| Eastern Michigan Tabbed ESPN Bracket-Buster Opponent |
| Monday, January 31 2005 |
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| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team will play host to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Beeghly Center, it was released Monday as part of ESPN's Bracket Buster pool announcement. The time for the contest will be announced later this week. The Penguins (3-16 overall) are one of five Horizon League teams who will be in action at home that day. UW-Green Bay plays host to Illinois State, Butler entertains Valparaiso, Detroit plays host to Ohio, UIC plays host to Georgia Southern and Wright State entertains Northern Illinois. Three teams are on the road with UW-Milwaukee playing at Hawaii, Cleveland State traveling to Central Michigan and Loyola visiting Evansville. The UW-Milwaukee at Hawaii game and the Illinois State at UW-Green Bay contest will be broadcast live by the network. As part of the agreement, YSU will play a contest at Eastern Michigan (9-9) sometime next season. The Eagles, out of the Mid-American Conference, play at Ball State tonight. EMU is 1-1 against the Horizon League this year having defeated Cleveland State at home while losing at Detroit. The Eagles are currently 3-6 in the MAC entering this evening's game. The last meeting between EMU and YSU was on March 3, 1990 at the Beeghly Center. The Eagles won that game 82-71. This will the the ninth contest featuring the two schools with the series currently tied 4-4. YSU returns to action this Thursday when it plays host to Detroit. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. On Saturday, the Penguins play host to UW-Green Bay in a special noon tipoff. The game is set to be televised by FSN regional television. |
| Loyola Rolls Over Penguins, 71-50 |
| Wednesday, January 26 2005 |
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| CHICAGO (January 26, 2005) – Four players scored in double figures to help Loyola University Chicago (6-13, 4-5 Horizon) to a 71-50 victory over Youngstown State (3-16, 1-8 Horizon) tonight at the Gentile Center, as the Ramblers recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season. “Our guys were ready and had good energy,” Loyola head coach Jim Whitesell said. “We got off to a good start and tonight was important for us to take another step forward. The victory at Green Bay last week really seemed to give our team a shot in the arm.” Loyola took control of this contest right from the opening tip as Anthony Smith’s lay-up sparked a 12-0 run by the Ramblers to start the game. Loyola built that lead to 16-2 before the Penguins closed the gap to 17-14 with 9:15 left in the first half. But, a three-point play by Blake Schilb ignited a 17-5 Loyola run to close out the period as the Ramblers led 34-19 at the break. The Ramblers shot 52 percent from the field in the first stanza, while holding Youngstown State to 30 percent shooting and forcing 12 Penguin turnovers. Loyola led by as many as 30 points in the second half as it coasted to the victory, its fifth at the Gentile Center this season. A stifling Rambler defense coaxed the Penguins into 25 turnovers for the game. DaJuan Gouard and Anthony Smith tallied 14 points apiece to lead Loyola. In addition to leading the Ramblers to a 3-1 record, Gouard has now scored in double figures in each of the four games since his return from a knee injury. Schilb added 11 points and seven assists as he scored in double figures for the 13th straight outing and Majak Kou chipped in 10 points. Quin Humphrey scored a game-high 20 points for Youngstown State. Loyola looks for its third straight victory when it heads to Detroit on Jan. 29. Tip-off is set for 2:05 p.m. Eastern. |
| CSU's Clutch 3s Doom Penguins to 78-77 Defeat |
| Saturday, January 22 2005 |
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| Youngstown -- Cleveland State hit three straight 3-pointers in the final 2:21 to turn a three-point deficit into a five-point advantage and held off a late Youngstown State rally in a 78-77 victory on Saturday evening at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins led by as many as eight in the second half and held a 72-69 lead after a Brian Radakovich layup with 2:46 remaining. Mike Redell then hit two threes and Steve Gansey hit another in the Vikings' next three possessions to give CSU a five-point cushion. After a Quin Humphrey jumper and a Cleveland State turnover with 19 seconds remaining, Derrick Harris hit a short