| Penguins' Gritty Effort at Akron Falls Five Points Short |
| Sunday, November 27 2005 |
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| Akron, Ohio – The Youngstown State men's basketball team jumped out to a 17-point first-half lead and held a 15-point advantage with 13 minutes left, but they could not hold off a veteran Akron squad losing 67-62 on Saturday at the Rhoades Arena in Akron. YSU (1-2) led 50-35 when Quin Humphrey drilled a 3-pointer at the 13-minute mark of the second half. From that point, Akron roared back and took a 53-52 lead at the 6:31 mark on a Romeo Travis layup. From that point on, it was a back-and-forth game. The Penguins fought back to go ahead 55-53 on a 3-pointer by Humphrey. After a tie at 55, YSU was able to regain the lead for the next three minutes before Akron pulled ahead 61-60 on Travis layup at 1:44. Humphrey's empathic putback dunk with 1:19 remaining then gave YSU a 62-61 lead with 1:19 remaining. The big shot for the Zips came from Nick Dials who drilled the team's only three of the second half that gave Akron the lead for good at 64-62 with 1:07 left. A turnover by Keston Roberts gave the ball back to the Zips with 48 seconds left as Dru Joyce made the first of a one-and-one situation. On his second shot, YSU was unable to corral the rebound and Akron retained possession. The Penguins forced an over-and-back violation, but John Barber was called for traveling with 7.8 seconds left. YSU fouled Dials with five seconds left who sank two free throws to seal the victory. In the first half, the Penguins came to play jumping out to a 27-10 lead when Roberts connected on a 3-pointer just over 11 minutes into the game. The Zips cut the deficit to 33-25 on a Joyce layup with 2:49 left in the opening half but YSU was able to build the lead back up to 38-27 at the break. Humphrey led Youngstown State with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Domonique Crawford had 11 and freshman Jack Liles finished with 10. Travis scored 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting for the game while Dials had 13 and Rob Preston finished with 10. YSU shot 39.7 percent from the field while Akron warmed up to 44.3 percent after being held to 30.3 in the first half. The Penguins will be back in action on Wednesday night against another Mid-American Conference foe, Kent State, this time at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 7:35 p.m. |
| Keston Roberts Nets 27 as YSU Upends Slippery Rock in Home Opener |
| Thursday, November 24 2005 |
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| Youngstown -- Youngstown State outscored Slippery Rock 22-5 over the final six-and-a-half minutes of the first half and forced 20 turnovers in a 95-53 victory Wednesday evening at the Beeghly Center. Keston Roberts led four Penguins in double figures with a game-high 27 points in the game, which was head coach Jerry Slocum's first victory at YSU. Quin Humphrey and Domonique Crawford scored 18 apiece and John Barber added 11 for the Penguins, who improved to 1-1 on the year. Derrick Harris added 13 assists and Mikko Niemi had four of YSU's 12 steals. Nathanael McCoy led The Rock with 11 points while Dejan Jancic chipped in with 10. YSU opened up a 10-2 lead at the 17:21 mark after a Jack Liles jumper, but The Rock shrank the lead down to 14-12 on a Jancic layup with 14:39 remaining. The Penguins then went on a 18-7 to go up 13 after one of Crawford's treys with 7:55 remaining. After The Rock scored the next five points to get within eight at 32-24, YSU went on its 22-5 run to close the half with a 54-29 advantage. Included on that run was a streak of 15 straight points by the Penguins, nine of which came from Roberts. A 15-2 run in the second half gave the Penguins their largest lead of the game at 86-43 after a Niemi free throw. Crawford had 10 of his points in the second half while Barber had nine. YSU made 11 3s on the night as Roberts made five, Crawford sank three, Humphrey made two and Barber had one. The Penguins will play at Akron on Saturday at 5 p.m. |
| Men Drop Season Opener at Saint Francis, 71-58 |
| Sunday, November 20 2005 |
