| Byron Davis, John Barber Pave Way in 95-82 Loss at Buffalo |
| Sunday, February 24 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Buffalo, N.Y. -- Senior Byron Davis scored a career-high 29 points and senior forward John Barber scored 22 but the Youngstown State men's basketball allowed a season-high in points losing 95-82 to Buffalo at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. Davis was 13-of-18 from the field while Barber was 9-of-21. The duo also combined for 13 rebounds. Jack Liles was the only other Guin to reach double figures finishing with 11. The first half featured eight lead changes and four ties but a Buffalo run in the second half proved to be fatal. YSU (9-19) trailed 49-47 just over three minutes into the second half on a 3-pointer by Vytas Sulskis. The Bulls (9-17) scored 10 straight points to grab a 59-47 lead with 13:37 remaining and the closest the Guins could get was seven on two occasions, the latest at 76-69 with 6:57 on a trey by Davis. Buffalo's Andy Robinson scored 26 points to lead the team. Byron Mulkey contributed a season-high 18 points while Calvin Betts added 16. The Bulls were strong from the free-throw line making 28-of-31 attempts (90.3 percent). For the game YSU shot 48.5 percent making 32-of-66 attempts, but was just 56.5 percent from free-throw line making 13-of-23 opportunities. Buffalo shot 47 percent from the game making 31-of-66 attempts. UB won the battle of the boards 42-34. The Penguins conclude the regular season next Saturday at the Beeghly Center against Cleveland State. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. and will be Senior Night for Barber, Davis, George Cotal and Dwight Holmes. |
| Davis scores 23 to lead Youngstown St. 76-73 over Wisc.-Green Bay |
| Thursday, February 21 2008 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP)—Byron Davis scored 23 points to lead Youngstown State to a 76-73 win over visiting Wisconsin-Green Bay on Wednesday night. Vytas Sulskis added 20 points and John Barber contributed 19 points for the Penguins (9-18, 5-12 Horizon League). Down 76-70 with 35 seconds to go, Ryan Tillema hit a 3-pointer to bring Wisconsin-Green Bay (13-13, 7-9) within three. But they couldn’t capitalize on a Penguins turnover, missing two successive 3-point attempts that could have tied the game. Both teams shot well from the floor, with Youngstown State making just over 55 percent of its shots and Wisconsin-Green Bay making 54 percent. But the Penguins dominated from behind the 3-point line, shooting 64.7 percent (11-of-17) to Wisconsin’s 29.4 percent (5-of-17). Terry Evans led Wisconsin with 14 points. Randy Berry had 13. |
| Stellar 3-Point Shooting Leads Guins Past Phoenix, 76-73 |
| Thursday, February 21 2008 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team connected on 11 3-pointers, including seven in a decisive second half to beat Green Bay 76-73 on Wednesday night at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins converted 7-of-8 3-point attempts in the second half and shot at a 64.7 percent (11-of-17) clip from behind the arc for the game. YSU shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the field and just 47.8 percent from the line (11-of-23). Green Bay shot 54 percent from the field (27-of-50), but converted on just 5-of-17 3-point attempts (29.4 percent). The contest was in doubt until the final shot despite chances by the Penguins to seal the deal. After UWGB's Ryan Tillema cut a 76-70 YSU lead to three on trey with 33.1 seconds left, Jack Liles broke away from the pack before losing his dribble out of bounds under the Penguin basket. Green Bay's Mike Schachtner missed a 3-point attempt, but the Phoenix grabbed the long offensive rebound. Tillema attempted another game-tying 3-pointer with seven seconds left but missed and Dwight Holmes grabbed the rebound. With 3.4 seconds left, Holmes missed both free throws and Green Bay pushed the ball quickly up the court but was unable to get a desperation shot off before the buzzer. YSU led for most of the first half before Green Bay grabbed a 38-37 halftime lead. At the start of the second half, the Phoenix jumped ahead by six points but the Guins caught up tying the contest at 47 on a John Barber 3-pointer. From that point, the Guins forged ahead 58-51 after Byron Davis' free throw with 9:35 left. The Phoenix hung tough eventually taking a 64-63 lead with 5:09 left on three Tillema free throws Leading 69-68, Mel Johnson drilled a huge 3-pointer with 2:18 left. Randy Berry answered with a basket, but Davis quickly beat the Green Bay press down the floor for a breakaway dunk. Davis' steal and subsequent layup with 41 seconds left put YSU up by six before a frantic finish. Davis scored a game-high 23 points while freshman Vytas Sulskis scored 20 points, all in the first half. Barber added 19 for the Guins. For Green Bay, Terry Evans posted a team-leading 14 points. YSU returns to action on Saturday afternoon with a contest at Buffalo. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. |
