| Team Effort Lifts Penguins to Third Straight Win |
| Saturday, January 31 2004 |
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| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball had four players score in double figures and for the second straight game had everyone who played score in a 71-61 non-league victory over IPFW on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. Senior Adam Baumann and freshman Mike Woodard finished 11 points while Andy Jahnke and Doug Underwood contributed 10 apiece giving YSU (7-12) its first three-game winning streak since February 2001. The Penguins came out of and grabbed a quick 2-0 lead on steal and layup by Khari McQueen and never trailed the entire game. In the first half, YSU led by as many as 15 points when Bill Mallernee scored to make the game 31-16 at the 4:23 mark. The Mastodons (3-17) chipped away at the lead and were behind 32-24 at halftime. To open the second half, IPFW pulled within six before YSU went on a 15-4 run to open the game up and take a 17-point lead with 12:03 left. The Mastodons battled back within 56-47 on a layup by David Simon, but that was as close as they could until the final buzzer. The Penguins again pushed their advantage back up to 17 at 66-49 with 2:26 on two Woodard free throws. For the game, YSU shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) while IPFW finished with 44.1 percent shooting (26-of-59). Youngstown State had a big advantage at the free-throw line going 19-of-30 while IPFW was just 6-of-14. The Mastodons earned a big rebounding margin 43-34. Leading the way for IPFW was Simon who scored a game-high 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting while also grabbing 17 rebounds. The Penguins return to Horizon League action on Thursday night when they travel to Detroit. YSU and the Titans are currently tied for sixth in the Horizon League at 3-6. |
| Radakovich's 3 Vaults Penguins Past Loyola, 76-75 |
| Friday, January 30 2004 |
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| Youngstown -- Youngstown State junior Brian Radakovich hit a key 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining in the second half and added two late free throws as the Penguins held on for a 76-75 victory over the Loyola Ramblers on Thursday evening. YSU (6-12, 3-7 Horizon League) led 45-37 at halftime, but Loyola (6-13, 2-7) took the lead at 53-51 and made the Penguins play the entire 40 minutes for the win as the lead changed nine times in the final 5:28 before YSU pulled ahead by two on Radakovich's 3. Loyola turned the ball over on an offensive foul on the ensuing possession and Radakovich and Doug Underwood hit four straight free throws to give the Penguins a 76-70 lead with 20 ticks on the clock. A Paul McMillan dunk got the Ramblers within four with 5.1 seconds remaining, and DaJuan Gouard hit a 3 with .5 seconds left after a YSU turnover for the final tally. Radakovich finished with a career-high 17 points, seven of which came in the final 4:17, to lead four Penguins in double figures. Also scoring in double digits were Underwood with 16, Adam Baumann with 11 and TeJay Anderson with 10. Demetrius Williams scored a game-high 18 points for the Ramblers while McMillan had 16, Blake Schilb had 13 and Gouard had 12. After Baumann hit a layup at the 19:34 mark of the second half to put YSU up 47-37, Loyola went on a 16-4 run to take a 53-51 lead after four straight points from Schlib with 12:30 remaining. The Ramblers held YSU to sinking just three of their first 14 shots of the half and forced six turnovers in the first 4:15. YSU reclaimed a three-point lead with 9:52 remaining after a Mike Woodard layup, but Loyola scored five unanswered points to take a 60-58 advantage. Anderson put YSU back on top by one with 5:28 remaining, but neither team could pull away as YSU and Loyola traded one-point leads four times before Radakovich's 3 put YSU on top for good. The Ramblers jumped out to an early 10-2 lead as all five starters scored a bucket by the 17:07 mark, but YSU got cut the lead to 14-12 with 14:03 remaining after back-to-back jumpers from Anderson and Radakovich. Loyola pulled ahead 20-14 with 12:24 remaining, but YSU went on an 11-2 run to take a 25-22 at the 9:04 mark. The Ramblers scored the next five to take a 27-25 advantage, but YSU went on another run as an Andy Jahnke 3-pointer put the Penguins ahead 38-30 with 3:54 on the clock. The Ramblers got within five twice before the end of the half, but YSU held a 45-37 at the break. Loyola outshot YSU 55 percent to 42 percent from the floor had 14 steals. YSU held the advantage in bench points at 38-8 and the rebounding advantage at 33-30. YSU will play host to IPFW on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff against the Mastodons is set for 2 p.m. |
| Bracket Buster Announcement Moved to Feb. 2 |
| Monday, January 26 2004 |
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| The ESPN Bracket Buster pairings announcement has been moved to Monday, Feb. 2. The schedule for the 23-game one-day event was previously scheduled to be announced on Sunday, Feb. 1, but because of Super Bowl coverage has been moved back to the evening of Feb. 2. The Youngstown State men's basketball team will play a road game at one of 16 sites on Saturday, Feb 21, and will have their opponent for that contest announced the night of the 2nd. |
| Second-Half Run Lifts YSU Over CSU, 61-59 |
