| Penguins Claw Back to Fall Short, 70-67 |
| Saturday, December 20 2003 |
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| Youngstown -- After trailing by eight with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, the Youngstown State men's basketball team ended up one-inch short of forcing overtime in a 70-67 loss to Oakland on Saturday afternoon. With the score 69-67, Oakland's Kelly Williams made one of two free throws to put the Golden Grizzlies (6-5) up three with seven seconds remaining. Following an Oakland timeout, the Penguins (2-7) beat the full court press and Doug Underwood's potential tying 3-pointer hit the front of the rim with two seconds remaining. "I thought Doug had a great look at the end," Head Coach John Robic said. "I'm proud of my guys for the way they came back." Down 67-59 following two free throws from Williams, Underwood hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left. TeJay Anderson stole the inbounds pass for a quick lay-up to get the Penguins within three at 67-64. Pierre Dukes hit two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to boost the Oakland advantage to 69-64, but Quin Humphrey hit from behind the arc with 12 seconds remaining to get the Penguins within two, which led to the final play. Anderson finished with 19 points to lead the Penguins while Adam Baumann had 14 points and 21 rebounds. Underwood finished with 14 points and Humphrey chipped in with 10. Baumann's 21 rebounds was the most by a Penguin since Feb. 8, 1992, when Jerome Sims had 22 at Radford. Cortney Scott's 19 points paced the Golden Grizzles while Mike Helms scored 15. Oakland opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take a 46-36 lead by capitalizing on five YSU turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half. "The early turnovers hurt, but the game went down to one shot," Robic said. "We overcame it and that's the important thing." The Penguins worked the deficit down to six points at 46-40 after two Baumann free throws with 15:53 remaining, but Oakland went on a 9-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 55-42. YSU, however, chipped away at the lead and got some help as Oakland shot just 56.3 percent from the line in the second half. The Golden Grizzlies led by six points three times in the first half, but could not pull away as YSU answered with six straight points on two occasions to tie the contest. After trailing 2-0, Baumann scored the next four points to give the Penguins their first lead of the game at the 18:25 mark. Oakland scored six unanswered points to take an 8-4 lead on a jumper from Rawle Marshall and did not relinquish the lead for nearly 10 minutes. Oakland increased its lead to 15-9 with 13:41 remaining on a jumper from Scott, but jumpers from Humphrey, Khari McQueen and Baumann knotted the score at 15 with 12:26 remaining. YSU reclaimed the lead at 21-19 and 24-23, but Oakland went on a 13-6 run to take a 36-30 lead with 2:43 remaining in the opening half. From that point, the Penguin defense did not surrender another point for the rest of the half as the offense scored six straight points to tie the score at 36 at the half. The Penguins will continue their three-game homestand on Monday, Dec. 22, when they host UMKC at 7 p.m. |
| Late Surge Lifts Raiders Over YSU, 69-59 |
| Friday, December 19 2003 |
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| Youngstown -- The Wright State Raiders used a 15-7 run over the final 6:18 to pull away from the Youngstown State men's basketball team on Thursday evening at Beeghly Center in the Horizon League opener for both schools. Through 36 minutes of the contest, the largest advantage of the game was five points by Wright State in the first half. However, after five lead changes and five ties in the first 13 minutes of the second half, the Raiders (2-5 overall and 1-0 in the Horizon League). WSU's Seth Doliboa had a game-high 24 points, 13 of which came in the second half, to lead all scorers. Vernard Hollins chipped in with 19 points and nine rebounds. Doug Underwood paced the Penguins (2-6 and 0-1) with 22 points and six 3-pointers on 15 attempts. TeJay Anderson and Adam Baumann each had nine points. Wright State shot 59.1 percent in the second half (13-of-22) and 54.5 percent overall (24-of-44) while the Penguins shot at a 39.7 clip (23-of-58). Youngstown State attempted 23 3-pointers in the contest, making six. WSU held the overall rebounding advantage 34-26 and a 21-7 second-half advantage. "In the first half, we did a good job of pushing the ball inside," Head Coach John Robic said. "In the second half, we took way to many jumpers and Wright State out-toughed us. They wanted this game more and it showed." With the score tied 2-2 less than 2 minutes into the first half, the Penguins scored seven unanswered points to take a 9-2 lead after an Underwood 3-pointer. The lead was short lived, however, as the Raiders went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 11 on two free throws from Hollins. Wright State;s biggest lead came at 20-15 on a 3 by Zakee Boyd, but Underwood's second 3-pointer in less than 1:30 tied the game at 25 with 5:36 remaining. Back-to-back dunks from Anderson and Underwood put the Penguins up 31-27 at the 3:20 mark, but WSU cut the deficit to 33-31 at halftime. The Raiders took an early 36-35 second-half lead on a 3-pointer from Hollins, but another Underwood 3-pointer put the Penguins back on top at 38-36. Five lead changes later, WSU grabbed a 53-49 lead at the 7:25 mark, the largest lead by either team in the half. The Penguins cut the lead to 54-52 at the 6:18 mark on two free throws from Baumann, but the Raiders closed the game on a 15-7 run for the final tally. YSU will continue their three-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts Oakland at 2 p.m. |