| Crusaders Too Much For Penguins |
| Saturday, February 16 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Valparaiso, Ind. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team fell victim to some hot shooting for the second straight game as Valparaiso connected on 11 3-pointers en route to a 77-58 victory over the Penguins on Saturday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Byron Davis led YSU with 18 points while Vytas Sulskis and Dwight Holmes each added 10 before fouling out. For the game, Valpo shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) while the Guins shot 38.9 percent (21-of-54). The Crusaders were 11-of-24 from 3-point range while YSU was 6-of-19. Leading the way for Valparaiso was Jarryd Loyd who scored 18 points. Jake Diebler had 14 and was 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Bryan Bouchier had 11 points while Shawn Huff added 10. The Penguins (8-18 overall and 4-13 in the Horizon League) played well for the first 15 minutes of the contest before Valpo made a big run right before halftime. YSU and the Crusaders were tied at 22 following Davis' sixth field goal of the first half with 4:09 remaining before the break. Valpo (15-11 and 6-8)) closed the half on a 10-0 run as Jake Diebler and Loyd made clutch 3-pointers during the run to give the Crusaders a 32-22 lead. Davis finished the first half scoring 13 of the Guins' 22 points. Valpo used some strong distribution as four players had at least six points. In the half, YSU made 9-of-27 field-goal attempts, including 1-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Valpo was 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from the field and 6-of-15 from 3-point range. The Guins did not make a field goal from the 18:43 mark to the 11:09 mark in the first half as well after jumping out to a 5-0 advantage to open the game. Youngstown State returns to action on Wednesday night against Green Bay at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. |
| (9) Butler 89, Youngstown State 73 |
| Friday, February 15 2008 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Beware, Butler opponents: The old A.J. Graves might be back. Graves scored 15 points in 26 minutes as the No. 9 Bulldogs beat Youngstown State 89-73 Thursday night. Graves had shot a combined 6-for-25 in wins against Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He went 6-for-9 against Youngstown State, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. He left the game with 11:26 to go and Butler leading 68-45. The Horizon League's preseason Player of the Year, Graves hadn't shot better than 50 percent in a game since the Bulldogs beat Texas Tech on Nov. 24. Butler point guard Mike Green, who led the Bulldogs with 17 points, said it was a matter of time before the senior guard got loose. "A.J.'s a shooter," he said. "It's only so long he's going to be in a slump. It's not just A.J., it's any shooter. When they come out, they come out hitting. I don't see him having too many more slumps." Butler coach Brad Stevens even cracked a smile when asked about Graves' shooting, saying he looked comfortable. Graves took little credit for it, instead saying the Bulldogs set him up by sharing the ball. Butler had 20 assists on 33 baskets. "That's something that we try to take pride in, sharing the ball," he said. "That's what makes us get open looks, and I think that's what makes our percentage go up. We've just got to move the ball and stay with our motion offense." Matt Howard added 12 points for Butler (12-2 Horizon League), which is a school-best 23-2 for the second consecutive season. Butler set season highs for points and field goal percentage (.623). The Bulldogs made 13 of 20 3-pointers in their seventh straight win. Youngstown State coach Jerry Slocum said his team failed to execute its gameplan. "We came out thinking we needed to control Green off the drive and pressure the shooters," he said. "Obviously, we did neither at all tonight." Slocum said the Bulldogs can compete with UCLA and Notre Dame, two ranked teams that beat Youngstown earlier in the season, because of the way they spread out opponents' defenses with multiple outside shooters. "When they make those shots, they're going to beat anybody," he said. "They're competitive with anybody because of their style of play. When they don't knock down shots, everybody's going to be competitive with them." It was Butler's first home game since a 3-0 road trip. The Bulldogs will play four of their final five regular-season games at home. Byron Davis led Youngstown State with 20 points and Vance Cooksey added 15 for the Penguins (8-17, 4-11), who have lost eight of nine. Youngstown State shot 58 percent, and Stevens made his feelings about it known after the game. "Very disappointing," Green said. "I guess that happens when you're scoring like that. Points are coming so easy that you give up points on the other end. Coach was pretty mad about it. "He talked to us about it, and we all know we've got to get better. We're going to drill it, definitely." Butler