The Youngstown State men's basketball team (15-13, 10-7 Horizon League) closes out the regular season and honors its seniors when it host Detroit, Saturday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center and is broadcast on ESPN3.com and can be heard on 570 WKBN-AM. It is also the Horizon League Network Game of the Week.
Quick Hitters
• With the win over Wright State, YSU has the best one-year improvement (8-win improvement) since the Horizon League went to 10 teams. Cleveland State had a nine-win improvement when the HL had just nine teams. YSU can match that with a win over Detroit.
• YSU is guaranteed its first .500 season since 2000-01 and has the most wins since 19 that same year.
• YSU has its most league wins since joining the Horizon League and most conference wins since posting an 11-5 mark in the Mid-Continent Conference in 2000-01.
• Junior Damian Eargle set the Horizon League all games and conference-games only single-season blocks record with 113 and 65, respectively. He also set the Horizon League career blocks record in conference play with 122.
• Sophomore Kendrick Perry has the chance to become just the fifth player in Horizon League history to lead the circuit in scoring and steals in conference play only.
• Junior Blake Allen ranks second on the YSU single-season list with 84 3-points, eight shy of tying the single-season mark set by Craig Haese (pronounced "Hays") in 2000-01.
• YSU has four players with at least 40 3-pointers made this season – a first in school history.
The Detroit Series
This is the 31st meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit in a series that dates back to 1953. The Titans own a 22-8 advantage in the all-time series. Earlier this season, the Guins snapped a five-game losing streak to the Titans with a 64-61 win at Calihan Hall on Dec. 1, 2011.
Guins Nationally
Youngstown State is splattered throughout the latest release of NCAA statistics. As a team, the Guins rank 11th with 8.7 3-pointers made per game and 5.6 blocks per game. They are also 20th nationally with just 11.2 turnovers per contest and 32nd with a .380 3-point field-goal percentage. Individually, junior Damian Eargle ranks third with 4.0 blocks per game. Kendrick Perry ranks 12th with 2.5 steals per contest. Blake Allen ranks 13th with a .438 3-point field-goal percentage and 14th with 3.0 3-pointers made per game.
Best HL Turnaround
With its win over Wright State on Feb. 23, YSU set a Horizon League (since becoming a 10-team league) mark with an eight-win turnaround in one season. Cleveland State set the nine-team league mark of a nine win improvement from 2006-07 to 2007-08.
KP Most Points Since Quin
With 466 points this season, sophomore Kendrick Perry has scored the most points in a single-season since Quin Humphrey scored 584 in 2006-07. Perry, who leads the league in scoring at 16.6 points per game, has scored at least 20 points in six of the last eight games and is averaging 22.9 points per game during that span.
Eargle Set Horizon League Mark
With five blocks against Wright State on Feb. 23, junior Damian Eargle set the Horizon League single-season records for blocked shots in all games and Horizon League games only. Overall, Eargle has 113 blocks and 65 in Horizon League play. He also became just the second player in YSU history to record at least 200 blocks in a career and has 204. He also owns the career mark for most blocks in conference play with 122.
KP Putting Up POY Numbers
Sophomore Kendrick Perry is having a player-of-the-year type season. Perry leads the Horizon League in scoring with 16.6 points per game and a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also ranks second in steals per game (2.5) and tied for third in assists per game (3.9). Over the last eight games, Perry is averaging 22.9 points 2.9 assists and 3.0 steals per game while shooting 57.9 from the field, 43.2 from 3-point range and 79.58.4 from the free-throw line.
Guins Set 3-Point Mark Again
With six 3-pointers against Wright State on Feb. 23, the Guins set the school's single-season record for most 3-pointers with 243. They broke the record of 235 set in 2010-11. The previous mark of 199 was set in 1997-98.
Four For 40
For the first time in school history, the Guins have four players that have made at least 40 3-pointers in the same season. Blake Allen has 84, Ashen Ward has 49, Kendrick Perry has 48 and DuShawn Brooks has 40. With his next 3-pointer made, Ashen Ward will collect his 50th triple of the season. It will mark the first time since 1997-98 that two Guins have made at least 50 3's in the same year. Perry has 48 and is two shy.
Ward Nearing 50
His next 3-pointer made will be the 50th of the season for senior Ashen Ward. He will be the first player to make at least 50 3-pointers in consecutive seasons since Quin Humphrey made 50 in 2005-06 and 65 in 2006-07.