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| Loretto, Pa. – A 13-0 second-half run by Saint Francis proved to be the difference as the Youngstown State men's basketball team suffered a 71-58 setback in Coach Jerry Slocum's YSU debut on Saturday night at the DeGol Arena. YSU (0-1) opened the second half quickly cutting a 13-point halftime deficit to 45-40 by scoring 12 of the halves first 16 points. However, the Penguins did not score after Derrick Harris' basket at the 15:28 mark until a Quin Humphrey score at 8:09. Within in that span, the Red Flash scored 13 consecutive points while YSU either turned the ball over or missed a shot attempt. For the game, Saint Francis shot 54.2 percent making 26-of-48 shots from the field, including 10 3-pointers. YSU was 22-of-61 for 36.1 percent, including a 6-of-21 performance from behind the 3-point line. Junior guard Keston Roberts scored a team-high 14 points, all of which came in the second half. Senior guard Domonique Crawford had 12 points, all in the first half while junior Quin Humphrey had 11 points. SFU's Rahsaan Benton had a game-high 18 points, keyed by five 3-pointers. The Red Flash (1-2) took advantage of some hot shooting to build a 38-25 halftime lead. Saint Francis shot a blistering 57.7 percent making 15-of-26 attempts, including 6-of-10 from behind the 3-point line to build its 13-point advantage. YSU made just 8-of-28 shots (28.6 percent) in the first half, while going just 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range. Crawford kept Youngstown State close scoring 12 consecutive points during the opening half. Humphrey contributed seven as the two individuals combined to score 19 of the team's 25 first-half points. At the game's outset, YSU trailed 10-7 at the 14:06 mark before Saint Francis went on a run. The Red Flash used a 17-2 spurt following that point in the game to go ahead 26-9. Crawford stopped the run by drilling a 3-pointer at 8:46. In the final minute of the half, YSU cut the deficit to within 11 on a Humphrey basket but SFU grabbed a 38-25 lead on a jumper by Darnell Evans with seven seconds remaining. The Penguins will be back in action on Wednesday night when they play their home opener against Slippery Rock. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. |
| Penguins Open Campaign With Tilt at Saint Francis |
| Friday, November 18 2005 |
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| The Youngstown State men’s basketball team plays their first game under the direction of Head Coach Jerry Slocum on Saturday night when the Penguins travel to Loretto, Pa., to take on St. Francis (Pa.). Tipoff at the DeGol Arena is set for 7 p.m. The Penguins will be starting their 75th season, but first under Slocum, when they take on the Red Flash. YSU has won three of its previous six season openers, including a 64-63 win at St. Francis to begin the 2000-01 campaign. Overall, Youngstown State’s previous 11 head coaches have posted a 5-6 record in their debut games. St. Francis (0-2) got a jump on the 2005-06 season playing the first regular-season contest of the year at the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. The Red Flash lost 75-54 to Cornell in the opening game before losing the next night to Bethune-Cookman 63-52 in overtime. This will be the 32nd meeting between the two school’s and it marks the fourth time in the last five seasons the team’s have played. Saint Francis won last year’s meeting 70-56 on Dec. 29 at the Beeghly Center. YSU plays its home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 23 against Slippery Rock. Storylines and Sidebars... • A win allows Coach Jerry Slocum to become the first YSU coach since Joe Morbito in 1942 to win his opener on the road. • The Penguins are 3-3 in their last six season-opening games. YSU won its opener last year beating Lock Haven 70-56. • YSU head coaches are 5-6 in their debut games with the program. • Slocum was 9-0 in season openers at Gannon and was 8-1 in season lidlifters at Geneva. His lone loss in going 17-1 during that period was to Slippery Rock to begin the 1989-90 season (73-69). He has won 15 straight season openers. • With the streak, he won his debut game while at Geneva and Gannon. • The last meeting in Loretto was a 70-56 victory by the Red Flash on Dec. 4, 2002. • Youngstown State’s last non-league road victory was on Jan. 2, 2001, a 69-56 win at Robert Morris. That is a span of 21 games in which YSU last won a non-conference game away from home. • Quin Humphrey has scored in double figures in 25 of the past 28 games. • YSU won its 12th straight exhibition game beating Geneva 82-64 last Saturday. Scouting Saint Francis (Pa.) The Red Flash are off to an 0-2 start after dropping both contests at the season-opening 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. Leading the way for Saint Francis in the two games