| Davis' Career Night Spearheads 70-65 Victory Over Saint Francis |
| Wednesday, November 28 2007 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Loretto, Pa. -- Byron Davis' career-high 21 points helped the Youngstown State men's basketball team to just its second win in Loretto in 60 years on Wednesday night as the Penguins earned a 70-65 victory over the Red Flash. Davis scored nine points in the first half and 12 in the second half, including two clinching free throws with one second remaining, as YSU improved to 3-2 for the year while Saint Francis drops to 0-6. With four minutes remaining, the Penguins trailed 58-57 after SFU's Marquis Ford drained a 3-pointer. But John Barber scored two straight buckets and YSU never trailed again. Ford twice cut the deficit to one point, but each time, the Penguins were able to cling to the lead. In the final minute, the Penguins were 5-of-6 from the free-throw line as Barber made 1-of-2, Vance Cooksey made two with 12.2 seconds left and after YSU was able keep SFU from getting a good look in the final seconds, Davis made two with one second left. Barber chipped in 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes. For the game, YSU committed just nine giveaways. For the game, YSU shot 46.3 percent making 25-of-54 attempts from the field, including 5-of-16 from 3-point range. The Guins' improvement from the line played a large part in the win as they made 15-of-19 opportunities for a season-high 78.9 percent. SFU shot 39.3 percent making 22-of-56, as seven makes came from behind the 3-point arc. Cale Nelson was one of four Red Flash players to score in double figures finishing with a game-high 25 points. The Penguins opened and closed the first half strong to gain a 29-27 advantage at halftime. Youngstown State scored the first six points of the game thanks to two baskets by Davis and a layup by Jack Liles. But Saint Francis regrouped scoring 18 of the next 22 points to go in front 18-8. From that point the Penguins chipped away to get within 20-18 on two Cooksey free throws at the 6:05 mark. The Red Flash led 24-20 with 5:18 left, but after that point did not make a field goal the remainder of the first half. YSU trailed 27-26 in the waning seconds of the opening period when Mikko Niemi beat the buzzer with a halfcourt shot to go ahead 29-27 at the intermission. The Penguins had one just once in 12 previous games in Loretto since 1947. YSU concludes its three-game road swing playing its fourth 2007 NCAA Tournament participant of the year when it travels to Eastern Kentucky. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 6 p.m. in Richmond, Ky. |
| Second-Half Flurry Not Enough in 87-75 Loss to Notre Dame |
| Sunday, November 25 2007 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Notre Dame, Ind. -- Senior John Barber scored a career-high 19 points and recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 rebounds but an explosive first half by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-2) was too much to overcome for the Youngstown State men's basketball team 2-20 in an 87-75 loss to Notre Dame (3-2) on Saturday evening at the Joyce Center. Junior Jack Liles scored 17 points with eight rebounds and senior Byron Davis and freshman Vance Cooksey scored 14 and 13 points respectively. The Penguins, who trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half, outscored the Fighting Irish, 44-34, after the intermission and allowed Notre Dame just eight points and one field goal over the final 7:06 of the game. Trailing 83-59 at the 4:26 mark in the second half, the Penguins scored 12 straight points over the next three minutes to cut the Irish lead to 83-71. Two 3-pointers by Cooksey, two jumpers and two free throws paced the Penguins charge. After a free throw by McAlarney, layups by Cooksey and Gemayl Johnson brought the Penguins within nine, 84-75, but the Penguins would not get any closer. Notre Dame's impressive inside-outside combination of Luke Harangody and Kyle McAlarney led the Fighting Irish, who made six 3-pointers in the first stanza, to a 61.8 first-half field-goal percentage and a 52-31 lead at the intermission. McAlarney connected on 5-of-8 from the field, including four 3-pointers, for 15 first half points and Harangody added 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. For the game, Harangody led all scorers with 25 points on 12-of-17shooting while McAlarney tallied 23 points with five 3-pointers. The