Allen in Top 10
With three 3-pointers made against Wright State on Feb. 23, junior Blake Allen made his 131st career 3-pointer at Youngstown State. He currently ranks seventh all-time. He needs five more to move into sixth place (Doug Underwood, 135, 2001-04). He also has 84 3-pointers this season, which ranks second on the single-season list. He is nine shy of breaking the single-season record of 92 set by Craig Haese in 2000-01.
Ward Now Into 5th
With 49 3-pointers this season, senior Ashen Ward now ranks fifth all-time with 146 career 3-pointers. He needs one more to move into sole possession of fifth place on the list. Ward also needs three more to move into a tie for 10th place on the single-season list with 52.
KP Sets Single-Season Steals Mark
With three steals against Austin Peay on Feb. 18, sophomore Kendrick Perry set the school single-season steals mark. He now has 69 steals this season. The old record of 64 was set by Marlon Williamson in 2002-03.
A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 16-13 on the year and 11-7 in the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU's most overall wins since 2000-01.
• Mark the first 11-win season in Horizon League play.
• Mark YSU's 10th home win of the season.
• Mark the first time with 10 home wins since 2006-07.
• Mark the program's ninth win over Detroit.
• Mark the first season sweep of Detroit since 2008.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 654th career victory and his 74th at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 1,008th victory in the program's history.
About Detroit
Detroit is currently 17-13 overall and tied for fourth place in the league standings with a 10-7 record. Sophomore Ray McCallum leads the Titans with 15.1 points per game while senior Chase Simon is second with 13.6 points per contest. Detroit also leads the Horizon League with 72.2 points per game.
Need to Hit the Glass
Coaches often talk of the importance of rebounding and for the Guins it is vital to success. When the Guins outrebound their opponents they own a record of 9-0.
To Catch a Thief
With a career-high seven steals against Loyola on Feb. 5, sophomore Kendrick Perry set the YSU sophomore record for steals in a season with 56. He also holds the single-season steals mark. With 109 career steals, Perry now ranks eighth all-time.
Eargle Has Chance For 1,000
In under three seasons of playing college basketball, junior Damian Eargle has scored more than 800 points with 898. Eargle needs just 102 more points to reach 1,000 for his entire career, which includes 268 points during the 2008-09 season at UNC-Greensboro. Last season, Eargle ranked second on the squad with 339 points for an average of 11.3 points per game.
Perry On His Way to 800 Points
Sophomore Kendrick Perry could become the 33rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. In just 57 career games, Perry has scored 735 points and needs 265 more to reach the coveted plateau. For his career, he is averaging 12.7 points per game, including a 16.7 points per game scoring average this year.
Hold Under 70
Another ingredient for the Guins to be successful is to hold their opponents under 70 points. YSU is 15-4 when not allowing its opponents to score 70 points or more. When allowing 70-or-more points, the Penguins are 0-9.
Perry First Soph With 30 in 20 Years
With his 30-point performance against Milwaukee, Kendrick Perry became the first YSU sophomore to score at least 30 points since Mike Alcorn scored 35 on Feb. 24, 1992. Perry became the first YSU player to score 30 points since DeAndre Mays scored 30 against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010.
Eargle Block Party
Junior Damian Eargle has recorded a block in every game this season. He has posted multiple blocks in 24 of 28 games and has swatted at least three blocks in 23 games.
The Starting Line
• The Guins have had the same starting lineup in all 28 games.
• Four starters are averaging in double figures in all games.
• Four starters are scoring in double figures in Horizon League games only.
• Each starter has posted at least one 20-point outing.
• Three starters rank in the top 20 in scoring in the Horizon League.
Eargle Second to 100 Blocks
Junior Damian Eargle has 113 blocks in 28 games this season, which ranks second on the YSU single-season list. He needs 26 more to set the single-season mark of 138 set by Ricky Tunstall in 1982-83. His 91 blocks last season now rank third on the list.
Eargle Second With 200 Blocks
With five blocks against Wright State on Feb. 23, junior Damian Eargle became just the second player in school history to accumulate at least 200 career blocked shots. Eargle has 204 blocked shots. The only player ahead of Eargle is Ricky Tunstall, who recorded 221 career blocks. He needs 18 more blocks to set the school's all-time blocks record. Counting his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro, Eargle has reached 261 blocked shots for his entire college career.
KP Back-to-Back 100-Assist Seasons
With three assists against Valparaiso on Feb. 11, sophomore Kendrick Perry reached to 100-assist mark for the second straight season. He is the first player since DeAndre Mays (2008-10) to post back-to-back 100-assist seasons. It also marks the fourth straight year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons that a YSU player has recorded at least 100 assists in a season.