| Saturday, January 24 2004 |
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| Cleveland, Ohio -- Trailing 32-26 early in the second half, the Youngstown State men's basketball team scored 12 unanswered points to take a lead it would not relinquish in a 61-59 victory over the Cleveland State on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center. Adam Baumann led the Penguins (5-12 overall and 2-6 in the Horizon League) with 17 points and seven rebounds while Doug Underwood finished with 16 to earn their first sweep over a Horizon League opponent. TeJay Anderson's layup with three minutes left put Youngstown State ahead 59-51, but it was the last basket of the game for the Penguins. The Vikings have now lost 13 straight. Youngstown State's Mike Woodward hit two key free throws with 1:27 left to make it 61-55 and keep the game out of reach for the Vikings (4-15 and 0-8). Jermaine Robinson's layup with 50 seconds left got Cleveland State within 61-57, and he cut the lead in half with another layup with 43 seconds to go. Youngstown State missed two shots in the final seven seconds but got the rebound each time, and Robinson's foul sent Underwood to the line with one second left. Underwood missed and Cleveland State's Patrick Tatham got the rebound as time ran out. Cleveland State was led by Robinson's 23 points who finished with a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds. CSU's Omari Westley also had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. YSU trailed 29-25 at halftime despite shooting just 32 percent from the field. In the second stanza, the Penguins warmed up shooting 48.3 percent by making 14-of-29 shots. For the contest Youngstown State shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54) while the Vikings shot 37.3 percent from the field (22-of-59). Both teams each made one 3-pointer. The Penguins return to action on Thursday night at the Beeghly Center when they play host to Loyola. |
| Horan's Three Beats Penguins In Overtime |
| Wednesday, January 21 2004 |
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| Youngstown -- Butler's Bruce Horan made a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime then made the game-winner with 10 seconds left in overtime as the Bulldogs snuck past the Youngstown State men's basketball team 67-66 on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins (4-12 overall and 1-6 in the Horizon League) led by seven with 6:02 and by five with 2:53 left in regulation but could not hold on as Butler (7-9 and 3-4) tied the game at 56 on Horan's first 3-pointer of the game with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, YSU took a 66-64 on Doug Underwood first basket of the game with 37 seconds left, but Horan stepped up again making his second 3-pointer of the overtime and third of the game. Horan's treys did not overshadow a valiant effort by Youngstown State. In a contest that featured 16 ties and 16 lead changes, the Penguins outshot Butler 46.3 to 42.4 and outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-26. Adam Baumann scored a team-high 18 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds for his eighth career double-double and Underwood added 12, including a 10-of-10 performance from the foul line. Andy Jahnke scored 11 points, including making three 3-pointers in the first half to keep YSU a game that was tied 23-23 at intermission. The Penguins used a spurt midway through the second half, but could not hold on. Trailing 40-39 with 10:14 remaining, YSU went on a 8-0 run to go ahead 47-40. Butler scored the next seven points to tie the game on a 3-pointer by Avery Sheets with 4:33 left. But YSU took a 54-49 lead with 2:53 remaining before Duane Lightfoot and Sheets baskets pulled the Bulldogs within one. Underwood made two foul shots with 13 seconds remaining before Horan drilled his game-tying 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left. For Butler, Lightfoot scored a game-high 25 points off the bench while Sheets had 17. The Penguins return to action on Saturday when they travel just up the Ohio Turnpike to face Cleveland State. Tipoff at Goodman Arena is set for 5:30 p.m. |
| Underwood Scores 29 In 80-74 Defeat |
| Friday, January 16 2004 |
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| Milwaukee, Wis. -- A career night by junior guard Doug Underwood kept the Youngstown State men's basketball team close, but UW-Milwaukee had just enough to outlast the Penguins 80-74 on Thursday night at the Klotsche Center. Underwood scored a career-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including converting a five and four-point play during his outburst. For the game, YSU (4-11 overall and 1-5 in the Horizon League) shot a season-best 61.2 percent, but the league-leading Panthers (10-5 and 5-0) made 14 more foul shots on 27 more attempts to earn the victory. YSU Head Coach John Robic said he was pleased with the team's effort throughout the contest. "We took some good shots to have a percentage like that, but we also made some jumpers where the percentages usually aren't with us," Robic said. "We got hot and that was a good thing for us." Youngstown State trailed by 11 early in the second half, before eventually being behind 53-44 with 15:16 left. But Underwood was fould on a 3-point attempts and UWM's Ed McCants was whistled for a technical foul on the same play. Underwood stepped to the line and made