Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown State University’

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 sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess (above) was selected as the team’s John Delserone Most Valuable Player and Outstanding Offensive Player while senior defensive tackle Andrew Johnson was tabbed the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player for the 2011 season.

Hess (Dayton, Ohio) was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection becoming the first quarterback in school history and just the second sophomore in league history to earn the honor. For the season he set the school record for single-season touchdown passes (26), completion percentage (64.5), 200-yard games (eight), touchdown passes in consecutive games (11) and touchdown passes in a game (five vs. Missouri State). Hess had a career-high 187 completions for a career-best 2,468 yards during the campaign.

He is the first Penguin since Brandon Summers in 2008 to earn top offensive player and team MVP in the same season.

Johnson (Detroit, Mich.) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was named the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player and Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the Year. led the team with 6.5 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss. It was the most sacks registered in a regular season since Harry Deligianis had seven in 1997. He finished the year with 39 total tackles, including 27 solo stops. It marks the second straight year that a senior defensive tackle (Torrance Nicholson in 2010) has received both honors.

Junior center Mark Pratt (Tooele, Utah) was a second-team All-MVFC selection in 2011 and was tabbed the team’s Jim Zdelar Offensive Lineman of the Year. Pratt started all 11 games at center in his first year with the program. He was the leader of an offensive line that helped the Guins average a school-record 36.2 points per game and a school-best 458.6 total offensive yards per game.

Sophomore punter Nick Liste (Niles, Ohio) was named the Jeff Wilkins/Paul McFadden Specialist of the Year. Liste averaged 39.8 yards per punt on 53 attempts. Of his 53 attempts, 16 were placed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line while eight went for 50 yards or more.

Senior quarterback Marc Kanetsky (Hubbard, Ohio) was named the recipient of the Dr. Pat Spurgeon Torch Bearer Award and the Four Square Academic Award. Kanetsky was a four-year special teams standout as the team’s holder on placement kicks. He also served as a reserve quarterback and threw touchdown passes as a sophomore and a senior.

Sophomore Torrian Pace (Chantilly, Va.) was selected to receive the Dr. Neal R. Frost Outreach Man of the Year Award. Pace was a reserve tailback and member on special teams for the Penguins in 2011. He has been active on campus as a member of the YSU SAAC the past three years.

Senior tight end David Rogers (Kent, Ohio) was named the Ron Stoops Most Inspirational Player. A fifth-year senior, Rogers wore No. 13 during the season to honor a friend who was killed in Afghanistan. Rogers also returned to be a key contributor following a severe injury in the 2009 season finale at North Dakota State.

Freshman wide receiver Christian Bryan (Irwin, Pa.) was selected as the program’s Newcomer of the Year. Bryan, an honorable-mention All-MVFC pick and member of the conference’s all-newcomer team, led all of FCS freshman with 719 receiving yards in 2011. He was one of 20 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the nation’s top FCS freshman.

Also, for their efforts in the 56-14 Homecoming victory over Western Illinois, the starting offensive line of Andrew Radakovich, Lamar Mady, Pratt, Chris Elkins, and Eric Franklin were the recipients of the YSU Football Alumni Group’s Difference Maker Award.

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.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team went on a 20-5 run early in the second half and hung on to defeat Ohio, 55-47, on Friday evening at the Convocation Center.  The Penguins hit 10 of their first 13 shots in the second half and outshot the Bobcats 43.5 percent to 31.1 percent in the game.  YSU improves to 5-4 while Ohio drops to 3-5. The Penguins defeated the Bobcats for the third straight time, and YSU has now won four straight road games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

YSU’s Heidi Schlegel (above) scored a game-high and team-high 21 points, and both Liz Hornberger and Schlegel hit three triples apiece.  Brandi Brown was held to eight points, ending a stretch of 29 straight games with at least 10 points.  Tenishia Benson had 14 points to lead Ohio.

Youngstown State built a 24-22 lead at halftime, and the Penguins took a 44-29 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Schlegel.  Macey Nortey then hit a lay-up to make the score 46-32 with 10:51 left, but YSU cooled down and had to rely on its defense for the rest of the period.  Ohio scored the next seven points to cut the margin to 46-39 on Benson’s back-door basket with 8:19 left.  Schlegel ended a four-and-a-half minute scoring drought for YSU with two free-throws at the 6:20 mark, and Ohio’s first points in four minutes made the score 48-42.