shot 69 percent from the field to lead 50-34 at halftime, the most points the Bulldogs have scored in a half this season. Youngstown State shot 59 percent before the break, but couldn't overcome Butler's eight 3-pointers. Butler's outside shooting opened up the post, and Howard scored his team's first three baskets of the second half from in close as the Bulldogs took a 56-36 lead. The game never was close after that. The Bulldogs led 23-21 in the first half before a going on a 7-0 flurry, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Julian Betko, to take a 30-21 lead. Minutes later, Green stole the ball, drove and executed a 360-degree spin and layup to make it 39-27. Butler shot better from the 3-point line (65 percent) than from the free-throw line (62 percent). "If our 3-point shooting is going to be better than our free throw shooting, it's going to be a pretty good night," Stevens said. |
| Wright State 50, Youngstown State 47 |
| Saturday, February 9 2008 |
| Courtesy of: AP Wire |
| YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) -- Todd Brown's 3-ponter with 32 seconds left gave Wright State a 50-47 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday night. Defense dominated the final few minutes for both teams. Dwight Holmes hit a 3-pointer with 2:15 remaining to tie the game at 47. Youngstown State's Vance Cooksey missed a shot from the field and the front ends of two bonus situations before Brown hit the go-ahead basket. John Barber then missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that would have tied it. Brown led the Raiders (17-6, 9-4 Horizon League) with 14 points, with Will Graham adding 10. Barber scored 25 points for the Penguins (8-18, 4-10). |
| Guins Erase Nine-Point Second-Half Deficit for 55-48 Win Over Detroit |
| Thursday, February 7 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team erased a nine-point second-half deficit and recorded the first-ever season sweep of Detroit after 55-48 victory at the Beeghly Center on Saturday evening. Senior Byron Davis led the Guins with 13 points while senior John Barber recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Detroit (5-17, 1-11 Horizon League), which led by four at the intermission, expanded its advantage to nine, 33-24 within the first four minutes of the second half after a 3-pointer and lay up by Jon Goode, who scored a game-high 26 points. The Guins (8-15, 4-9 Horizon League) utilized a 14-2 run over the next five minutes to gain the lead, 38-35, which they would never surrender. Davis drained a 3-pointer and Vance Cooksey hit two free throws and a jumper to bring the Guins within one, 35-34, at the 10:45 mark. Cooksey converted two free throws with 10:25 remaining to give the Guins their first lead, 36-35. Barber hit a jumper to put the Guins up three and Detroit's Zach Everringham's two charity tosses cut the lead to one, 38-37, but the Titans could not get over the hump. In the second half, the Penguins shot 45 percent and out-rebounded the Titans, 21-15. Despite shooting just 33 percent from the floor in the first half, the Penguins whittled an 11-point deficit down to just one during a 12-2 run over a six minute span late in the first half. The Titans jumped out to a 15-4 advantage in the first nine minutes but a jumper by Vance Cooksey and a 3-pointer from Vytus Sulskis cut the lead to six, 15-9, at the 10:53 mark. Detroit scored three straight baskets to regain an 11-point edge, 20-9, at the midway through the stanza. The Guins answered with two layups by Sulskis, two charity tosses from Dwight Holmes and a free throw from Byron Davis to trim the deficit to four. Detroit's Jon Goode made two free throws to extend the lead to six but Mel Johnson's 3-pointer and a jumper by George Cotal brought the Penguins within one, 22-21, with 4:15 left. Detroit outscored the Penguins 6-3 the rest of the way to take a 28-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Guins host Wright State, Saturday, Feb. 9. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center following the YSU women's basketball contest against Milwaukee. |
| Basketball Draws Buffalo In O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters |
| Tuesday, February 5 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| The Youngstown State men's basketball team will meet Buffalo in a late-February contest as part of the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters. The Penguins will be visiting Alumni Arena on Saturday, Feb. 23. The time for the contest will be announced in the near future. YSU and Buffalo have played 23 times with the last meeting being played at Alumni Arena on Dec. 6, 2003 - an 86-66 Bulls victory. The Penguins lead the all-time series by a 13-10 margin. YSU dominated the series early winning nine of the first 10 meetings. The Bulls have won seven of the most recent nine contests. Last year, Youngstown State was a designated host school for the BracketBusters and defeated Eastern Kentucky at the Beeghly Center. In the other arranged matchups as part of this event, YSU has played Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Canisius and EKU. Entering a contest at Northern Illinois on Tuesday night, the Bulls are currently 6-14 overall and are looking for their first Mid-American Conference win after eight games. UB has played two consecutive double-overtime games. Sixth Annual O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters Games involving Horizon League teams: Drake at Butler Marist at Cleveland State Bowling Green at Detroit Western Michigan at Green Bay Loyola at William & Mary Milwaukee at Bradley UIC at Northern Iowa Miami (Ohio) at Valparaiso Youngstown State at Buffalo Wright State at Illinois State |
