Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown State University’

Youngstown State University’s Lady Penguins returned home to face Butler Thursday.  The Bulldogs wore there special pink breast cancer awareness alternate road jerseys on the visit.  Butler got 34 points from Chloe Hamilton and came away with a 73-56 victory over the Penguins.

The Bulldogs came out of the gates fast with a 10-0 start.  The Butler lead would be as high as 16, but give Youngstown State some credit for hanging in there and cutting the halftime margin to 11.  Butler got big numbers from Hamilton who posted 20 first half points, five rebounds, and an assist.  Youngstown State, trailing 32-21 at the break, got eight from Brandi Brown.

In the first ten minutes of the second half, Butler outscored Youngstown State 24-12 to open up a 56-33 lead.  Alyssa Pittman hit a couple of threes for the Bulldogs to help compile the big lead for Butler.  Youngstown State cut the lead to 14 on some good defense when Kenya Middlebrooks and Macey Nortey each had a steal and Brandi Brown got a couple of transition baskets.  Hamilton (above), however, hit a couple of free throws to put Butler ahead 59-43.

Tieara Jones fouled out with 7:25 left in the game.  Jones had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist for YSU.  With 5:21 left in the game, Hamilton again got fouled and hit two more free throws to put Butler ahead 66-46.  Monica Touvelle had one of her best games as a Penguin with 9 points.

When asked why he left Jones in the game with four fouls, Coach Bob Boldon replied, “I looked down the bench for our 6’4″ replacement player, but she wasn’t there, so I had to leave the 6’1″ player with four fouls in the game. Call it insanity for leaving the 6’1″ player in the game with four fouls, but I am insane.  If we don’t have both Brandi and Tieara in the game we get eaten alive on the boards, so I have to take my chances and leave them in as much as possible.”

With the loss, Youngstown State fell to 3-20 and 1-11 in conference play.  Brown took high scoring honors for YSU, while limping with an apparent right leg injury most of the game,  with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

Butler improved to 15-9 and 9-3 in Horizon League play.  Hamilton finished the game with 34 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs in the win.  Senior, Brittany Bowen (below) also had 12 points and eight rebounds for Butler.

After the game, Coach Boldon talked about the struggles his team faced for a second consecutive contest.  “We just miss shots and turn the ball over.  I have never lost that many games in a season in my life.  Apparently, we are coming out not ready to play.  If an athlete comes not ready to play, there is something seriously wrong.”

Tisha Hill, former Youngstown State Coach, returned to Beeghly as a Butler assistant coach.  ” I have very fond memories of my time here.  It was weird being in the visitors locker room, it’s noisy in there. It felt good to come back and everyone welcomed me back with open arms proving just how special of a place this is.”

Senior Vytas Sulskis (above) tied a career scoring high with 26 points but the Youngstown State men’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought decision to Wright State, 74-70, on Monday evening at the Nutter Center.

Sulskis, who scored 20 points in the first half, made his first nine field goals and six 3-point attempts while freshman Kendrick Perry scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and dished out seven assists.

The Guins also made 11 3-pointers and shot 42.3 percent from behind the arc. It marked the sixth time this season the Guins made at least 10 3-pointers in a contest.  The Penuins, who shot 52.1 percent from the field fall to 8-16 overall and 2-12 in the Horizion League while Wright State improves to 17-9 overall and 8-4 in the league.

In a game that featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes and a lead of no more than five points by either team, Wright State’s Cole Darling converted two free throws with 1:18 to go to give the Raiders a 69-68 lead for the games final lead change.  WSU’s N’Gai Evans’ steal and layup gave the Raiders a 71-68 lead with 1:01 to go.

Perry brought the Penguins within one, 71-70, with a at jumper with 37 seconds remaining, but Evans added two more charity tosses to extend the lead back to three points, 73-70,, with 17 seconds to go.  Junior Ashen Ward’s game-tying 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left was off the mark and the Raiders’ Matt Vest made one of two free throws for the final score of the game, 74-70.

The Guins shot a blistering 62.5 percent in the first half but committed 11 turnovers that the Raiders turned into 15 points and the first half had nine ties and six lead changes.  The Raiders’ largest lead was four-points, 11-7 on a 3-pointer by Vest while the Guins’ largest lead was four points at three different times in the first half.