| YSU Opens League Action Playing Host to Raiders |
| Tuesday, December 16 2003 |
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| The Youngstown State men’s basketball team begins their third year of Horizon League play on Thursday night against Wright State. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7 p.m. The Penguins (2-5 overall and 0-0 in the Horizon League) begin a key three-games-in-five-days homestand against the Raiders (1-5 and 0-0). YSU plays host to former Mid-Continent Conference rivals Oakland on Saturday and UMKC on Monday. Youngstown State has played five of its first seven games on the road. The two Penguins wins -- St. Francis (Pa.) and Slippery Rock -- have come at the Beeghly Center. In their last outing, YSU lost 57-42 at then-No. 20 Pittsburgh. Senior center Adam Baumann led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds as the Penguins tried to slow down the game against the Panthers. Wright State is coming off a 79-73 loss to Southern Illinois at the Nutter Center. Under first-year coach Paul Biancardi, the Raiders have defeated Ball State while losing to Cedarville, South Florida, Morehead State, Miami (Ohio) and the Salukis. Since joining the Horizon League, YSU has won six conference games at home, including two over the Raiders. Last year at the Beeghly Center, the Penguins won 66-60 before losing 80-68 at Wright State. Youngstown State has won the past three games the two schools have played at Beeghly. YSU has a quick turnaround before taking the court on Saturday afternoon at 2 against Oakland in the second contest of the homestand. Scouting the Raiders The Raiders are off to a 1-5 start for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign. However, WSU has played a tough schedule losing at Morehead State, South Florida and Miami (Ohio). It is coming off a 79-73 loss to undefeated Southern Illinois. Leading the way is senior Seth Doliboa. Doliboa leads the team averaging 17.3 points per game. Teammate Vernard Hollins is right behind at 17 per game. Against Southern Illinois, Doliboa had 22 points despite sitting out the final 11 minutes of the first half in foul trouble. Wright State is coached by Paul Biancardi (Salem State, 1985), who is 1-5 in his first season with the Raiders. Penguins-Raiders Series Information This is the 27th meeting between the Penguins and Wright State. The Raiders have dominated the all-time slate owning a 20-6 record against YSU. Youngstown State has won three of the last five meetings. Last Year Between YSU & Wright St. The Penguins and Raiders split two meetings last season with each team winning on its homecourt. In Youngstown, Doug Underwood scored 24 points in a 66-60 YSU victory on Jan. 13. At Wright State, Seth Doliboa scored 30 and Vernard Hollins scored 24 in an 80-68 Raiders win. YSU had four players in double figures at WSU. |
| Penguins' Effort Comes Up Short At Pittsburgh, 57-42 |
| Saturday, December 13 2003 |
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| Pittsburgh -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team had a difficult task ahead of them Saturday night against Pittsburgh. The Penguins were trying to become the first team, other than Pittsburgh, to win in the Petersen Events Center. Both streaks were extended, but not without a fight as the Penguins fell to the defending Big East Champions 57-42 in front of 7,039 fans. "I think we proved tonight that we're better than our 2-5 record," Head Coach John Robic said. "We came in and competed and that was our number one goal." The Penguins trailed by just nine points at halftime, despite shooting 25 percent from the floor to Pittsburgh's 40 percent. Despite missing their first six shots and nine of their first 10, the Penguins trailed just 9-7 at the 12:10 mark. The Panthers however, outscored the Penguins 16-9 the rest of the half to take a 25-16 lead into the locker room. After TeJay Anderson hit a jumper with 12:10 remaining, Pitt went on a 14-3 run to take a 23-10 at the 4:30 mark on a free throw from Julius Page, but YSU scored the next six points on two jumpers from Jonathan Mends and one from Bill Mallernee to get back within seven points. Chevon Troutman added a jumper at the buzzer to get the Panthers up nine. The Panthers carried the momentum into the second half, scoring the first six points as part of a 10-4 run to take a 35-20 lead at the 15:36 mark. Khari McQueen made a layup with 14:28 remaining to get the Penguins within 13, but Pitt would not allow the YSU to get any closer. After a fast-break layup and free throw by Antonio Graves, Pitt held a 49-30 lead, their largest of the game. YSU scored five unanswered points in 1:03 to get back within 14 on a jumper by Doug Underwood at the 4:44 mark, but YSU would not get any closer. The Penguins shot 32 percent overall while Pittsburgh shot 45.8 percent. The Panthers held the rebounding advantage 31-30. "We knew rebounding was going to be the key," YSU center Adam Baumann said. "Every shot was contested and we had to force a few shots." Baumann finished with a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Penguins while Troutman and Page paced the Panthers with 14 points. YSU guards Quinn Humphrey and Mike Woodard did not play due to illness. YSU will open Horizon League play on Thursday, Dec. 18, when they host Wright State at 7 p.m. |
| Buffalo Shoots Past Youngstown State 86-66 |
| Saturday, December 6 2003 |
