Trevor Hoffman will probably enter the Hall of Fame on the first vote.  He will also probably go into the Hall as a San Diego Padre since he has already accepted a job working in San Diego’s front office. Is the office offering the way for the Padres front office to ease their own conscious as the team who pretty much gave up on Hoffman at the end of the 2008 season, yanking a $4 million option year away.  The reliever, who had one of his kidneys removed when he was only five years-old, got the bulk of his Hall of Fame statistics with the Padres… but…

Yeah, I have heard the arguments before…  it was a business move by the Padres.  So was the trade that got Hoffman in one of their uniforms as Gary Sheffield and anyone else worth money was sent away for prospects in 1993.  San Diego was lucky to even acquire him from Florida.  So should Hoffman go in as a Marlin?  Nah.

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Hoffman in the 11th Round of the 1989 amateur entry draft.  He was originally drafted as an infielder, but after batting only .212 through his first 103 games, Charleston Manager, Jim Lett, suggested he take up pitching.  Maybe Hoffman should go in as a Cincinnati Reds player and have Jim Lett give his induction speech.  Nah.

Before the 2009 season, Hoffman signed a $6 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.  Despite starting the season on the DL, Hoffman made the All-Star team and ended the year with 37 saves.  The Brewers re-signed Hoffman, but as the laws of nature would have it, Hoffman finally hit the wall.

What makes this whole point compelling (about Hoffman going in as a Brewer) is the fact that they found ways to get him his 600th save.  Milwaukee has found a closer in John Axford. Yet, every chance the Brewers had in the second half of the season, they would insert Hoffman for a gift save.  Gifts, that is what Hoffman’s last ten saves were.  Had he been in San Diego, they may have sent him somewhere again to dump his salary and conduct what seems like an every third year fire sale of Padres.  Not Milwaukee…  They stuck it out and let the all-time saves leader tack a few more on.  Go in as a Brewer.

The Youngstown Phantoms (11-18-2,24pts) fell to the Muskegon Lumberjacks (13-11-6,32pts) 6-2 on Friday night at the L.C. Walker Arena.   Mike Ambrosia scored his first power play goal of the year and Jordan Young picked up two assists in his first game back since December 31.

After failing to score on their first power play of the period, the Phantoms did not waste their second man advantage when Mike Ambrosia scored to put the Phantoms up 1-0. The goal was assisted by Stu Higgins and Young. The go ahead goal was scored with 5:09 left in the period. Just over a minute later, the Lumberjacks responded and tied the game at one on a goal by Isaac Kohls. The Phantoms continued to pressure Jacks netminder Paul Berrafato, but they could not find their second goal of the period and both teams went into the break tied at one. The Phantoms outshot Muskegon 14-11 and were 1 for 2 on the man advantage.

“I thought the first period was very even,” said Head Coach Curtis Carr. “Each team had their opportunities but both goalies played well to keep the game tied.”

An unusually quiet period between the Phantoms and Lumberjacks resulted in no penalties against either team but three unanswered goals by the Jacks sent the Phantoms into the break down 4-1. With 3:10 remaining in the frame, Alexx Privitera beat Matthew O’Connor with a wrist shot from the near circle. Less than a minute later, Mike Moran scored on a rebound in front of the Phantoms net to put Muskegon up 3-1. With 15 seconds left in the second period, Muskegon scored their fourth unanswered goal as Charlie Taft took a centering pass and beat O’Connor to put the Lumberjacks up 4-1 heading into the final period. The Phantoms were outshot 16-7 in the frame and trailed in shots 27-21.

“We had three bad breakdowns in the second,” said Carr. “We got away from our game plan and made some bad decisions with the puck. We tried to make some highlight real plays and they hurt us.”

The Phantoms peppered Berrafato with 13 shots but could not find the back of the net in the first 14 minutes of the third period. With 5:47 remaining in the period, Lumberjacks forward Isaac Kohls scored his second goal of the game to put the Phantoms down 5-1. With 4:18 left in the game, the Lumberjacks added another goal, this one from Chris Lochner, to put the Phantoms down 6-1. Phantoms forward Higgins was able to score on the power play, giving the Phantoms two power play goals on the night. The goal was assisted by Kevin Liss and Young at 1:37. To no one’s surprise, this rivalry continued to heat up as a total of 14 penalty minutes were issued in the final 2:30 of play. The shot totals were 40-36 in favor of the Phantoms.

“You have to give their goalie a lot of credit,” said Carr. “We know we need to put pucks and bodies on the net. Our game plan focuses around that and their goalie played extremely well stopping 38 of 40 shots.”