was J.R. Enright who scored 31 points and grabbed 25 rebounds. Rashaan Benton had 23 points in both games while Jelani Lawrence had 18. Only two starters return from last year’s 15-13 squad that placed fourth with a 10-8 record in the Northeast Conference. SFU has been especially tough at home posting an 11-2 record at DeGol Arena a year ago. Red Flash Coach Bobby Jones is in his seventh season with the program. Jones owns a 67-101 record heading into the contest against the Penguins. The All-Time Series The Penguins and Red Flash have played 31 times before with SFU holding a 19-12 advantage. In the meetings in Loretto, Youngstown State is 4-12 in a series that dates back to January 1932. After winning three of the first four at SFU, YSU lost 10 straight before pulling out a thrilling 64-63 victory in November 2000. Last Year’s Meeting The Penguins led 42-39 with just over 10 minutes, but could not hold on losing to the Red Flash on Dec. 29, 2004, at the Beeghly Center. Ahead by three midway through the second half the Red Flash went on a 13-0 run to take control of the game. Saint Francis eventually led 56-43 with 5:58 remaining. SFU outscored the Guins 31-14 in the final 10 minutes of the game. Brian Radakovich finished with a double-double scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Quin Humphrey also scored 14 points in a losing effort. SFU’s Rashaan Benton led all scorers with 18 points. YSU trailed 32-25 at halftime before outscoring the Red Flash 17-7 to open the second half. Exhibition Recap Five players finished in double figures as Derrick Harris had a game-high 16 points in the Penguins’ 82-64 exhibition victory over Geneva on Saturday night at the Beeghly Center. Joining Harris by scoring in double figures were Quin Humphrey, who had 15, John Barber, who finished with 13, Keston Roberts, who netted 12 and Domonique Crawford who finished with 11. YSU trailed 2-0 before going on a 15-0 run to take over the game. The Penguins eventually led by 27 in the second half. Veteran Coach Jerry Slocum Takes Reigns of Program Coach Jerry Slocum was named the 12th coach in YSU history on April 12. He brings 30 years of head-coaching experience with him to the Penguins bench. Slocum most recently spent nine seasons as the coach at Division II Gannon where he posted a 179-78 record during his tenure. He posted a 69.6 winning percentage with the Golden Knights and led his team to six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Overall, Slocum owns a 580-325 record as a collegiate head coach. Slocum’s teams have been extremely competitive during his career as a head coach. In his 30 years, he has had 25 winning seasons, including the last 17 campaigns. He has posted 19 20-win seasons throughout his career, including five of the last six years. Humphrey Tabbed All-League Junior guard Quin Humphrey was named preseason All-Horizon League in a balloting by the league’s coaches, Sports Information Directors and media. Last season, Humphrey averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. In 28 games played, he scored in double figures 25 times, including 15 of 16 Horizon League games. Playin’ Every Minute Of It Eight times last year a Penguin played all 40 minutes -- excluding the four-overtime marathon against Siena when four went over 40 in 60 minutes of action. Quin Humphrey and Jon Mends went the distance three times while Derrick Harris and Brian Radakovich each played an entire game once. Guins in Season Openers The Penguins won last year’s season opener defeating Lock Haven 70-56. That victory snapped a three-game losing streak in season openers dating back to a 64-63 win at Saint Francis (Pa.) in 2000-01. New Faces Set to Step In Besides Head Coach Jerry Slocum and his coaching staff, three new faces will look to contribute to the lineup entering Saturday night’s game at Saint Francis. Freshman guard Mikko Niemi, junior guard Keston Roberts and freshman forward Jack Liles are all set to make their Division I debuts. Humphrey in Double Figures Junior Quin Humphrey became the first Penguin since 1978-79 to score in double figures in the first 14 games of a season last year. In 1978-79, Dave Zeigler scored in double figures in the first 17 contests. Humphrey scored at least 14 points on 17 occasions last season. He scored in double figures 25 times totaling 402 points in 2004-05. Barber Key To Post Success Sophomore John Barber scored 175 points and grabbed 101 rebounds last season. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. He played in every game starting 12 contests. He concluded the season on a high note with a double-double against Loyola in the Horizon League Tournament. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Ramblers. Harris Takes Over at Point Senior guard Derrick Harris will assume more point-guard duties for the upcoming campaign. Harris had the best year of his YSU career last season. He scored 191 points while finishing with 77 rebounds, 44 assists and 20 steals. Blocked Shots Most Since ‘84 The Penguins blocked 112 shots last season, the third most in school history. That mark trailed only the 1982-83 (166) and 1983-84 (125) squads that featured 7-foot shot blocker Ricky Tunstall (221 career blocks). Sophomore John Barber helped lead the effort blocking a team-high 22 shots. Head Coaches In YSU Debuts The Penguins’ previous 11 head coaches went 5-6 in their first game on the bench. Four of those victories have come in the last six debut games for YSU head coaches. Denton Doll (Hiram, 1932), Joe Morbito (Kent State, 1942), Mike Rice (Columbia, 1982), Jim Cleamons (Wooster, 1987) and John Robic (Slippery Rock, 1999) are the five coaches to win their first game as YSU’s head coach. How About a Road Trip? YSU plays five of its first seven games on the road this season. Last year, the Penguins’ schedule was loaded with 15 home games. Now, Youngstown State is playing eight of its first 12 contests away from Youngstown until January. Akron Game Moved to Five The Penguins’ game against Akron on Saturday, Nov. 26 has been moved to 5 p.m. The contest was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Rhodes Arena in Akron, but has been moved up two hours. It will be the first meeting between the Penguins and Zips since December 1994. Up Next: Slippery Rock The Penguins are next in action at home on Wednesday, Nov. 23, when they take on Slippery Rock. Tipoff for the contest between YSU and The Rock is set for 7:05 p.m. Youngstown State has beaten Slippery Rock eight straight times. |
| Five Reach Double Figures in Exhibition Win |
| Sunday, November 13 2005 |
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| Youngstown – The Youngstown State men's basketball team placed six players in double figures, led by Derrick Harris's 16 points, to defeat Geneva in an exhibition game at the Beeghly Center on Saturday night. Besides Harris' 16, Quin Humphrey finished with 15 points, John Barber had 13, Keston Roberts finished with 12 and Domonique Crawford came off the bench to score 11. For the game, the Penguins shot 50.9 percent from the field making 28-of-55 shots while holding the Golden Tornadoes to 42.3 percent shooting (22-52). YSU made 12 3-pointers, including four by Harris and three buy Humphrey and Crawford. Kyle McDermott scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Geneva while Matt Franitti had 14 points as well. After falling behind behind 2-0 at the game's outset, The Penguins scored the next 15 points and never looked back. YSU's biggest first-half advantage was 16 when it led 36-20 with 2:49 and 38-22 on a Crawford dunk with 2:16 left in the half. In the second half, the Penguins methodically built 76-49 advantage on a basket by freshman Jack Liles. With YSU ahead 79-52 on a 3-pointer by Alex Sanchez, the Golden Tornadoes were able to cut the deficit to 79-64 before Roberts added a 3-pointer. The Penguins open the regular season next Saturday when they travel to Loretto, Pa., to take on Saint Francis (Pa.). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. |
| YSU Set to Play Exhibition Contest Against Geneva |
| Thursday, November 10 2005 |
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| The Youngstown State men’s basketball team tips off the 2005-06 season with an exhibition game against Geneva on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff for the contest against the NAIA Division II Golden Tornadoes is set for 7:15 p.m. following the women’s exhibition game versus the Ohio Legends. The Penguins will be playing for the first time in public under new head coach Jerry Slocum. Slocum was brought on board in April and he and his staff have work diligently for the upcoming campaign. Headlining Youngstown State’s returning players from last year’s 5-23 team is junior guard Quin Humphrey. Humphrey was a second-team preseason All-Horizon League selection after averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game a year ago. Derrick Harris, John Barber, Dwight Holmes, Alex Sanchez, Domonique