all five foul shots getting YSU within 53-49. However, UWM's Dylan Page was fouled on a 3-point attempt and he hit all three free throws to put the Panthers in front 56-49. UWM built its lead back up to 11 before Youngstown State made another run. An 8-1 run by the Penguins chopped the deficit to four at 63-59 with 9:52 remaining on a TeJay Anderson bucket. The Panthers and YSU traded baskets and leading 65-61, UWM scored five straight to go back in front by nine. Youngstown State worked that lead back to 77-72 with 2:40 left on an Anderson basket. But that was as close as the Penguins could get as McCants made two free throws and Chris Hill added another to put UWM ahead 80-72 in the waning seconds. YSU converted 30-of-49 shots from the field, but committed 24 turnovers. UWM shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) for the contest and was led by Page and McCants as both players each scored 20 points. Page scored 14 of his points in the second stanza. Underwood matched Page by scoring 22 of his 29 in the second half. Underwood said his second-half production was because of his teammates finding him and getting him open shots. "I was able to feed off my teammates and I knew I needed to step up and hit some shots," he said. "Milwaukee is a good team, but we kind of got it going in the second half and were able to get close." The Penguins are off this weekend before returning to the hardwood on Wednesday night when they play host to Butler. The game tips at 7:35 p.m. following the YSU-Butler women's contest. |
| Penguins Hang On For First League Win, 86-82 |
| Saturday, January 10 2004 |
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| Youngstown -- Adam Baumann hit four clutch free throws in the final 22 seconds to help the Youngstown State men's basketball team hold on for an 86-82 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. The Vikings (4-10 overall and 0-4 in the Horizon League) cut a 12-point deficit to 82-80, but two Baumann free throws with 22 seconds and eight seconds left allowed the Penguins (4-11 and 1-4) to hold on to earn their first Horizon League of the year. Youngstown State led by 14 on three occasions in the second half, but CSU didn't wilt eventually taking the lead 63-62 with 7:24 remaining on a 3-pointer by Percell Coles. After the contest was tied 65-65, Doug Underwood drilled a try with 6:03 left to put the Penguins ahead 68-65 and they never trailed again. YSU worked that lead up to 78-66 with 2:47 remaining and 82-71 with 1:26 remaining before a frantic CSU comeback almost paid off. Jermaine Robinson made two 3-pointers while Percell Coles trey with 27 seconds left cut the deficit to 27. Then Baumann made two free throws with 22 seconds left before the Vikings' Luke Murphy made a jumper to get back within two. Baumann knocked down two free throws with eight seconds left to boost the advantage back up to four. Robinson missed two 3-point attempts in the final seconds that did not fall. Underwood scored a team-high 18 points to lead four Penguin scorers in double figures. Baumann had 17, TeJay Anderson scored 16 and Khari McQueen added a career-best 13. Coles led the Vikings with 23 points while Robinson scored 19 and Omari Westley had 17. For the game, YSU shot a season-high 59.6 percent making 31-of-52 shots while CSU shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66). YSU shot an impressive 68 percent in the first half en route to grabbing a 45-36 halftime advantage. Youngstown State returns to action on Thursday night when the Penguins play UW-Milwaukee. |
| Phoenix Hang On To Beat Penguins, 62-52 |
| Friday, January 9 2004 |
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| Green Bay, Wis -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team cut a 14-point halftime deficit down to three in the second half, but could get no closer as the Penguins suffered a 62-52 set back to UW-Green Bay on Thursday night at the Resch Center. Doug Underwood scored a game-high 22 points, including 16 in the second half to lead the comeback attempt. With the loss, the Penguins fall to 3-10 on the season and 0-4 in the Horizon League while UW-Green Bay improves to 10-4 and a league-leading 4-0. The Penguins got within 40-37 on a Bill Mallernee basket with 12:33 remaining in the second half, but that was as close as they could get. In the second half, YSU made 12 field goals to UWGB's six, but the Phoenix had a 16-6 advantage in free throws made. The Phoenix took a 34-20 advantage into halftime as the Penguins made just 7-of-24 shots (29.2 percent) in the first half. UWGB shot 48.3 percent making 14-of-29 shots as four players scored six points in the opening frame. McQueen paced Youngstown State with seven points. YSU took a 2-0 lead and tied the game 4-4 on buckets by McQueen, but suffered a 5:50 scoreless drought to allow the Phoenix to build an 11-5 advantage. The Penguins hung tough trailing by just five at 15-10 before UWGB reeled off eight straight points. Brian Radakovich's jumper made the deficit 23-12 with 6:41 left in the half. Youngstown State was within 10 at 30-20 but the Phoenix scored the halves final four points on a bucket by Terry Parker and two Matt Rohde free throws. For the game, YSU shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) while UWGB was 44.4 percent from the field (20-of-45). YSU owned the battle of the boards, 35-31. The Penguins return home to face Cleveland State on Saturday at the Beeghly Center. The 2 p.m. contest will be televised live on Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports Pittsburgh ... |