Penguins, who made six triples in the first half, did not score in the final 2:23 of the first half after Davis's 3-pointer and scored just 12 points in the final 10:52 after scoring 19 points in the first 9:08. The Fighting Irish jumped out to a 7-1 lead after the Penguins missed their first four field goals but the Penguins got back in the game with a 10-5 run to trail by two, 13-11, at the 14:25 mark after a layup and 3-pointer by Byron Davis. A 3-pointer by ND's Ryan Ayers and a 3-pointer by McAlarney extended the Irish lead back to seven, 18-11, with 13:47 remaining. Barber, who scored 12 points in the first half, nailed his second 3-pointer of the half to bring the Penguins back within four, 18-14, but the Irish scored five of the next seven points to increase their advantage to 23-16 with 11:38 remaining in the half. Johnson's 3-pointer sliced the Penguins' deficit to four, 23-19, but the Irish scored seven straight to take an 11-point lead, 30-19, after a 3-pointer by McAlarney and layup and jumper by Luke Zeller. A 3-pointer by Vance Cooksey and two charity tosses by Barber cut the Irish lead to six, 30-24, with 7:35 left. Notre Dame, however, used a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to push its lead to 17, 45-28 at the 2:35 mark. The Penguins continue their three-game road swing at St. Francis (Pa.), Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. in Loretto, Pa. |
| Notre Dame 87, Youngstown State 75 |
| Sunday, November 25 2007 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Luke Harangody had 25 points, Kyle McAlarney added 23 and Notre Dame survived a late 12-0 run by Youngstown State to beat the Penguins 87-75 Saturday. The Irish (3-2), who had squandered 10-point second-half leads in its previous two games, led by as much as 79-53 when Tory Jackson hit a free throw with 7:06 left. But John Barber and Gemayl Johnson hit 3-pointers and Vance Cooksey added two more to cut the lead to 83-65. Then Jack Liles hit a pair of baskets inside to cut the lead to 83-69. The Penguins closed to 84-75 after Johnson scored inside and Cooksey stole the inbounds pass and scored again. The Irish then hit three of its four free throws to put the game away. Both Harangody and McAlarney had career high in points as the Irish won for the 22nd straight time at home. The consecutive home victory streak at the Joyce Center, which opened in 1968, is 24, set from 1973-74. Harangody also matched his career high in rebounds with 13. Zach Hillesland added 10 points for the Irish. Barber led the Penguins with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Liles had 17 points and eight rebounds, Byron Davis added 14 points and Cooksey had 13 for Youngstown State. After scoring just 10 points in the paint in the first half, Youngstown State scored 24 points inside to make a run at the Irish. Dominating inside in the first half, Notre Dame steadily pulled away for most of the opening period. The Irish opened a 37-24 lead when Ryan Ayers hit a 3 and Harangody scored a quick pair of baskets inside. After Barber hit a 12-foot jumper for Youngstown State, the Irish ended the half on a 16-5 spurt to lead 53-31 at intermission. |
| Ohio Division III Player of the Year Signs With Program |
| Monday, November 19 2007 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State Men's Basketball Coach Jerry Slocum announced on Monday that Ashen Ward, the 2006-07 Ohio Division III Player of the Year, has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Penguins' program. Ward, a 6-foot-3 guard at Cleveland's Villa Angela-St. Joseph, averaged 14.7 points and six rebounds per game helping lead the Vikings to the state semifinals in 2007. VASJ reached the state championship game his sophomore year in 2006. Slocum said Ward is a talented player who will bring a lot to the program. "We are very excited to sign a player like Ashen," Slocum said. "He is a solid student-athlete who is also a quality basketball player." A first-team All-Ohio selection last year, Ward has helped lead VASJ to a 39-14 record the past two seasons. In 2007, the Vikings lost to Findlay Liberty-Benton in the state semifinals while posting an 18-8 mark. In the contest, Ward had 12 points, three assists and three rebounds. He was named second-team all-tournament for his efforts throughout the postseason. In 2006, VASJ reached the state championship game falling to Cincinnati North College Hill. The Vikings finished the year 21-6. He