Youngstown State played a sluggish first half in which they committed 13 turnovers and saw two of its top three scorers go scoreless, but the Penguins led 24-22 at the break. YSU was 6-for-13 from 3-point range in the opening period, but it was just 3-for-12 inside the arc.

Schlegel scored all seven of her first-half points in-a-row for YSU, and her 3-pointer at the 6:23 mark gave YSU an 18-14 advantage. That sparked a 9-0 run for the Penguins, which was capped by another Hornberger 3-pointer that made the score 24-16 with 3:42 remaining.

Ohio’s last lead came at 14-13 with 7:25 remaining in the first half, and YSU led for all but 17 seconds in the second half.

After an eight-day break for finals week, Youngstown State will wrap-up its MAC tour with a game at Akron on Dec. 18. Tipoff against the Zips is set for 2 p.m.

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.

The Youngstown State football team will open the 2012 season at Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, then have a three-game homestand, featuring contests against two FCS playoff squads, the Athletic Department announced on Monday. YSU also has three consecutive games against teams who reached the postseason this year.

YSU has previously traveled to Heinz Field (above) to play the Panthers in 2005 and 2009 and this will mark the eighth consecutive year that the Penguins have played a BCS-member school. Pitt will be in the second season under Head Coach Todd Graham. In 2011, the Panthers posted a 6-6 mark and were invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl against SMU. They have been accepted into the Atlantic Coast Conference, however, it has not been announced if they will join the league this fall. If they are member of the ACC in 2012, it will be the program’s first meeting against a member of that conference.

Things rev up when Youngstown State returns home to face Valparaiso (above) in the home opener on Sept. 8. It marks the second straight season the Penguins and Valpo will meet in the home opener at Stambaugh Stadium. The Crusaders were much improved in the final month of the season, snapping a nearly three-season losing streak with a win over Campbell and suffering a narrow loss at Davidson in the season finale.

The Penguins play three straight games against 2011 FCS playoff foes beginning with their first-ever meeting against Albany. The co-champions of the Northeast Conference, the Great Danes went 8-4 in 2011 dropping a 31-28 contest in the first round of the playoffs at Stony Brook. Albany led that contest 28-10 in the third quarter. The Great Danes are coached by Bob Ford who has 255 career victories in 39 seasons.

YSU opens its 16th season of Missouri Valley Football Conference action against UNI on Sept. 24 at Stambaugh. The Penguins have lost the past two games to the Panthers by four points each, while four of the last five contests have been decided by a total of 10 points.  While the Penguins get a Saturday off on Sept. 29, the schedule does not lighten up in the coming weeks.

For the second consecutive year, YSU returns to Fargo to face co-league champion North Dakota State on Oct. 6. The Penguins knocked off the then-No. 1 Bison, 27-24, on Nov. 12 at the Fargodome this past season. Of the six all-time meetings, none have been decided by more than eight points.

Youngstown State continues road MVFC play on Oct. 13 at Illinois State. The Redbirds won seven games in 2011, with their lone home defeat coming in double overtime to UNI on the season’s final regular-season Saturday. YSU defeated Illinois State 34-27 early in the conference opener for both school’s in 2011. The home team has won each of the past four meetings.

A return to Youngstown features a contest against Southern Illinois on Oct. 20. The Penguins have beaten the Salukis the past two years and will be going for their first three-game winning streak in the series since the late 1990’s. YSU’s 35-23 win in 2011 was its biggest over SIU since 2002.

The Penguins head back out on the road looking for their first win at South Dakota State since 1974 on Oct. 27. The Jackrabbits have won all four MVFC clashes with the Penguins since they joined the league in 2008. In 2011, YSU led 28-21 before SDSU scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for the victory.

Another first-time foe for the Penguins visits the Ice Castle on Nov. 3 in South Dakota. The Coyotes will be in their inaugural season of play in the MVFC in 2012. USD was 6-5 in 2011 with a win over defending FCS Champion Eastern Washington. South Dakota spent the past four seasons in the Great West Conference while making the transition from a Division II to FCS program.