Crawford, Mike Adams and Colin LaForme also return the Penguins this year. The list of newcomers includes guards Keston Roberts and Mikko Niemi along with forward Jack Liles. YSU officially starts the 2005-06 campaign playing at St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. Scouting Geneva Geneva is a member of the American Mideast Conference and competes on the NAIA Division II level. Last year, the Golden Tornadoes finished with a 19-12 overall mark and an 8-6 conference mark competing in the AMC North Division. The top returning scorer is center Kyle McDermott who averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The top two leading scorers from last season’s team do not return. Also back are guard Nate Conley who averaged 9.9 points and eight assists and 5.9 rebounds per game and forward Christian Hauser who averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. The All-Time Series The Penguins and Golden Tornadoes have played 50 times before, but this will be the first meeting --albeit exhibition - between the schools since Dec. 11, 1971. The Penguins won that contest 103-59. Overall YSU leads the all-time series by a 30-20 mark. The first meeting between the programs was Dec. 28, 1931 - the fifth season of YSU basketball. Excelling in Exhibition Tilts Since beating BC ZTE Hungary 75-66 on Nov. 11, 1997, Youngstown State has won 11 straight exhibition games. All-time in exhibition contests, YSU is 18-7 dating back to the 1981 season. Last year, the Penguins defeated NCAA Division III Denison 63-52 in their lone exhibition game of the year. Quin Humphrey scored 24 points while Brian Radakovich added 12 in the victory. Veteran Coach Jerry Slocum Takes Reigns of Program Coach Jerry Slocum has was named the 12th coach in YSU history on April 12. He brings 30 years of head-coaching experience with him to the Penguins bench. He most recently spent nine seasons as the coach of Division II Gannon where he posted a 179-78 record during his tenure. He posted a 69.6 winning percentage with the Golden Knights and led his team to six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Prior to taking over at Gannon, Slocum was the head coach at Geneva from the 1985-86 campaign through the 1995-96 season. While in charge of the Golden Tornadoes for nine years, he posted a 202-81 overall record for an impressive winning percentage of .714. Coaches Have Strong Ties Both YSU Coach Jerry Slocum and Geneva Coach Jeff Santarsiero know each other well. When Slocum was the head coach of the Golden Tornadoes in 1988, Santarsiero joined his staff as an assistant. When Slocum left the program to take over at Gannon after the 1995-96 season, Santarsiero stepped in as the head coach. Santarsiero is a graduate of Nyack College and played for Slocum while attending the school. Guard Quin Humphrey Tabbed Preseason All-Conference Junior guard Quin Humphrey was named preseason Horizon League in a balloting by the league’s coaches, Sports Information Directors and media. Last season, Humphrey averaged 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. In 28 games played, he scored in double figures 25 times, including 15 of 16 Horizon League games. Playin’ Every Minute Of It Eight times last year a Penguin played all 40 minutes of a game -- excluding the four-overtime marathon against Siena when four went over 40 in 60 minutes of action. Quin Humphrey and Jon Mends went the distance three times while Derrick Harris and Brian Radakovich each played an entire game once. Blocked Shots Most Since ‘84 The Penguins blocked 112 shots last season, the third most in school history. That mark trailed only the 1982-83 (166) and 1983-84 (125) squads that featured 7-foot shot blocker Ricky Tunstall (221 career blocks). Akron Game Moved to Five The Penguins’ game against Akron on Saturday, Nov. 26 has been moved to 5 p.m. The contest was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Rhodes Arena in Akron, but has been moved up two hours. It will be the first meeting between the Penguins and Zips since December 1994. Up Next: At St. Francis (Pa.) The Penguins are next in action for real when they travel to Loretto, Pa., to take on St. Francis (Pa.). YSU has lost the last two meetings to the Red Flash, including a 70-56 defeat at the Beeghly Center on Dec. 29 during last season. The Red Flash got a jump start to the season playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament at Syracuse on Nov. 8-9. St. Francis lost twice in the event. |