The Phantoms will take on Team USA tomorrow night at 7:00p.m. (EST). The Phantoms are 1-0-1 against the National Development Program this season and the most recent matchup came last week as the Phantoms fell 4-3 in their first shootout of the season.

“It should not be too hard to motivate our guys for tomorrow,” said Carr. “Anytime you play a team as good as the National Team you know you need to bring your best game. We know we need to be better and I expect us to be ready to go.”

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.

Ty Loney is still learning how to put on a serious face when he has to.  His father, Troy Loney, was a member of the great Pittsburgh Penguins championship teams of the 1990’s.  Loney, like his team, has been through an emotional circus this season.  He missed some games when he was injured, but says he is healthy and ready to go.  Don’t think Ty is getting a chance to skate at this level because of his last name, he is good on his own merits.  College scouts, pay attention, he is unsigned.  The thing someone who doesn’t spend much time around Loney would notice is that he battles not to smile.  I got to catch up with Ty after a recent practice at the Ice Zone.

Paneech: Do you have a college in mind, or are you open to whoever offers?

Loney: Not really.  Obviously, the big name schools are in the back of your mind.  It is all pretty much based on what the school is looking for at that time.  I am talking to schools, it’s not like anything isn’t happening.  Hopefully, within the next couple of months, I will know more.  If I don’t get a scholarship this year, I would probably keep playing in the USHL.

Paneech: Do you think scouts are waiting to see if you can play a healthy stretch?

Loney: I guess, yeah.  I have been under the radar a little bit, so I have to keep playing hard.  As long as the team is playing well and we can keep winning, that would be the best thing for me.

Paneech: You are on a real productive line with Jiri Sekac and Cody Strang.  Is the chemistry natural or do you guys work hard at practice to be in sync?

Loney: It is chemistry.  On and off the ice, me, Strang, and Jiri gel really well together.  The coaches help us out a lot and I think we all gain confidence by feeding off of each others energy.

Paneech: Your father was an NHL All-Star in Pittsburgh.  Does he push hockey or college on you, and what is he doing these days?

Loney: My father is in pharmaceutical management.  He is still around the game and coaches my little brother.  He coached me all of my life.  As far as the education part goes, I don’t know.  I might get involved in marketing or teaching, I’m really pretty wide-open.  My goal is to get the best education at the best possible hockey school.

Paneech: All of those big names:  Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Stevens, Mark Recchi…  Who did you get to like out of those guys?

Loney: Well, I was about two years old whenever that happened.  I skate with the alumni guys and have gotten to know a lot of them pretty well.  Bryan Trottier, um  Mr. Trottier is a really nice guy.  He is a lot of fun to be around and is very energetic and he was a great player.  He has been very fun to skate with at the alumni practices.

Paneech: Current NHL Hockey, are you a fan and do you watch?  Who do you like?

Loney: Yeah, I watch all the time.  My favorite player has got to be Rick Nash or Jerome Iginla.  I have always loved Iginla ever since he started in the league.  Both of my parents are from Alberta, and the Flames were the Alberta team, so I grew up on Iginla.  He is a hard worker and a goal-scorer, just a great guy to be around too.  I was lucky enough to meet him when I was younger.

Paneech: What has been your favorite part about Youngstown?

Loney: I love doing the community service stuff.  Me and Dylan [Margonari] were talking about it and we both really enjoy that.  We helped out at a school the other day, and it was just fantastic.  We would do as much of that stuff as we had the chance to.  As far as what we do when we aren’t tied up with hockey stuff, we just all like to hang out.  I’m 18 years old, so it’s not like we go hang out in bars as we are not old enough, nor really want to.  We will go eat, hang out at the mall, or play some video games.

Paneech: What is life on the road like?

Loney: I love the bus.  I don’t know what it is, but as soon as I get situated, I pass out on that thing.  I hit my bunk and it’s over.  Jiri [Sekac] doesn’t like the bus much.  He is right across from me and gets bored watching me sleep. I don’t mind the bus trips at all.

Paneech: What has it been like playing for Coach Carr?

Loney: He is a great coach and a great guy.  He wants the best out of all of us and even when it seems he is being hard on us, he is always right.  He is fun to be around and gets serious when he needs to be serious.  All of the coaches we have are positive role models trying to put us in the right direction.

Paneech: Who are the people on the team you are closest to, and conversely, who have you had problems with?

Loney: I get along really well with Jiri [Sekac].  We are both jokesters and like to have some fun when the time is right.  Me and [Ben] Paulides have some battles.  We are good friends, so everything always ends up fine.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meat: Steak.