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| Buffalo, N.Y. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team couldn't overcome a tough Buffalo defensive effort losing 86-66 to the Bulls at Alumni Arena on Saturday night. YSU's Adam Baumann and Doug Underwood scored 14 points each, but five Bulls scored in double figures led by Mario Jordan's 16. Buffalo (2-3) took control of the game with an impressive first half and was never threatened in the second. The Penguins (2-4) started the game quickly taking a 6-3 lead, but Buffalo, which shot 53.1 percent in the opening stanza, went on a 16-2 run to take control of the game. During that stretch, YSU tied the game 8-8, but 11 straight Bulls points put them in front 19-8. Buffalo ended the half on a 13-4 run to build a 47-24 advantage at the break. Overall, UB ended the half on a 44-18 spurt. For the game, YSU shot 41.5 percent while Buffalo finished at 49.2 percent. UB made nine more field goals then the Penguins while making five more threes. The Penguins return to action next Saturday when they travel to 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh. |
| Penguins Erupt for 106-69 Win Over SRU |
| Wednesday, December 3 2003 |
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| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team tied a school record for 3-pointers with 14 and scored their most points since January 2001 in a 106-69 victory over Slippery Rock on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins (2-3) tied the school mark for 3-pointers set previously against Pitt-Bradford (1992) and Southern Utah (1999). YSU's last century-topping game came on Jan. 25, 2001 when it scored 116 points in a triple-overtime loss at Western Illinois. Six different Youngstown State players finished with double figures led by TeJay Anderson's and Quin Humphrey's 15. Anderson also grabbed 13 rebounds for his second career double-double. Mike Woodard had 14, Derrick Harris had a career-high 11 and Adam Baumann and Doug Underwood added 10 as well. Senior forward TeJay Anderson said the shots were there so the Penguins stepped outside and knocked them down. "Coach was stressing for us to go inside because they were smaller and take it to them,": Anderson said. "But the three was open tonight and we kept knocking them down." Six players made at least two 3-pointers while Harris added three. However, YSU was outrebounded 47-41 in the game by the Rockets (1-4). Coach John Robic said he was pleased to get newcomers Humphrey, Woodard and Craig Anderson extensive playing time. Also, Robic used Harris in a point-guard role during the game. "We got a win and it is always good to get a win," Robic said. "The one good thing about tonight was our guys got experience because some of them haven't played a lot and we were looking to get Doug Underwood back in the mix too." For the game, YSU shot 48.1 percent from the field taking 77 shots. SRU finished with a 37.8 percent field-goal percentage and committed 36 turnovers. YSU had 21 steals in the game, but also committed 21 turnovers. The 3-point shooting, a 14-of-26 night, however, was impressive to Robic. "Most of our shots came off penetration and I am fine with that. All the three's we took were good shots." Now YSU will try to carry the offensive onslaught to the road when they play at Buffalo on Saturday night. |
| Slow Start Dooms Penguins, 83-61 at BU |
| Monday, December 1 2003 |
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| Boston, Mass. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team couldn't overcome a rough start suffering a 83-61 loss to Boston University at Case Gym on Monday night. The Penguins (1-3) trailed 35-12 with five minutes left in the first half before making a run to trail 39-24 at the break. The loss marked a disappointing homecoming for TeJay Anderson, Khari McQueen and Derrick Harris who were playing in their home state. At the outset, Boston U, which picked up its first win of the season, came out strong and never trailed in the game. YSU was within 6-5 at the 16:32 mark of the first half, but the Terriers (1-3) jumped ahead 20-10 five minutes later. With YSU trailing 20-12 on two Adam Baumann free throws, before the Terriers opened the contest up by scoring 15 straight points. Youngstown ended the BU run when Bill Mallernee made a jumper with 4:47 left in the half. YSU closed the half on an 11-4 spurt to get back within 15 points by halftime. The Penguins scored six of the half's first eight points to get within 41-30 just under three minutes into the period. But that was as close as YSU could get the rest of the game. Boston regained control with a 10-2 run. Freshman Quin Humphrey scored a career-high 17 points making 6-of-11 shots and made 3-of-4 free throws. Humphrey had 12 of his 17 points in the second half. The Terriers had five players score in double figures led by Matt Turner's 20 off the bench. Rashad Bell had 19, Chaz Carr added 15, Shaun Wynn added 11 and Etienne Brower had 10. YSU won the battle of the boards 39-29, but committed 22 turnovers to Boston's 11. BU shot 48.3 percent (29-of-60) while YSU was 42.9 percent (21-of-49). Head Coach John Robic said he was disappointed with the team's performance. "We didn't have it tonight," Robic said. "We just got outplayed tonight by a good Boston U team. The one bright spot we had was a Quin Humphrey." Youngstown State played without the services of starting point guard Jonathan Mends. Mends missed the game with a sprained left ankle he suffered in the second half of Saturday's victory over St. Francis (Pa.). The Penguins are at home on Wednesday night when they play host to Slippery Rock. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7 p.m. |