All Twelve Penguins Score as YSU Cruises to 93-50 Win Over Geneva

[IAA Fan]

Youngstown -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team scored 30 of the final 40 points in the first half and posted some highlight-worthy dunks in the second in a 93-50 win over Geneva on Thursday evening at Beeghly Center.

All 12 players who appeared in the game for the Penguins scored, and freshman Bobby Hain led all scorers with 16 points. He was one of four YSU players in double figures, and five others finished with at least five points.

The Penguins made 13 of their first 17 field-goal attempts in the second half and shot 50.7 percent for the game. Hain was an efficient 8-for-12, and Blake Allen was 6-for-9 and finished with 15 points in 21 minutes.

Zac Rorick finished with 14 points to lead Geneva.

Youngstown State improves to 5-4 with the victory, and Geneva drops to 0-8 with the loss.

The Penguins scored the first four points of the game and led 9-3 on a Kendrick Perry bucket at the 16:37 mark. Brian Rice hit a bucket for Geneva to cut the score to 9-7 less than a minute later, and Geneva trailed just 17-14 eight minutes into the game.

Hain made a jumper on YSU's next possession to start an 8-0 run, and the Penguins closed out the half on a 30-10 spurt. Hain's bucket at the 3:05 mark put the Guins up by 20 at 42-22, and his basket with 1:41 remaining gave YSU its 47-24 halftime lead.

A Perry layup gave the Penguins a 30-point advantage less than three minutes into the second half, and Ryan Weber's dunk with 13:08 left was part of a 12-0 run that gave YSU its first 40-point advantage. A Fletcher Larson bucket with 9:38 remaining gave the Penguins their largest lead of the night at 81-35. Danny Reese connected on a 3-pointer in the final minute for the game's final score. It was his second triple of the evening.

Perry finished with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 24 minutes, and Shawn Amiker had 10 points and five assists. Both had dunks in the first seven minutes of the second half that brought the crowd to its feet. Damian Eargle added nine points, five rebounds and five blocks. YSU posted 30 assists and just nine turnovers as a team.

The Penguins host Hiram in the Downtown Roundball Classic at the Covelli Center on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. It will be YSU's first contest in the downtown arena.

[Pita]

Unfortunately Saturdays game will be more boring than
was Thursdays game against Geneva.  Nevertheless
we will be there.

But holy mackerel, could they not come up with better
competition for those of us who spend $300.00 (for
two) for season tickets.  Their offer, our choice, I do
understand that.

Sometimes, it's hell to be a supporter, but even after
45 years, I still keep doing it.

GO PENGUINS

[Wick250]

Pita,

I hate these sub-DI games too.  But if you crunch the numbers, they did not charge season ticket holders for these three junk games in December.  So we cannot complain too much for something that is free.  But playing these games makes YSU look very bush league.

[Wonderball]

Actually many high level teams play lesser competition early in the season. Check out the IU schedule and you will see. They are the #1 team and their early games were all patsies. YSU has a tough schedule besides these so I don't mind this short stretch of catching your breath games. It gets tougher and stays that way soon.

[Lets_Talk]

I understand scheduling OOC home games can be hard for YSU. Especially after learning more from Italian Penguin and Big D, in regards to D1 schools wanting either a paycheck, or a return home game. And, most teams in the HL play at least 1 non D1 team. Playing Geneva is a nice game. Slocum had a long, successful tenure at Geneva. The schol is not far from Ohio, and Slocum still has strong ties to Geneva College It's a win for YSU, and a chance for Geneva to play at a D1 school from a Top 12-14 D1 Conference.

The other games are what baffle me. If not able to schedule a D1 team, then why not play NCAA D2 schools? There are several within a 2-3 hour drive(max) that are quality programs. Many of these schools have name recognition in Youngstown/Warren, not too mention often having 1 or more players from the Ytown/Warren area on their roster. Schools YSU played regularly when D2, and which they have played several times since moving to D1... Slippery Rock, Gannon(place Slocum last coached prior to YSU), Clarion, IUP, Ashland, Findlay, Lake Erie College, Edinboro, just to name a few... Then there are Walsh University which has a history of solid teams at NAIA and Malone, both of whom are in transition period from NAIA to NCAA D2 and now members of the GLIAC).

These just seem to be games that might help draw a bit bigger crowd, give YSU a stiffer test, not require a large monetary payout, and still be games that a YSU team with enough talent to be a top 4 HL team ought to be able to win. Or, is it a matter of these teams now playing Exhibition games against D1 schools, and thus not wanting to schedule D1 teams in the regular season? Asking since the Exhibition games against the traveling teams like Mobile Oil have been outlawed by the NCAA, and notice schools like OSU, Michigan State, PITT and other major D1 programs now often play 1-2 exhibition games against D2 schools?

[IAA Fan]

The other games are what baffle me. If not able to schedule a D1 team, then why not play NCAA D2 schools? There are several within a 2-3 hour drive(max) that are quality programs. Many of these schools have name recognition in Youngstown/Warren, not too mention often having 1 or more players from the Ytown/Warren area on their roster. Schools YSU played regularly when D2, and which they have played several times since moving to D1... Slippery Rock, Gannon(place Slocum last coached prior to YSU), Clarion, IUP, Ashland, Findlay, Lake Erie College, Edinboro, just to name a few... Then there are Walsh University which has a history of solid teams at NAIA and Malone, both of whom are in transition period from NAIA to NCAA D2 and now members of the GLIAC).

As a school, do you want to risk losing? There are some great DII schools out there, that could win a game against YSU. A patsy needs to be just that. A chance for everyone to play ..and make mistakes. Play your reserves and/or make a mistake against a DII U of Cal-PA ...they will certainly walk away with a "W" against a d1 school in Youngstown. That is with nothing more than typical bench minutes.

[Lets_Talk]

If YSU is worried about losing to an NCAA D2 school at home, then that is sad.... very sad... Also makes me think maybe the whole "lack of money" reasoning given for playing 3 non D1 OOC home games may be just an exscuse. YSU used to routinely play D2 schools prior to Slocum. Remember when the home opener or 2nd home game of the year was often Slippery Rock, Clarion or Lock Haven.

Yes, I understand there is a risk of losing to a school like Findlay or Gannon. That is the whole point. Play a decent quality opponent at home. A team that is capable of beating YSU, but one whicj YSU still ought to beat if YSU plays to their potential. If there is fear against playing the D2 teams I mentioned in these last 2 posts, then you can pretty much throw away any hopes of YSU winning an HL Title.

I call bunk on 3 non D1 schools period. Especially when there are between 340-350 schools in D1. But, one such as Geneva is totally understandable. In a season like this year, with Butler leaving the HL, having to add a second is understandable. Playing Geneva and Hiram does NOTHING to help YSU from a competitiveness point, and judging by the sparse crowds, does nothing to help with drawing fans either.

[Pita]

Wick250... I began with such a long response to your
post....it even bored me.

So...think what you will.  FREE, after 49 years of
dedication to basketball; sorry it'll never happen.

GO PENGUINS