| Penguins Fall at UIC, 66-47 |
| Tuesday, January 6 2004 |
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| Chicago, Ill. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball could not dig itself out of an early hole before losing 66-47 at Illinois-Chicago on Monday night at the UIC Pavilion. UIC (10-5 overall and 1-2 in the Horizon League) jumped out quickly by scoring the games first eight points against the Penguins (3-9 and 0-3). However, the Penguins came back to make a game of it by cutting an 18-6 deficit down by scoring 10 consecutive points. Doug Underwood's 3-pointer, YSU's lone trey of the game, cut the deficit to 18-16 before UIC built the lead back up to seven by scoring the next five points. With 1:44 left in the first half, YSU trailed by just five following a Quin Humphrey basket. But UIC scored the final six points of the stanza, capped by a 3-pointer by Cedrick Banks with two seconds remaining to go into the break in front 33-22. YSU Head Coach John Robic said YSU almost overcame its slow start, but could not get over the hump. "When we got it back to 18-16 I felt pretty good at that point," Robic said. "There was a big swing there when they scored the last six points of the half and the lead went from five to 11 just like that." The Flames opened the second with another flurry scoring seven straight points to grab a 40-22 advantage and never looked back. YSU did get back within 43-30 at the 14:45 mark, but that was as close as it could get the remainder of the game. UIC's biggest lead was at 63-38 with 4:30 left in the game. The Penguins shot 45.2 percent (19-of-42) while the Flames made 54 percent (27-of-50) of their opportunities. UIC outrebouned the Penguins 29-26. Junior Khari McQueen came off the bench to score 11 points, one shy of his career high. Leading the Flames was Armond Williams who tallied a game-high 15 points. Joining Williams in double figures was Justin Bowen with 13, Joe Scott who scored 12 and Banks who added 11. The Penguins conclude their three-game road trip on Thursday night when they play at UW-Green Bay. The Phoenix currently lead the league standings with a 3-0 mark. |
| Final Spurt Pushes Loyola Past Penguins, 85-78 |
| Saturday, January 3 2004 |
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| Chicago, Ill. -- For 38 minutes the Youngstown State men's basketball team put itself in a good position, but a dry spell in the waning minutes was too much to overcome in an 85-78 loss to Loyola at the Gentile Center on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins (3-8 overall and 0-2 in the Horizon League) allowed Loyola to score 13 of the contests final 16 points -- and eight of the final nine -- after grabbing a 75-72 lead with just over five minutes remaining. The Ramblers (5-5 and 1-0) earned a victory in their league opener led by Paul McMillan who had a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. YSU Head Coach John Robic said Loyola outplayed the Penguins in the final two minutes, in what he called a great college basketball game. "Any time you go on the road and with two minutes left have a chance to win you need to take control," Robic said. "We missed foul shots and neglected to make the big stops and a the combination of that led the final point differential." YSU led 68-64 on an Adam Baumann layup with 6:52 remaining in the contest for its biggest lead of the game. The Penguins held that lead for almost a minute, but Loyola tied the game at 72 on a bucket and free throw by Anthony Smith. Doug Underwood drilled a 3-pointer from the corner off a pass from Andy Jahnke with 5:02 remaining, but a free throw by Blake Schilb and two by Terrance Whiters tied the contest at 75 with 3:56 remaning. Loyola went in front 77-75 on two McMillan free throws before TeJay Anderson drove the lane for a layup to tie the contest 77-77 at 2:08. But the Ramblers scored eight of the final nine points down the stretch. Demetrius Williams' bucket at 1:45 put Loyola in front for good at 79-77. Following that bucket, Baumann missed two foul shots which could have tied the game. McMillan followed with a layup to extend the lead to four before Mends made a free throw getting YSU back within 81-78. But Williams made four-of-six free-throw attempts in the final seconds as Loyola held on for the victory. For the game, YSU shot 42.9 percent on 27-of-63 shooting. The Ramblers shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49), including a 63.2 percent clip in the second half. Loyola also outrebounded YSU 37-30. Jahnke came off the bench to score a career-best 19 points, including 14 in the first half. Adam Baumann 14 while Anderson and Underwood added 12. Anderson was just shy of a triple-double finishing with nine rebounds and nine assists. In the first half, the Penguins fell behind 20-11, before coming back to knot the game at 26 on a layup by Jonathan Mends. The Penguins kept the heat on by going ahead 31-30 on a 3-pointer by Jahnke. Jahnke's trey just before the halftime buzzer tied the game at 41 at the break. Youngstown State remains in Chicago to play its second game in three days on Monday night against Illinois-Chicago. Tipoff at the UIC Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m. Central time. |