| Slow Second-Half Start Dooms YSU, 71-55 |
| Sunday, November 28 2004 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team was within three points against Boston U on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center, but a 13-0 spurt in the second half by the Terriers proved costly in a 71-55 defeat. The Penguins (2-1) trailed the entire first half, but pulled within 36-32 at the break on buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Derrick Harris. To open the second half, John Barber made one of two free throws trimming the BU lead to 36-33 with 19:11 left. From then on, YSU did not score again until the 12:41 mark after the Terriers (2-1) had grabbed control of the game by scoring 13 consecutive points. After falling behind 49-33, the closest the Penguins could get was 12 the rest of the game. Harris came off the bench to score a career-best 14 points playing a career-high 29 minutes. Quin Humphrey added 12 point sand eight rebounds making 4-of-16 shots in the game. Jon Mends finished with 10 assists for the Guins. Boston U was led by Rashad Bell who scored 24 points, including 18 in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. The Terriers had three other players finish with double digits as Kevin Gardner and Chaz Carr each had 14 and Etienne Brower finished with 12. Carr had just two at halftime before leading the way with a dozen in the second half. YSU shot just 34.5 percent (19-of-55) for the game while Boston U shot 44.6 percent (29-of-65). Youngstown State takes to the road for the first time after playing three home games to open the season. The Penguins play SMS on the first day of action at the SMS Price Cutter Classic in Springfield, Mo., on Friday night. |
| Penguins 78, Slippery Rock 60 |
| Wednesday, November 24 2004 |
| Courtesy of: |
| YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) -- Brian Radakovich had a career-high 22 points, leading three players in double figures in Youngstown State's 78-60 victory over Slippery Rock on Tuesday. Quin Humphrey backed Radakovich with a career-best 21 points for the Penguins (2-0), who forced 20 turnovers. John Barber scored 14 points and Jon Mends passed for 12 assists. Glenn Reepmeyer paced Slippery Rock (0-2) with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds. Youngstown State connected on 6 of 12 3-pointers on its way to a 37-32 halftime lead. Leading 55-48 with 9:20 left, the Penguins put together an 8-0 run to take control. Radakovich had six points in the spurt. Slippery Rock outrebounded Youngstown State 38-34 but shot just 34 percent from the field. Mason Glick and Jason Bratten scored 13 points apiece for Slippery Rock. |
| Second-Half Push Leads Penguins Over Lock Haven in Season Opener |
| Sunday, November 21 2004 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State outscored Lock Haven by 15 points to overcome an early 10-point deficit en route to a 70-56 win at the Beeghly Center in the Penguins' season opener. Brian Radakovich and Quin Humphrey each had 16 points to lead all scorers while John Barber had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. After trailing the entire first half, YSU took its first lead of the contest at the 17:16 mark when Zach Silverman hit a jumper to give the Penguins a 35-34 lead. A James Chappell layup put the Bald Eagles back on top by one, but the Penguins reclaimed the lead on a Barber jumper with 15:41 remaining and never lost it. Barber's bucket sparked a 15-4 run over the next four minutes that put the Penguins up 10 with 11:50 remaining. Lock Haven made one final run to pull within 51-49 at the 8:26 mark on a tip-in by Joe Walker, but a Radakovich jumper and a 3 from Derrick Harris put YSU back up seven. Lock Haven did not get closer than five the rest of the contest as Humphrey scored eight points over the final three-and-a-half minutes. The Bald Eagles led the entire first half and held a 10-point advantage at 30-20 with 4:24 remaining. But the Penguins closed out the half on an 11-2 run to pull within one heading into the locker room. Lock Haven went up 12-5 on a 3-pointer by Chappell, but a Barber layup and two free throws from Harris tied the contest at 17 at the 12:42 mark in the opening half. Neither team scored until the 8:15 mark when Lock Haven began a 7-0 run that was capped on a Julien Grandgirard 3 with 7:08 remaining. The Penguins shot 44 percent on the game while holding the Bald Eagles to a 38.6 percent clip. Lock Haven shot 47 percent (8-of-17) from behind the arc while the Penguins were 2-of-13. The Bald Eagles held the rebounding advantage at 39-38. The Penguins will play the second game of a doubleheader with the YSU women against Slippery Rock on Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. The women will tip off at 5:15 p.m. against Ohio. |
| Penguins Sign Poland Standout Chad Fender |
| Saturday, November 13 2004 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State men's basketball coach John Robic officially announced on Friday that all-state guard Chad Fender from nearby Poland, Ohio, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Penguins' program. Fender signed his National Letter of Intent in a gathering at his school on Thursday afternoon. As a junior at Poland, Fender averaged 19.6 points per contest while being named a first-team Division II All-Ohio selection for Coach Ken Grisdale. The Bulldogs posted an 18-4 record last year losing to Liberty in the Youngstown District semifinals. Robic said Fender will be a great addition to the Youngstown State basketball program. "We are really excited and pleased that Chad has decided to continue has basketball career here at YSU," Robic said. "He's been on our radar screen since his freshman year in high school. We have always thought that he has had the ability to play at our level and in the Horizon League. He will contribute to our program in a lot of ways." He has had a stellar three-year career scoring 1,327 points entering his senior season and has been a three-year starter at Poland. Fender has been listed as one of the top 50 boys basketball prospects in the state by one recruiting service while hoopscooponline.com rated him as the 25th-best junior in Ohio last year. Each year on the court, Fender has helped the Bulldogs to a successful season. During his sophomore year, Poland lost to 46-35 to Canton South in Division II regional finals and as a freshman, the Bulldogs lost to a LeBron-James led Akron St. Mary's-St. Vincent team in Division II State semifinals, snapping an 18-game winning streak. Robic said adding a player from the Mahoning Valley will be a boost for the program. "Our entire staff did a good job of targeting the local talent and Chad fits the type of player we want in our program," he said. "He has a strong basketball background. Coach Grisdale has done a good job in helping develop those skills." |
| Humphrey's 24 Leads YSU Past Denison, 63-52 |
| Saturday, November 6 2004 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown, Ohio -- Youngstown State sophomore Quinn Humphrey connected on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point arc, to lead the Penguins to a 63-52 win over Denison in an exhibition game on Friday evening at Beeghly Center. The Penguins, which led by just six points at halftime, shot an impressive 60 percent (12-of-20) in the second half, led by Humphrey's 15 second half points on 6-of-8 shooting. Senior Brian Radakovich was the only other Penguin in double figures with 12 points and six rebounds. Youngstown State opens the 2004-05 regular season against Lock Haven, Sunday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. in Beeghly Center. |