jumper to make the score 78-77 with seven seconds remaining. CSU avoided being fouled in the remaining seconds to preserve the win. Radakovich was 8-of-11 from the floor and scored 19 points to lead three Penguins in double figures while Humphrey finished with 17 points and four steals. Khari McQueen added a career-high 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Omari Westley scored a game-high 28 points with an 11-for-17 effort from the floor and had a game-high eight rebounds for the Vikings. Redell added 16 points and eight assists for CSU, which improved to 5-10 overall and 2-5 in the Horizon League. After six lead changes and three ties in the first seven minutes of the second half, Jon Mends hit a layup at the 13:01 mark that sparked a 12-4 run over the next five minutes that put the Penguins up 63-55. Cleveland State then scored six straight points as part of a 9-2 run in which Westley had seven points. The Vikings got within one two more times before Redell and Gansey's back-to-back 3s gave them a 75-72 lead with 1:50 remaining. YSU held the advantage in rebounds at 31-26, but were narrowly edged in shooting 53.7 percent to 53.6 percent. The Penguins battled through nine first-half lead changes and a 12-4 Viking advantage in points off turnovers to take a 38-35 lead at the intermission. Cleveland State scored the game's opening four points and held the Penguins scoreless for the first 2:57, but YSU scored six straight points to take its first lead at 6-4.YSU never trailed by more than two the rest of the half, and a Zach Silverman 3 with 10:12 remaining gave the Penguins an 18-17 lead that they would hold for the remainder of the period. Silverman's 3 sparked a 15-6 run that put YSU up 30-23 with 4:57 to go. The Penguins will travel to Chicago to take on Loyola on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST. |
| Strong Effort Not Enough in 50-37 Loss |
| Thursday, January 20 2005 |
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| Indianapolis, Ind. – For just over 31 minutes, the Youngstown State men's basketball team played Butler even, but the Bulldogs ended the game with an 11-0 run to pull out a 50-37 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Jon Mends' layup with 8:59 remaining was the Penguins' last points of the contest. At that time, Mends' bucket brought YSU within 39-37. After Nick Brooks made a bucket, Quin Humphrey attempted a 3-pointer from the top of the key that just missed. The Bulldogs took advantage as Bruce Horan drilled a three with 8:06 left to push the lead to seven. Brandon Crone made a basket to boost the lead to 46-37. Brandon Polk made a bucket and Nick Brooks had a layup to round out the final 11 points of the contest. Humphrey kept the Penguins (3-14 overall and 1-6 in the Horizon League) in the contest with a game-high 15 points. Humphrey had 11 of those in the second half making three 3-pointers. Brian Radakovich scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game contributing 10. For the Bulldogs (7-8 and 2-3), Polk finished a team-high 14 points coming off the bench. A.J. Graves was the only other Butler player to have double figures with 10. YSU held Butler to a season-low four 3-pointers. The Penguins shot 40.5 percent (15-of-37) while Butler shot 42.2 percent (19-of-45). At halftime, Butler was able to pull out to a 19-16 lead behind 10 points from Polk. In the first half, YSU shot 40 percent to Butler's 29.6. Youngstown State had a 24-22 edge early in the second half and the contest was tied 29-29 with 13 minutes remaining. Youngstown State returns home on Saturday to play host to Cleveland State. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7 p.m. |
| Hot-Shooting Mastodons Beat YSU, 79-59 |
| Saturday, January 15 2005 |
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| Fort Wayne, Ind. – The Youngstown State men’s basketball team lost 79-59 to an inspired and hot-shooting IPFW team on Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. In the first half, the Mastodons (4-13) were on fire making 16-of-26 shots, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range. They kept that up in the second half shooting at a 50 percent clip and finished the game by making 28-of-50 for 56 percent. The Mastodons scored a season-high 79 points in the contest. IPFW was playing its first game under interim Head Coach Joe Pechota, who replaced Doug Noll on Thursday afternoon. The Penguins (3-13) struggled once again from the field shooting 31 percent for the