| Strong Second-Half Effort Not Enough in 86-72 Loss to UIC |
| Sunday, February 3 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Chicago, Ill. -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team suffered an 86-72 loss to UIC on Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion. The Penguins cut a 14-point halftime deficit to six with just under 14 minutes remaining, but that was as close as they could get. Freshman guard Vytas Sulskis led the Penguins with 18 points, all in the second half. Jack Liles had 16 and Byron Davis scored 10. Leading the way for UIC was Josh Mayo who scored a game-high 21 points. Mayo was 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point line and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. YSU drops to 7-15 overall and 3-9 in the Horizon League following the defeat. UIC improves to 12-10 and 6-5. The Flames improved to 10-1 at home this season. After taking a 3-0 lead to open the game on a 3-pointer by Mikko Niemi, the Guins could never get on track. UIC scored the next eight points and never trailed the rest of the way. The Flames shot 51.7 percent (31-of-60) for the game and were 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. YSU shot 37.3 percent (25-of-67), but was 5-of-29 (17.2 percent) from behind the 3-point arc. The Guins were 17-of-21 from the free-throw line. Trailing 48-33 early in the second, the Guins scored 12 of the next 15 points to get within 51-45 with 13:53 left on a Liles layup. Mayo answered the Penguins' run by drilling back-to-back 3-pointers. Robert Bush's layup made the scored 59-45 with 12:19 left and YSU was only able to get within 11 points the remainder of the contest. YSU returns home to play host to Detroit on Thursday night. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 7:35 p.m. |
| Holmes, Barber Score 19 in Buzzer-Beater Defeat at Loyola |
| Friday, February 1 2008 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Chicago, Ill. – The Youngstown State men’s basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching 69-68 loss at the Gentile Center on Thursday night when Loyola’s Tracy Robinson drained a 3-pointer as time expired. The Penguins took a 67-66 lead with just under 29 seconds left on a pull-up 15-foot jumper by John Barber. Loyola had a chance to regain the lead, but Aric Van Weelden’s 3-pointer from the corner rimmed out and the ball caromed out of bounds in possession of YSU. On the in-bounds pass, the Guins were able to take five seconds off the clock before a foul by Andy Polka put senior Byron Davis at the free-throw line in a one-and-one situation. Davis made the first foul shot, but his second rimmed out and Van Weelden grabbed the ball. YSU put some deep pressure on Loyola, but J.R. Blount pushed the ball quickly up the floor. The Penguins, leading 68-66, cut Blount’s lane to the basket out, but someone he passed the ball to Robinson who beat the buzzer by swishing a 3-pointer to win the game. Barber finished with his fourth double-double of the season scoring 19 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior Dwight Holmes had the best game of his career scoring 19 points. Holmes was 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. The contest featured 22 lead changes and four ties, 18 lead changes and three ties came in the second half. For the game, YSU shot 57.1 percent making 28-of-49 attempts while going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. The Ramblers made 29-of-66 attempts for a percentage of 43.9. They were 6-of-7 from the foul line. With the loss, the Penguins fall to 7-14 overall and 3-8 in the Horizon League while Loyola is now 8-13 and 4-7. YSU has dropped five straight contests while the Ramblers have now won two in a row. Robinson’s triple tied him with Blount for team-high scoring honors at 16 each. Davis scored 14 points while Vance Cooksey had 11 in a losing effort. YSU’s biggest lead of the contest was eight, which came in the first in the first five minutes, while Loyola led by six in the second half. The Guins had an outstanding second half shooting 60.7 percent (17-of-28) and committing just four turnovers after 13 first-half giveaways. The Penguins will try to regroup quickly by staying in Chicago to play at UIC on Saturday night. Tipoff at the UIC Pavilion against the Flames is set for 8 p.m. Eastern time. |