had seven points, four rebounds and three assists in the title-game loss. Ward said all his feelings toward YSU were good from the beginning. "I got a good vibe from everything at Youngstown State," he said. "When I talked to the coaches, I had a comfort level with them on the phone and that continued when I met them in person. Then I made my visit and that was terrific. I saw how the team played and knew right away it was a good fit for me and my type of game. "It is very close to home and my parents can come at watch me and I can still get home whenever I need to." He said YSU has a lot to offer in a variety of areas both personally and educationally. "There are a lot of great things about the school," he said. "I'm not sure what my academic focus will be, but they have it all there. I will have plenty of opportunities to learn. "I have a great relationship with both of my parents, especially my mom. My family is big in supporting me and I appreciate that very much." In other news, Saturday's game at Notre Dame has been moved from a 4 p.m. start back to 7:30 tip. The game will be carried live on 570 WKBN. |
| Five Reach Double Figures in 95-55 Win Over Lock Haven |
| Friday, November 16 2007 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Senior Byron Davis tied a career-high with 19 points and paced four other Penguins scoring in double figures as the Youngstown State men's basketball team (2-1) defeated Lock Haven (0-1), 95-55, in the Penguins home opener on Friday evening at the Beeghly Center. Senior John Barber posted 13 points while junior Gemayl Johnson scored a career-high 11 points and freshmen Vytas Sulskis and Dan Boudler each posted 10 points. Boudler recorded his first career double-double with 15 rebounds. The Penguins, who never trailed, came out firing on all cylinders shooting a blistering 60 percent (24-of-60) from the field in the first half and limited the Bald Eagles to just 16 points and a 21.2 field-goal percentage. Jack Liles and Barber each hit jumpers to start the Penguins offense before Lock Haven sliced the Penguins advantage to two, 6-4, with 17:31 remaining. The Penguins scored nine straight to extend their lead to 11, 15-4, capped by a 3-pointer by Davis at the 15:11 mark. Davis scored 11 of his 19 points in the first half. Over the next five minutes, the Penguins' lead ballooned to 22 points, 29-7, after a dunk by Barber at the 11:03 mark. The Penguins defense allowed the Bald Eagles just nine more points in the half and held them scoreless over the last five minutes of the half. Lock Haven outscored the Penguins, 39-35, in the second half. For the game, Youngstown State shot 52 percent from the field and out-rebounded Lock Haven, 62-33. The Penguins visit Notre Dame, Saturday, Nov. 24, in Notre Dame, Ind. |
| Youngstown State 95, Lock Haven 55 |
| Friday, November 16 2007 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) -- Byron Davis scored 19 points and four other Penguins reached double-figures as Youngstown State grabbed an early lopsided lead to beat Lock Haven 95-55 Friday night. Youngstown State (2-1) used runs of 15-2 and 22-2 to build a 60-16 halftime lead. Thirteen Youngstown State players scored in the game as the Penguins emptied the bench in the second half. John Barber scored 13, Gemayl Johnson had 11, Vytas Sulskis scored 10 and Dan Boudler grabbed 15 rebounds while scoring 10 points for the Penguins. Billy Arre had 15 points and Denny Mortimer added 14 for Lock Haven (0-1). The Bald Eagles shot just 31 percent and were outrebounded by Youngstown State, 62-33. |
| Davis, Cooksey Spark Penguins to 69-66 Win Over Weber State |
| Wednesday, November 14 2007 |
| Courtesy of: YSU Release |
| Los Angeles, Calif. -- Byron Davis scored a career-high 19 points, including two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining, as the Youngstown State men's basketball team held on for a narrow 69-66 victory over Weber State in the consolation bracket of the CBE Classic on Tuesday. The Penguins (1-1) led by as many 18 in the first half, and although never losing the lead, let the Wildcats (1-2) get within on in the final seconds. Davis was fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining and calmly sank two free throws. WSU's full-court pass was caught by Tyler Billings who attempted a 16-footer that missed at the buzzer. Guard Vance Cooksey contributed 18 points in the victory. Together Cooksey and Davis combined to make 12 field goals, including seven 3-pointers. Freshman Vytas Sulskis had an impressive evening scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds. Sulskis made three treys in the contest. Davis also had five assists while Jack Liles contributed nine points and six rebounds. The Penguins jumped out quickly taking their largest lead of the contest 31-13 at the 8:10 mark of the first half on a 3-pointer by Sulskis. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 11 before a Sulskis bucket with 11 seconds left in the opening half gave the Guins a 37-25 halftime lead. YSU scored the first four points of the second half taking a 42-25 lead but after that Weber State began to chip away. The Wildcats scored 14 of the next 18 points to pull within 49-39, but with 5:35 left the Guins still held a nine-point lead. WSU crept within 61-55 before a Dwight Holmes basket gave the Penguins a 63-55 edge. Two free throws by Juan Pablo Silveira and a coast-to-cost layup by Daviin Harris cut the margin to 63-59 with 1:13 left. Cooksey was fouled and stepped to the line making two free throws making the score 65-59 before Silveira scored a basket and Brody Van Brocklin drained a 22-footer making the score 65-64 with 25 seconds left. Sulskis found Cooksey for a breakaway to beat the WSU pressure to give YSU a 67-64 lead. Harris drove the lane making a basket to get WSU within one for the second time. YSU was able to get the ball in the front court and Davis was fouled after a Penguins inbounds play to help seal the win. Youngstown State returns home to play host to Division II Lock Haven on Friday night. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7:05 p.m. |
| Youngstown State 69, Weber State 66 |
| Wednesday, November 14 2007 |
| Courtesy of: AP Release |
| LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Byron Davis scored 19 points, Vance Cooksey added 18 and Youngstown State held off Weber State 69-66 in a consolation game of the CBE Classic on Tuesday night. Davis and Cooksey combined to hit seven of the Penguins' 10 3-pointers. They also kept the Wildcats (1-2) at bay over the final 52 seconds. Cooksey scored four points and Davis hit two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining to preserve the win for the Penguins (1-1), who were coming off a 31-point loss to No. 2 UCLA in a first-round game Monday night. Arturas Valeika led Weber State with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Juan Pablo Silveira added 14 points. Youngstown State led virtually the entire game, building a 12-point halftime lead and a 13-point lead in the second half before the Wildcats rallied. Brody Van Brocklin hit a 3-pointer to draw Weber State within one with 25 seconds left. But Cooksey scored on a fastbreak layup, then Davis got fouled and hit both free throws. Tyler Billings missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime. |
| Four Reach Double Figures in 83-52 Loss at No. 2 UCLA |
| Tuesday, November 13 2007 |
| Courtesy of: YSU Release |
| Los Angeles, Calif. -- Four players scored in double figures for the Youngstown State men's basketball team, but second-ranked UCLA proved to be to tough as the Penguins suffered an 83-52 loss to the Bruins on Monday at Pauley Pavilion in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Leading the way for YSU (0-1) was senior forward John Barber who had 12 points. Also reaching double digits were senior Byron Davis who had 11, along with freshmen Vance Cooksey and junior Jack Liles who both chipped in 10 each. Cooksey also had five rebounds and three assists in his collegiate debut. The Penguins held a brief 5-4 advantage in the contest before UCLA steadily increased its lead throughout the first half. With the contest at 28-18 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half in favor of UCLA, the Bruins scored five straight points to push the cushion up to 15. YSU trailed 41-24, but a Cooksey 3-point and a dunk by Davis cut the deficit to 12 before Nikola Dragovic knocked down a trey to make the score 44-29 at halftime. The Bruins opened the game up in the second half by opening the frame with a 19-4 run and they never looked back. For the game, YSU shot 39.2 percent converting 20-of-51 opportunities from the field. The Guins also made just 8-of-19 free-throw attempts and committed 23 turnovers. UCLA shot 46.4 percent converting on 32-of-69 shots. The Bruins won the battle of the boards by a 49-30 margin while committing seven fewer turnovers. Leading the way for UCLA was freshman Kevin Love who had a game-high 21 points while Lorenzo Mata-Real finished with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The Penguins conclude action in the Los Angeles Bracket playing Weber State in the consolation game on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Pauley Pavilion. |