Favorite Fast Food: Chik-Fil-A.

Toppings On A Pizza: Pepperoni.

Favorite Movie Ever: Anything with Will Smith. iRobot.

Ultimate Statistical Goal: A point per game.

Favorite Cereal: Captain Crunch.

Favorite Cartoon Character: Goofy or Bugs Bunny.

Favorite Season: Winter.

Sport You Played Other Than Hockey, Position: Baseball, Shortstop.

Whats Worse, Dentist Or Doctor? Doctor.

A Fruit You Absolutely Hate: Bananas.

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.”

The Youngstown State men’s basketball team tied a school single-game record with 14 3-pointers but dropped an 84-79 decision to Butler on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Penguins fall to 6-9 overall and 1-5 in the Horizon League while Butler improves to 12-5 overall and 4-1 in the league.

Sophomore Blake Allen tied a career-high with 17 points with five 3-pointers to lead the Penguins while junior Ashen Ward scored 15 points. Junior Devonte Maymon scored 13 points and senior Vytas Sulskis added 10 points with eight rebounds.

The game featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties with the last coming with 1:24 to go in the game when Maymon converted an old-fashioned three-point play.

After a tip-in by Butler’s Andrew Smith gave the Bulldogs an 81-79 lead, the Penguins had three different chances to tie the game but came up short and the Bulldogs made three free throws to seal the victory.

The Guins, who connected on 10-of-14 3-pointers in the second half, trailed by six, 72-66, with 7:15 to go but used a 10-2 run keyed by two 3-pointers by Ward and another by Allen to take a 76-74 edge with 4:07 to go.

But a 3-pointer and layup by Shelvin Mack gave the Bulldogs a 79-76 advantage before Maymon’s three-point play.

The Guins trailed by as many as nine points, 48-39, early with 17:58 left, but the Guins used a 22-5 run over the next 5:53 to take a 61-53 lead. During the run, the Guins hit six of their 10 second-half 3-pointers to take the lead.

Maymon and Blake each connected on two each while Ward and junior Dushawn Brooks each added a trey.

Butler, however, was able to regain the lead and scored 18 of the next 23 points to take a 72-66 lead.

The Guins return home to host Wilberforce, Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

The Youngstown Phantoms have been in a bad mood lately.  They have had more fights in their last three home games than they had all of the home games before that.  They are now playing with an edge, and that could be a good thing.  Saturday, the Phantoms welcomed the expansion Muskegon Lumberjacks to Youngstown.  Jiri Sekac buried a goal with just 44 seconds left in the game to keep Youngstown on a roll and propel the Phantoms to a 4-3 win over Muskegon.

The first period was filled with everything a hockey fan could ask for.  There was a decent fight between Quinn Smith of the Phantoms and Micki Mihailovich of Muskegon.  There were powerplays, shorthanded chances, good saves, and with 17:23 gone, there was even some scoring.

Muskegon broke the seal in this one when Charlie Taft connected from close range to beat Greg Lewis.  Taft’s goal was his eighth of the season and he was assisted by Kevin Albers and Jaycob Megna.

The Phantoms answered when Scott Mayfield scored unassisted less than a minute later at the 18:02 mark.  The Phantoms did not stop there.  Like a championship boxer trying to steal a round in the last 20 seconds, the Phantoms landed another big blow when Ty Loney gathered a loose puck and snuck it past Joel Vienneau to give the Phantoms a 2-1 lead.  Loney (below) was assisted by Ben Paulides and Cody Strang.

In the second period, the Phantoms tallied when Strang picked off a pass and raced to the Lumberjacks end beating Vienneau five-hole to put Youngstown ahead, 3-1.

The Phantoms held a 30-11 lead in shots on goal until they started picking up penalties.  Muskegon got a goal from Casey Thrush and a powerplay goal from Matt Berry.  Berry’s goal came during a 5-on-3 opportunity at the 17:41 mark of the second.  Berry was assisted by Alexx Privitera and Ryan Misiak on the game-tying goal.  By the end of the second period, The shots on goal were 32-20 in favor of Youngstown, but the score was deadlocked at three.

With under a minute left in regulation, Jiri Sekac delivered.  Sekac’s eighth goal was of the even-strength variety and was assisted by Loney and came with just 44 seconds remaining in the game.  The Phantoms win raised their record to 11-17-1  in winning their second in a row.

Loney talked about the pass that set up Sekac’s heroics.  “I was in the corner and the defense was collapsing toward me.  Jiri was open and I knew he could make that shot.”  Loney threw a good pass and the rest is history.