game making 18-of-58 shots. From 3-point land, YSU was just 2-of-15, making one in just each half. IPFW held a 43-24 lead at halftime behind its hot shooting and never looked back. Brian Radakovich had 10 points to lead the Penguin effort in the first 20 minutes. Radakovich finished with 12 points. For the game, Zach Silverman led YSU with 19 points. Silverman made 5-of-9 shots from the field and was 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. The Mastodons were led by Peter Campbell who scored 21 points while David Simon had 17. Quintin Carouthers added 12 points for IPFW. Youngstown State returns to the state of Indiana and Horizon League action at Butler on Wednesday night at 7. The Bulldogs suffered a 72-59 setback at Detroit earlier on Saturday. |
| Panthers Roll Past Penguins, 65-42 |
| Thursday, January 13 2005 |
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| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball dug themselves an early hole against UW-Milwaukee falling behind by seven at the game's outset and could never fight back losing 65-42 at the Beeghly Center on Wednesday night. The Penguins (3-12 overall and 1-5 in the Horizon League) trailed by 23 points at halftime against the Panthers (10-4 and 4-1), but played even in the second half as both teams finished with 24 points. Brian Radakovich had a team-high 10 points before leaving the game with a sprained right ankle late in the second half. Boo Davis led UWM with 13 points while Ed McCants and Joah Tucker each contributed 11. For the game, the Panthers shot 45.3 percent, making 24-of-53 shots while YSU shot just 33.3 percent (15-of-45). UWM outrebounded the Penguins 35-33. Youngstown State had an impressive seven blocks in the contest, including three by Mike Adams in the final seven minutes of the contest. Dwight Holmes scored seven second-half points for the Guins playing the last nine minutes of the game. In all, 14 Penguins saw action in the contest. In a contest that featured two of the four top scorers in the conference in Quin Humphrey and Ed McCants, both players finished with just 15 points. McCants, who was averaging 17 per game ended the game with 11 while Humphrey, who had scored in double figures in the first 14 games of the year, was held to a season-low four points. The Penguins step out of Horizon League action on Saturday when they travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., to play Independent IPFW for the fourth consecutive season. Tipoff for the contest is set for 3:30 p.m. |
| Penguins Come Up Short at CSU |
| Sunday, January 9 2005 |
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| Cleveland, Ohio – The Youngstown State men’s basketball team welcomed senior forward Brian Radakovich back to the court, but it wasn’t enough in a 78-62 loss at Cleveland State on Saturday at the CSU Convocation Center. Radakovich, who had not played in the previous three contests, scored a team-high 14 points before fouling out with 8:51 remaining in the game. The Penguins dropped to 3-11 overall and 1-4 in the Horizon League at the mid-point of their season. Cleveland State improves to 4-7 and 1-2 by snapping a seven-game losing streak. In the second half, YSU overcame a 39-35 halftime deficit to pull in front 42-41 on a basket by Radakovich. CSU answered when Raheem Moss scored on a fast break at the 16:54 mark and never trailed again. Moss followed that basket by drilling a 3-pointer to push the lead to 46-42 at the 16:08 mark. Quin Humphrey made two free throws to get the Guins back within two at 14:51. After Humphrey’s free throws, the Vikings went on a 16-6 run eventually taking a 62-46 lead with 10:22 remaining. Derrick Harris scored 13 points while Humphrey finished with 12. For the Vikings, Omari Westley had game-high honors with 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Moss finished with 16 while Mike Redell and Justin Henderson each finished with 10. For the game, YSU shot 35.8 percent (19-of-53) while the Vikings shot 51.1 percent (24-47). Both teams finished with six 3-pointers, as Harris had three for the Guins. The Penguins return home on Wednesday to play host to UW-Milwaukee. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7:35 p.m. following the YSU women’s contest against Loyola that tips at 5:15 p.m |
| UW-Green Bay Too Much For YSU, 78-55 |
| Friday, January 7 2005 |