| (2) UCLA 83, Youngstown State 52 |
| Tuesday, November 13 2007 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kevin Love and Lorenzo Mata-Real showed how dominating UCLA's two big men can be when they're in the lineup at the same time. Playing together for the first time, Love scored 21 points, Mata-Real added 14 points and 14 rebounds and the second-ranked Bruins trounced Youngstown State 83-52 in the first round of the CBE Classic on Monday night. The Bruins (2-0) extended their home winning streak to 22 games with their second blowout victory. Love just missed his second double-double, grabbing nine rebounds. He made his college debut with 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 21-point win over Portland State on Friday. "It was another pretty good defensive performance to hold a team under 40 percent, which is always a goal," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. UCLA will play Division II Cal State-San Bernardino, which beat Weber State 71-59, in Tuesday's second round. The winner advances to the semifinals on Nov. 19 in Kansas City. "We need to get rested," said Howland, who headed off to watch film of the Coyotes. "They press for 40 minutes and they even press on missed shots. This will be good for us." John Barber scored 12 points for Youngstown State (0-1), which had 23 turnovers playing against a Pac-10 team in California for the first time. "We had too many turnovers and missed too many free throws," Penguins coach Jerry Slocum said. "We played a lot of freshmen, so it was good for them to be thrown into the fire. This game was good for the long-term." Mata-Real's double-double was the second of his career. He and Love had never practiced together because Mata-Real lost time with a sprained foot. "We're playing with great effort," Mata-Real said. "As long as we win, I'm happy." Love took over Mata-Real's starting role this season, with the senior center coming off the bench. Together, they overpowered the Penguins and helped UCLA control the boards, 49-30. "Coach wants us to outrebound every team at least by 10," Love said. He showed off a variety of moves, stepping out to hit a 3-pointer, scoring down low and playing defense on the perimeter. He left with about 6 minutes remaining and had ice taped to both his knees on the bench. "I had to play him too many minutes in the first half because of foul trouble with Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute)," Howland said. "It takes a lot out of him. We're asking him to play really hard at the defensive end of the floor." The Penguins fell behind by 17 points in the first half. They quickly trailed by 30 after UCLA opened the second half with a 19-4 run. Mata-Real twice scored off rebounds of missed free throws by Russell Westbrook in the spurt. Westbrook made his second consecutive start in place of guard Darren Collison, who is recovering from a sprained left knee and won't play Tuesday. Westbrook had nine points and a career-high nine assists playing on his 19th birthday. Without Collison running the offense, the Bruins committed 16 turnovers, two less than in their opener. But they outscored Youngstown State 18-6 in second-chance baskets. The Penguins haven't beaten a ranked Division I team since La Salle in 1952, and they fell to 1-19 in such games. They went 14-17 last season, the school's most victories since 2000-01. Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin was back at Pauley Pavilion in his job as analyst for ESPN2, which broadcast the game. The student section waved sticks with blowup photos of Lavin's face attached. He was fired in 2003 after seven seasons, paving the way for Howland to take over |
| Penguins Trek West To Take on No. 2 UCLA Bruins |
| Monday, November 12 2007 |
| Courtesy of: |