Ward made a jumper at the 7:11 mark to go up 25-21, then made a 3-pointer with 5:00 to go to take a 31-27 advantage and Perry made a layup with 4:05 left to to up 33-29.  The Raiders outscored the Guins, 11-7, to close out the half to take a 40-38 lead at the intermission

Butler comes to town once a year, like Santa Clause.  Youngstown State fans may like Christmas, but this whole Butler thing was turning into a major headache.   The Penguins were not intimidated by history or record and found a way to claw back from an eight-point deficit to put up a dramatic 62-60 win over Butler.

In the first half, Youngstown State did all they could to keep the Bulldog offense to a minimum.  In fact, the Penguins held a first half lead behind a ten-point effort from Damian Eargle.  Butler got nine points in the opening half from Andrew Smith and six from Shelvin Mack, but Youngstown State went into the locker room with a 25-22 lead.

In the second half, YSU came out and immediately hit a pair of three-point shots to open the lead to 31-22, their biggest lead.  Butler nipped away at the margin, but YSU again built the lead to nine with just over 17 minutes remaining.  At that point, Hahn and Mack started making just about anything they were throwing up from long distance.  An alternation of the two Bulldog shooters produced a 57-52 lead with 4:04 left in the game.

YSU showed life and heart clawing their way back from eight down, capped off when Kendrick Perry hit a big three with 20.9 seconds to go in the game giving YSU a 62-60 lead and driving the crowd of about 3,000 into a mad frenzy.  Eargle was fouled on an inbound with 6.1  seconds left but neither team was in the bonus.  Youngstown State inbounded again and fouled Blake Allen with 2.2 seconds left, allowing the Penguins to have a chance to win this game from the free throw line.  Allen missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Butler threw the rebound away.  Ashen Ward was fouled with 1.6 seconds left in the game and Ward had the chance to ice the game for the upset.  Ward could not connect, but Butler could not get off a quality shot.

Butler lost their third in a row and fell to 14-9 and 6-5 in the Horizon League.  The Bulldogs got 18 points from Mack and 12 from Matt Howard (above).  The Bulldogs lost valuable ground to Cleveland State in the chase for the Horizon League title.

Youngstown State got a big game from Eargle who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.  K Perry ended up with 14, and Allen had 11.  Also to be noted, Ashen Ward’s nine points were clutch.  The Penguins improved to 8-14 and 2-10 in the league.

Coach Jerry Slocum commented on Eargle’s performance.  “All of the guys played great and really showed heart.  Damian [Eargle] had a tremendous game.  He guarded both of their big guys and really showed progress from the beginning of the year when he was getting thrown around.”

“I am so proud and happy for our kids. We have been in close games all year and in this one we showed some toughness and didn’t buckle.  Butler is the prominent team in this league and they have great talent and a great coach.  It’s one of our biggest wins since I have been here and I really couldn’t be prouder”, remarked Slocum after the upset win.

YSU hosts Valparaiso on Saturday at 7:05.

Youngstown State sophomore forward Brandi Brown scored 24 points and had seven rebounds, but Cleveland State shot 54.2 percent from the field and used a big second-half effort to hand the Penguins an 86-65 loss on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.

With the win, Cleveland State improves to 12-8 overall and 4-4 in the Horizon League. The Penguins are now 3-17 and 1-8.

On the heels of her peformance, Brown has now scored 707 points while grabbing 503 rebounds in her 50-game Penguins career. She is the just the third player in school history to score 700 points and grab 500 rebounds during her sophomore campaign.  Also for the Penguins, Kenya Middlebrooks scored 16 points, 15 of which came in the first half while Bojana Dimitrov had 13.

Both teams had an impressive first half offensively.  YSU shot 53.8 percent making 14-of-26 from the field while connecting on 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) 3-point attempts. CSU made 18-of-34 attempts (52.9 percent), most coming from inside the paint.

The Vikings scored 30 of their 47 points in the paint and held an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points. On the other hand, the Penguins scored 21 points from behind the 3-point arc compared to just six from deep by CSU.  Both teams combined to go 16-19 from the free-throw line as well.

YSU scored the first four points of the game, but following a 8-0 run by the Vikings had to play catch up the remainder of the half. The Guins cut the deficit to 8-7 on a three-point play by Bojana Dimitrov before the Vikings scored the next five to go on top 13-7.  The Penguins tied the game at 13 scoring the next six points, but CSU scored 11 of the next 14 points grabbing a 24-16 advantage at the midway point of the half.

With 5:07 left before halftime, the Guins pulled within 31-29 on a Middlebrooks 3-pointer.

The Vikings scored 30 of their 47 points in the paint and held an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points. On the other hand, the Penguins scored 21 points from behind the 3-point arc compared to just six from deep by CSU.