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| Green Bay, Wis. – After playing a tough first half, the Youngstown State men’s basketball team couldn’t handle a seasoned UW-Green Bay squad losing 78-55 at the Resch Center on Thursday night. In the first half, the Penguins (3-10 overall and 1-3 in the Horizon League) battled back from 12 down to stay within striking distance of the Phoenix (9-3 and 2-0) and at one point trailed just 37-32 with 2:17 left. But UWGB was able to push that advantage back up to nine by halftime. YSU was able to stay close behind strong efforts by sophomore Quin Humphrey and freshman Alex Sanchez. Humphrey had 12 points in the first 20 minutes, while Sanchez, who had just two points entering the game, went off for nine – all on three 3-pointers. In the second half, Green Bay outscored YSU 35-21 and jumped on the Guins from the outset. Leading 48-37, the Phoenix went on a 19-4 run to put the game away. Green Bay had four players finish in double figures led by Matt Rohde’s 16. On the night, Rohde went over the 1,000-point career mark. Josh Lawrence had 14, Tevah Morris added 14 and Benito Flores contributed 11. Sanchez finished with a career-high 12 points making 4-of-6 shots, including his three 3-pointers. Humphrey and Mike Adams had a team-high five rebounds apiece. For the game, YSU shot 37.3 percent making 19-of-51 shots. UW-Green Bay finished at 52 percent making 26-of-50 attempts. In the first half, the Phoenix were hot shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26). The Penguins will have to regroup quickly as they remain on the road to play at Cleveland State. Tipoff for the contest against the Vikings is set for 5:30 p.m. at the CSU Convocation Center. |
| Illinois-Chicago Holds Off Late Penguin Rally, 62-56 |
| Tuesday, January 4 2005 |
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| Youngstown -- Illinois-Chicago used a 15-5 run to start the second half and held off a late Youngstown State rally in a 62-56 victory over the Penguins on Monday evening at the Beeghly Center. The Flames turned a 27-27 halftime tie into a 42-32 advantage, but Youngstown State battled back to get within 55-53 after a Derrick Harris hit a 3 at the 2:44 mark. UIC then hit five of its final six free throws to seal the victory as part of a 14-for-19 effort from the line. YSU did not shoot a free throw until Jon Mends missed the front end of a one-and-one with five seconds left in regulation. Quin Humphrey finished with 11 points to get in double figures for the 12th straight game while Zach Silverman also had 11 points off the bench. Jovan Stefanov had 16 points - all of which came in the second half - to lead all scorers and four Flames in double figures. The first half featured three lead changes and nine ties as Youngstown State battled back from a nine-point deficit with a 9-0 run to close the half and tie the score at 27. YSU started hot, hitting seven of its first eight from the field, but neither team led by more than two until Humphrey hit back-to-back jumpers to put the Penguins up 16-12 with 11:50 remaining. UIC responded with six straight points to reclaim a two-point advantage, but a layup from Colin LaForme tied the score at 18 at the 8:07 mark. The Flames then pulled ahead 27-18 and held the Penguins scoreless for over five minutes, but Mends, Silverman and Humphrey each hit a 3 to close out the half. The Flames missed their last six shots from the field in the half, but still managed to shoot 45.8 percent from the floor in the half. YSU shot 48 percent from the floor in the first half. UIC got 13 straight points from Stefanov in the first five minutes of the second half to pull ahead 10 with 15:02 remaining, but a Silverman 3 and a Mends jumper cut the margin to five. The Flames scored four unanswered to take a nine point lead and did not allow the Penguins to get closer than six until John Barber hit a jumper with 5:41 remaining to get YSU within five. After a Cedrick Banks jumper with 5:09 remaining, Khari McQueen hit a jumper and Harris' 3 cut the lead to two. The Flames then scored six straight points to take a 61-53 advantage with 30 seconds remaining. John Barber hit a 3 with 16 seconds left to get the Penguins within five, but Stefanov hit a free throw for the final tally with 10 seconds remaining. The Penguins shot 50 percent (24-of48) on the game while the Flames shot 51.1 percent (24-47). Youngstown State shot 8-of-19 from behind the arc to the Flames' 0-5 performance and held a 27-24 advantage in rebounds. The Penguins will travel to take on the UW-Green Bay Phoenix on Thursday. Tipoff at the Resch Center is set for 8:05 p.m. EST. |