| The Youngstown State men’s basketball team begins the program’s 78th season by traveling to California to take on second-ranked UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Tipoff for the contest between the Penguins and Bruins is set for 11 p.m. Eastern Time and will be televised on ESPN2. Youngstown State (14-17 in 2006-07) is coming off a year in which it won its most games since the 2000-01 campaign. Highlighting the season were victories over NCAA Tournament participants Wright State and Eastern Kentucky. Last year, the Penguins played three Big Ten teams (Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State) and played nationally-ranked Butler twice during the Horizon League slate. UCLA (30-6 last year) reached the NCAA Final Four for the second straight year only to lose to eventual National Champion Florida for the second consecutive season. In the 2007 national semifinals, the Bruins dropped a 76-66 decision to the Gators at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. YSU has beaten one ranked Division I team in school history. The Penguins’ lone victory came against 19th-rated LaSalle (68-57) in Youngstown on Feb. 5, 1952. YSU has played 19 games against ranked Division I foes in school history. The winner of the YSU-UCLA contest will play the winner of the Weber State-Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday with tilt for a berth in the CBE Classic Final Four in Kansas City, Mo., on the line. Tuesday’s games are scheduled for 7:45 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Eastern. Opening Tips... • This is the third straight season that the Penguins have opened the campaign on the road. Last year, YSU beat Central Michigan 74-50 in Lansing, Mich., at the Michigan State Regional of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. The Guins lost at St. Francis (Pa.) 71-58 to open the 2005-06 slate. • All-time against ranked Division I foes, the Penguins are 1-18 with the lone win coming versus LaSalle in February 1952. • YSU has never played a game in California and never played a Pac-10 foe. • Seniors John Barber and Dwight Holmes have each played in more than 80 career contests. Barber has played in 86 contests while Holmes has appeared in 80 games. • Guard Byron Davis has played in 87 career contests - 57 at New Mexico State and 30 at YSU. • Davis is the team’s top returning assist man finishing with 116 in 2006-07. Davis is also the top returning scorer with 257 points while Jack Liles is the top returning rebounder with 197. • Liles led the team with 75 offensive rebounds last year. Of his 197 total rebounds, 149 came in the final 19 games. He posted six double-figure rebound games in that time span. • Liles had a team-best 23 dunks during the 2006-07 season. • Davis, Barber, Liles and junior guard Mikko Niemi have been named team captains for the 2007-08 season. • YSU lost 1,088 points scored -- out of 2,047 -- with the departures of Quin Humphrey and Keston Roberts. • The Guins ended last season winning four of their final six games. • The 14 wins in 2006-07 were the most for the program since winning 19 in 2000-01. • YSU tied for fourth in the Horizon League standings and won nine games - both bests for the program since joining the league in 2001-02. • Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of just 47 NCAA coaches to earn at least 600 career victories. Slocum picked up win number 600 against Wright State on Feb. 22, 2007. • In 2006-07, YSU was 9-0 when leading at halftime, 9-0 when shooting 50 percent, 10-2 when scoring 70-or-more points and 7-1 in games decided by five points or less. Scouting the Bruins UCLA reached the Final Four for the second consecutive season losing to Florida 76-66 in the semifinals. The Bruins finished the campaign with an impressive 30-6 record. UCLA averaged 71.4 points per contest will surrendering 59.9 per game. At Pauley Pavilion in 2006-07, the Bruins were a perfect 16-0. Guins Were Second-Half Team YSU outscored its opponents 1,112 to 1,013 in the second half last season. The Penguins outscored opponents in 18 of 31 games last season. On the flip side, YSU was outscored 1,086 to 935 in the first half. YSU Held FT Shooting Edge The Penguins attempted 146 more free throws and made 116 more than their opponents last season. YSU averaged 19.6 foul shots per game. In 22 games, the Penguins attempted more free throws than their opponent. Youngstown State attempted 608 free throws, the third time in the past four years the program has attempted more than 600 charity tosses. Key Numbers Were 40 and 70 Twelve times the Guins held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting in a contest and in 11 of the contests they were victorious. On Feb. 22, Wright State shot 25.5 percent, the lowest against the Guins since