INDIANAPOLIS -- Posting his second double-double of the year, Youngstown State junior forward Damian Eargle (Youngstown, Ohio/Warren Harding) has been named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1. The accolade is the first of Eargle's career.
Eargle helped Youngstown State (7-6, 2-1 Horizon) snap a four-game losing skid as the Penguins traveled to Cleveland State and knocked off the Vikings, 73-67. The 6-foot-7 junior dominated the post, recording 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Eargle went 8-for-11 from the field and hit 4-of-5 free throws, scoring 14 of his points in the second half to help the Penguins overcome a two-point halftime deficit.
Eargle is the second YSU player to garner the award this season after senior DuShawn Brooks was named player of the week on Dec. 5. It is also the first time since 2009-10 that multiple YSU players earned the accolade. That season, Sirlester Martin (Dec. 28, 2009) and DeAndre Mays (Jan. 11, 2010) each won player of the week.
On the year, Eargle is averaging 10.5 points per game and chipping in 7.3 rebounds. The junior ranks among the top shot blockers in the country, swatting 4.1 shots per contest, good for third in the nation. After going two years without a road win in Horizon League play, Youngstown State has collected two in its first three games in the conference.
Youngstown State returns to the Beeghly Center for two Horizon League games this week. Sitting on 999 wins in program history, the Penguins will welcome Loyola (5-9, 0-4 Horizon) for a 7:05 p.m. ET tip on Thursday, Jan. 5, with the Horizon League Network provided coverage. HLN will also air the Penguins' contest with UIC (5-9, 1-3 Horizon) game on Saturday, Jan. 7, with coverage beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET.
