1-4 in the Horizon League while Valpo drops to 3-13 and 0-4.

Brown was 12-of-19 on the night and also finished with 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Brown had previously scored 29 points earlier this year against IPFW.

Kenya Middlebrooks finished with 13 points while Boki Dimitrov added 11 in a winning effort. Combined from the free-throw line, those two players were 10-of-12. Valpo’s Betsy Adams was the only Crusader to reach double figures as she finished with 20.

The Penguins came out strong from the opening tap and never trailed in the contest.

Youngstown State came out and took control of the game early scoring 16 of the first 19 points taking a 16-3 lead at the 14:07 mark on a Brown basket.

YSU opened the game scoring the first five points before Valpo got on the scoreboard on a 3-pointer by Adams. But the Guins scored the next 11 points as Brown scored the first five, Dimitrov and Nortey each followed with layups and then Brown capped the run with a jumper.

The Crusaders cut the deficit to 18-15 as the Guins picked up just two points on a Middlebrooks bucket in a 9:06 span.

YSU led 23-17 with 4:23 left following two Middlebrooks free throws and a 3-pointer by Dimitrov. Adams pulled the Crusaders with three on a 3-pointer, but the Guins scored five straight to go back in front by eight. Valpo drained two 3-pointers in the final 2:12 to get within four at the break.

The Guins held on to lead 30-26 at the break. YSU shot 40.7 percent in the first half making 11-of-27 attempts while Valpo shot 37 percent (10-of-27)

In the first 20 minutes, Brown had 14 points and six rebounds while Dimitrov and Middlebrooks each had seven points. The Penguins protected the ball well committing only four turnovers.

In the second half, Valpo cut the deficit to 32-30 in the early going, but six straight YSU points forced the Crusaders to play catchup the rest of the night.

Valpo had crept back to 53-49 with just over two minutes to go, but Brown’s putback of Tieara Jones miss put the Guins up six at the 2:02 mark.

On their next two possessions, the Crusaders missed a shot and threw an errant pass out of bounds.

Dimitrov stepped to the line and drained two free throws with 44.3 seconds left to put YSU ahead 57-49.

Valpo answered with a layup by Skyler Gick with 38.7 ticks left, but was forced to foul. With 35.4 seconds remaining Dimitrov split a pair of free throws, but Valpo’s Rashida Ray missed the front end of a one-and-one and Jones corralled the rebound and dished to Middlebrooks who was fouled.

Middlebrooks drained two free throws with 16.3 seconds left pushing the lead to 60-51. Valpo scored four straight points before Dimitrov split another pair of charity tosses with 4.7 seconds for the final margin.

The Penguins wrap up their Indiana road trip on Saturday afternoon when they visit Butler. Tipoff at Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. The contest can be heard on 570 WKBN.

Youngstown State University was coming off of a tough road trip.  The Penguins traveled to Valpo and Butler and lost both games, one a blowout and the other a nail-biter to the NCAA runner-up Bulldogs.  The cure for that kind of hangover came in the form of a tiny little-known school called Wilberforce.  The Bulldogs came to Youngstown struggling, and giving up boat loads of points in their losses. Youngstown State had little trouble and coasted to an 86-51 win.

In the first half, Youngstown State, not used to having any kind of size advantage, enjoyed playing the role of “big” for a change.  Usually the Penguins are outsized in the paint.  Damian Eargle, who leads the Horizon League with 2.9 blocks/game had a pair of rejections in the first two minutes.  In fact, YSU enjoyed 12 first half offensive rebounds.  The Penguins held a comfortable, but not overly-impressive, 39-26 lead at the intermission.  Eargle lead the way with 11 points in the half.  Devonte Maymon also had nine points.

By the 10-minute mark of the second half, YSU enjoyed an advantage of superior athleticism and a 65-34 lead.  This was when the game should have went to a continuous clock, like a pee-wee football game that gets out of control.  Wilberforce had cut the lead to twelve in the second half, but got no closer.

So was it the kind of game YSU needed at this stage of the season?  Absolutely.  From a “gather your senses and build some confidence”, standpoint, it was the kind of matchup to let Youngstown State know that they can dominate someone.  However, the intensity surely was absent, especially in the first half.  Cleveland State rolls in on Saturday and this public service announcement win will be better verified at about 10 P.M. Saturday.

Eargle (above) sat out much of the second half and finished the game with 16 points and nine boards.  Maymon knocked in 15, and Kendrick Perry had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.  The Penguins finished the game with every player scoring except Tre Brewer.  Youngstown State finished the contest with a 61-39 rebounding edge.  The school record for rebounds in a game is 62.

For Wilberforce, I suppose the opportunity to play a Division-I program is a thrill.  Tough night for the little school.  Darius Foster paced the Bulldogs with 15 points and six rebounds.

After the game, Jerry Slocum talked about the win.  “We worked on sharing the ball.  I think our guys have been doing a really good job on the glass, even this past road trip where we lost a couple of games.”

Kendrick Perry talked about the wide-open feeling.  “It was different tonight.  Because we run a motion offense, we got a lot of good looks.”