Western Michigan in November 2000. The Guins were 10-2 when scoring at least 70 points, including five straight wins. The Guins were 5-0 when scoring more than 80 points (Slippery Rock, UW-Milwaukee, UIC and Detroit - twice). Scoring 30...Nine Times The Penguins have had nine 30-point performances in the past two seasons since Coach Slocum took over the program. In the previous 13 seasons, the Guins had nine 30-point outings. Last year, Quin Humphrey had three 30-point outings while Keston Roberts had two. The five in one season was the most since 1986-87. Wins Piled Up YSU won 14 games for the first time since a 19-win campaign in 2000-01. In Horizon League action, the Guins had never won more than four conference games in a single year before setting a school mark with seven last year. YSU also won three league games in the month of February for the first time since 2000-01. If Beeghly Is A Rocking... The Penguins won five straight home games and six of their last seven at the Beeghly Center last year. YSU posted a 10-4 mark, the first 10-win season at home since 2000-01 (10-2). On only two other occasions since 1986-87 have the Guins won at least 10 home games - 11 in 1994-95 and 10 in 1997-98. Five Players Did The Scoring Quin Humphrey, Keston Roberts, Byron Davis, John Barber and Jack Liles scored more than 200 points last season. Combined, the group of five scored 1,809 points for the Guins. Overall, YSU scored 2,047 points, which meant 88.1 percent of the scoring went through those five players. In league games they scored 930 of 1,018 (91.4 percent). Taking a Lot of Treys The Penguins have attempted 1,066 3-pointers the past two seasons. That is the second most in consecutive seasons in school history. YSU attempted 1,080 from 1997-98 to 1998-99. In the past two years the Guins have made 359 of those attempts. New Faces to See Action The Penguins will rely on a group of seven newcomers to contribute this season. Players making their debuts with the program are freshmen Vytas Sulskis, Dan Boudler, Mychal Doblanski and Blair Rozenblad. Junior college transfers appearing with the program for the first time are Mel Johnson and Kevin Draughon. Point guard Vance Cooksey sat out last season while working on his academics at YSU. Freshman Starters Guard Vytas Sulskis could become the first true freshmen to start a season-opener since Doug Underwood started against Evansville on Nov. 17, 2001. Since the 1990-91 campaign, only four true freshman have started the season opener. Liles a Force Down Low Junior forward Jack Liles had an impressive 19-game run to end the season scoring 152 points and grabbing 149 rebounds. For the year he has had at least seven rebounds in 14 contests while scoring in double figures 11 times. He also has tallied three double-doubles. Davis Moves to No. 2 Spot Senior guard Byron Davis will move from the point guard slot to the two-guard position this year. Last year Davis had 116 assists and 257 points. In his three years of Division I action, including two at New Mexico State, he has scored 591 points. Up Next The Penguins return to the court on Tuesday to play either Weber State or Cal State San Bernardino. Weber State played in the NCAA Tournament in 2007 while San Bernardino reached the NCAA Division II semifinals. The winner of the championship game advances to the CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 19-20. |
| Single-Game Tickets Available Now From YSU Ticket Office |
| Friday, November 9 2007 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- Single-game tickets for the upcoming 2007-08 Youngstown State University men’s and women’s basketball seasons are now on sale. Fans interested in purchasing tickets can do so in person at the Youngstown State athletic ticket office in Stambaugh Stadium or by calling, (330) 941-1YSU. The ticket office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets for men’s and women's basketball home games are $10 for reserved chairback seating and $6 for upper-level general-admission seating. Groups of 15 or more can purchase general admission tickets for a discounted price by calling the ticket office. The men’s basketball team plays host to Lock Haven in the Beeghly Center on Friday, Nov. 16, while the women's team plays host to Toledo on Thursday, Nov. 29. This season, the men's and women's team will combine to play host to eight doubleheaders while the women have five single home contests and the men have four. |