YSU cut the deficit to 37-36 on a Brown putback at 3:08 and was within 42-39 on a triple by Middlebrooks with a minute to go. The Vikings scored the next five points, but Middlebrooks drained another three just before the buzzer to pull YSU within 47-42 at halftime.

The Vikings scored the first 11 points of the second half and the Penguins could not get back in the game. After falling behind 58-42, YSU was only able to get within 14, at 60-46 on a 3-pointer by Brown at the 16:16 mark.

The Penguins return to the road on Thursday when they visit Milwaukee. Tipoff for the contest between YSU and the Panthers is set for 8 p.m.

Anyone who drives on Route 422 to get to or from Youngstown State University will notice a huge structure being erected.  That structure will be called the WATTS, as many of the local readers already know.  Tim Stuart (above) will be in charge of many of the scheduling and personnel decisions as well as the day-to-day operations of the center.  I recently got a chance to interview Stuart about the facility and learned many interesting points that I did not know.

Paneech: I called the new facility the WATTS Center when I first learned about the plans to build it, and Matt Morrone nearly took my head off correcting me.  Why is it wrong to call this place the WATTS Center?

Stuart: WATTS stands for Watson and Tressel Training Site.  So if you called it the WATTS Center, you would be calling it a training site center.  It would get a little redundant, so we just call it the WATTS.

Paneech: How long before it opens and what will it be used for?

Stuart: We anticipate the facility not being used until May.  With some of the inclement weather we have had this past Fall and so far, this Winter, things have gotten backed up a little bit.  Once it opens, it will be used for all of our sports and we anticipate it being used 365 days a year.  It will be used by recreation and intramural sports.  There will be a 300 meter track, a 7500 square foot mezzanine on top of our offices that we will be utilizing for batting cages and stuff like that.

Paneech: Was the concept developed as a way to keep up with the Joneses or was it designed out of necessity?

Stuart: A little bit of both actually.  It will most definitely be used as a recruiting tool against the Kents and Akrons.  It is a great tool for us.  Regardless of weather, it allows all of our athletes to train in a climate-controlled environment.  If we get a week of rain in April, our baseball and softball teams can be in there practicing.

Paneech: The average distance of a centerfield fence is about 400, is there space for all that, or will it just be fungo and cages?

Stuart: There is netting that will be draped.  The netting is so tight that you will not be able to hit a golf ball through it.  It contains a full-length football field, or 120 yards from the back of one end zone to the back of the other end zone.  Obviously, they will not be able to play a baseball game because it isn’t a full field, but many simulations can be accommodated by the great amount of space between the walls.  Hitting, pitching, and fielding practice will be just like practicing outside.

Paneech: So how long before Hively Construction throws you guys the keys and says you can start moving in?

Stuart: We are still, a few months away.  The in-ground heating is in. (*Note – The heat will be on the ground and move upward toward the ceiling not to lose much for optimum temperature control. )  We are almost done with the windows and once everything gets enclosed we will be able to really get rolling.

Paneech: Tell me what your role is.

Stuart: I have been appointed to be the manager of the facility.  I will be overseeing the scheduling as well as coordinating what will simultaneously take place in Beeghly and Stambaugh.  Whether that is scheduling practices, basketball events at Beeghly, football events at Stambaugh, or whatever is coming must be coordinated by us.  With the renovation of Kilcawley Center, all three of these facilities are going to be used more than ever.  We will be in charge of scheduling camps for our programs as well.  In the past, camps have always been restricted to the two facilities and trying to coordinate intramural activities and regular practices was becoming more and more of a challenge.  The WATTS will eliminate many of these overcrowding problems and time conflicts.

Paneech: Because it generates the most money traditionally, will football be the top priority or is there more of an even-split attitude about who gets first use of the facility?

Stuart: It is an all-sports facility.  Obviously when football is in-season, it will take precedence over other sports, but it is so big that as long as there is coordination between the coaches, there will be enough room for multiple sports at any time.  Football can be on the field having practice and baseball pitchers and hitters can be throwing and hitting on the mezzanine at the same time.  We now can stretch things out a little with the extra facility so everyone will have a place for adequate practice times and conditions.

Tom Morella, the Assistant Athletic Director, spoke about the WATTS opening soon as well.  “I really can’t wait for the day we can get in there.  It will make everything in the two existing buildings smoother as far as time commitments.  It is a nightmare in Stambaugh and Beeghly Center some days because there just isn’t enough space for everything.  This facility is a tremendous asset to not only the sports programs, but also for the students.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.”