The final regular-season road showdown of the year is at Western Illinois on Nov. 10. The Penguins have won seven of the last eight meetings with the lone blemish a 40-38 defeat in Macomb in 2009. This past campaign, YSU rolled to a 56-14 win over the Leathernecks to earn its 16th win in the all-time series. It will mark the 28th meeting between the two programs making WIU the second-most played foe in school history behind Akron(35 games).

The final regular-season contest is at Stambaugh Stadium against Indiana State on Nov. 17. The much-improved Sycamores are coming off back-to-back six win seasons for the first time since 1995-96. ISU held on for a 37-35 win over the Penguins this past September after jumping out to a 21-0 lead. They feature Walter Payton Award Finalist and MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Shakir Bell. YSU still leads the all-time series 18-3.

The first-round of the FCS playoffs is set to get underway on Nov. 24. A date for the National Championship Game has yet to be announced.

In 2012 and 2013, the Penguins will not face Missouri State. YSU and the Bears had played every year since 1996.

As always, season tickets for the upcoming season are available now in the Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

2012 Schedule

Sept. 1 at Pittsburgh

Sept. 8 vs. Valparaiso

Sept. 15 vs. Albany

Sept. 22 vs. UNI*

Sept. 29 (IDLE)

Oct. 6 at North Dakota State*

Oct. 13 at Illinois State*

Oct. 20 vs. Southern Illinois*

Oct. 27 at South Dakota State*

Nov. 3 vs. South Dakota*

Nov. 10 at Western Illinois*

Nov. 17 vs. Indiana State*

Nov. 24 FCS Playoffs

*MVFC Contest

Red = Home, Black = Away

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.

The Youngstown State men’s and women’s track and field teams opened the WATTS on a very high note on Friday at the YSU Invitational. It was the first meet held in the new state-of-the-art facility.  Participating in the event were Duquesne, Robert Morris, Buffalo State, Slippery Rock, Clarion, and John Carroll.

Bobby Grace won the shot put with a career-best toss of 17.73 meters. Grace’s mark was the third-longest toss in school history. John Seaver was second with a 15.53 and Benjamin Goodnight was fifth at 14.68m. The Penguins took the top four places in the men’s weight throw. George Thomas was first with a throw of 17.19 meters, Grace was second at 16.33m, Caleb Schwan was third at 16.08m and Goodnight was fourth at 15.64m.

Katrina Rettburg took first place in the high jump with a leap of 1.71 meters. Rettburg’s jump was just .02 meters shy of her school mark which she set last yaer. YSU’s Makayla Martin was second at 1.68m while Leanna Hartsough was third at 1.62m.  Laura Kosiorek won the 60m hurdles with a career-best time of 8.85 seconds.  Nichole Rymer was third with a time of 9.01 seconds.

Martin Solomon won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.29 seconds while Clay Febus was second with a personal-best mark of 8.36 seconds. Solomon placed seventh in the 400-meter dash.  Brandon Pasvanis was second in the men’s mile with a time of 4:37.90 while Aron Korir was fourth at 4:51.91.

YSU soccer player Heather Coonfare was the Penguins’ top finisher in the mile run with a time of 5:40.34. Coonfare placed fourth out of nine runners.  Aaron Hartsough placed second in the high jump with a leap of 1.92 meters. The Penguins’ Megan Wesner tied for fourth with a toss of 13.55 meters in the weight throw in her collegiate debut.  In the women’s shot put, Alison Roth was second with a toss of 13.92 meters while KaiCee Kubicina was fourth with a throw of 12.42 meters.

In the women’s 800-meter, Alexis Cooper was fourth with a time of 2:28.09 while Coonfare was fifth clocking a time of 2:29.42.  In the women’s 200-meter dash, Taylor Entzi was fifth with a time of 26.30 seconds while Alexis Washington was sixth at 26.37 seconds. In the long jump, Kendall Homan was fifth with a leap of 5.19 meters.

Brittany Stockmaster finished fourth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 11:36.25.

In the 4×400-meter relay (above photo, courtesy Ron Stevens), the YSU women were first with a time of 4:05.2 finishing ahead of Duquesne. Running for the women were Washington, Entzi, Alteeka Vanwright and Nichole Pachol. In the 400-meter relay for the men, YSU placed third.

The Penguins return to action on Jan. 13 when they participate in the Akron Quad.