A pier six brawl ensued at the end of the game when at least four fights broke out at the buzzard.  The Phantoms are definitely playing with more attitude, and that’s a good thing.

After the game, Coach Carr talked about what has been different winning these close games.  “I actually thought we played better last night.  Our offense performed well and we got shots on goal, but we were more composed last night.  The difference lately has been partly because we are playing more physically.  We are not encouraging fights, but we are definitely being more physical.”

Ty Loney summed up the physicality issue very well.  “We are playing with an edge.  We needed these two wins as they will definitely help us in the standings, and yes, we are playing with a bit more intensity.”

In what could only be billed as a fair contest between Milwaukee and Youngstown State, the team that would make fewer mistakes would probably win.  Both teams came into Saturday’s game with nine game losing streaks.

In the first half, Milwaukee had a lead as large as 18 points.  Youngstown State carved and fought until that lead was shaved all the way down to  33-28 at intermission.  The Panthers used some good passing and kept finding open people to take shots in building a big first half lead.  Lindsay Laur had 11 points and Angela Rodriguez added 10 for Milwaukee.  YSU got a nice boost from Liz Hornberger who went three-of-three from three point range.  Hornberger fluttered into the game like a moth, but made an impact by half.  Brandi Brown also had 12 points and six rebounds.

In the second half, Youngstown State trimmed the deficit to one at 34-33 when Tieara Jones hit a basket.  Unfortunately for the Penguins, Milwaukee went on an 15-3 run and widened the margin 49-36 with 10:07 to go.  Kenya Middlebrooks hit a three, her first points of the game, at the 7:59 mark to make it 49-42.  Next trip down the court, Milwaukee turned it over and Macey Nortey hit a layup for her first points of the game to make it 49-44.  There were not a lot of people at Beeghly Center, but the ones that showed were loud and into the game.  Nortey would go on to score five points in a row for YSU, but with 5:00 left in the game, but Milwaukee would hold a 56-47 lead.

YSU, losers of 38 of their last 39 Horizon League games, scratched and clawed all they could but always seemed to be trailing by nine. With 2:08 left in the game, Milwaukee held a 62-52 lead.

Brown finished the game for Youngstown State with 22 points and eight rebounds.  Hornbereger finished with nine points, all in the first half, and Nortey contributed seven points (all in the second half).

Milwaukee got 19 from Lindsay Laur and 13 from Rodriguez.  Sami Tucker also scored 11 points and hauled in 11 boards for the Panthers.  The Panthers improved to 4-11, 1-3 in the league.

Brandi Brown talked about the loss for the Penguins.  “We dug ourselves a big hole in the first half .  We can’t do that and expect to fight back.  We know we can win and compete, but we have to get more consistent.”

Coach Boldon echoed the sentiments of Brown.  “Our offense was just miserable today.  We didn’t execute, we didn’t take care of the ball, and we got real tentative in the second half.  We also reverted to taking some crazy shots and passing up the good ones.  I was very frustrated.  To the halfway point in the season, we are about average.  This is a bad day to ask me that question because we were so bad today.  I think that the team is showing signs of improvement, but you can’t rebuild a program and expect to see improvement consistently each game.”

Sophomore Blake Allen scored a career-high 17 points and sophomore Damian Eargle added 15 points with eight rebounds and four blocks, but the Youngstown State men’s basketball team dropped a 79-55 decision to Valparaiso on Friday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

The Penguins fall to 6-8 overall and 1-4 in the Horizon League while the Crusaders improve to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon League.  Allen connected on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and converted 5-of-6 of his 3-point field goal attempts, including four treys in the second half.

After falling behind 15-5 in early in the first half, the Guins used their own 15-5 run to knot the game at 20-20 after a 3-pointer by junior Ashen Ward with 5:15 to go before halftime.  After a 3-pointer by Valparaiso’s Jay Harris, Eargle hit a jumper to cut the Crusaders’ lead down to one, but Harris drained another 3-pointer to put Valpo up four, 26-22, with 4:15 to go.

The Crusaders pushed its lead by to eight points, 34-26, but a free throw by Ward and another jumper by Eargle trimmed the deficit to five, 34-29, at halftime.  Valparaiso opened the second half on a 20-4 run over the first seven minutes to take a 21-point lead, 54-33, with 13 minutes left.

Allen hit three 3-pointers over the next minute-and-a-half and junior Devonte Maymon made a layup to cut the Crusader lead to 12, 56-44, with 10:34 to go but the Guins would get no closer.

The Penguins visit Butler, Sunday, Jan. 9, at 2 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.