Greenville, N.C. – Youngstown State sophomore pitcher Kevin McCulloh held East Carolina scoreless through six innings, but the Pirates got a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Penguins 1-0 on Saturday.
McCulloh allowed three hits and four walks while striking out seven in his third career start. Reliever Nic Manuppelli retired ECU in order in the eighth but did not record an out in the ninth.
Philip Clark walked to start the inning and stole second to get into scoring position. Jack Reinheimer reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners, and Tim Younger brought in the winning run with a single down the right field line.
'I can't say enough about the effort we got from Kevin today," head coach Rich Pasquale said. "He also made some good defensive plays, and we made some solid plays behind him. We took some positive steps forward today, but we can't be satisfied with that."
Four different players had hits for Youngstown State, which had runners in scoring position in the first, second and ninth innings. In the second, Jonathan Crist walked to start the inning and advanced on Greg Dissinger's sacrifice bunt. A bit of bad luck kept the Penguins from having a scoring chance as Padraic Williams hit a single off the field umpire that could have gone into the outfield. With Crist having to retreat to second, Armani Johnson struck out to end the inning.
In the ninth, Joe Iacobucci reached on a throwing error and Jeremy Banks followed with a single. They advanced on Crist's hard grounder up the middle that reliever Kevin Brandt was able to slow down for an out, and Chris Mitko struck out to end the threat.
East Carolina had just three hits in the first eight innings. McCulloh worked around a leadoff double in the second by getting an inning-ending double play. The Pirates had the bases loaded in the sixth, but McCulloh fanned Chase McDonald and got Clark to ground into a fielder's choice.
Youngstown State will play the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Dayton, Ohio -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team battled all afternoon with the third-place team in the Horizon League but couldn't hang on at Wright State, losing 70-67 in the final 12 seconds.
The Penguins, who also lost by three to the Raiders at home on Jan. 30, had a 67-66 lead with 13 seconds remaining. Maryum Jenkins missed the front end of a one-and-one and fouled WSU's Shaunda Sandifer on the rebound. Sandifer hit both free throws to put the Raiders up 68-67, and Monica Touvelle's 3-point attempt with less than five seconds remaining was blocked by Molly Fox. LaShawna Thomas hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds left, and YSU did not get another shot off.
Thomas scored a career-high 35 points, going 10-for-23 from the field and 13-for-19 from the free-throw line. She missed two free throws with 12 seconds left that would have given Wright State the lead, and Jenkins grabbed the rebound on the second miss to set up the final sequence.
Brandi Brown scored 20 points, and Kenya Middlebrooks hit four 3-pointers en route to 14 points for the Penguins. YSU made four more field goals overall and hit five more threes, but the Penguins were outscored by 16 at the free-throw line and 11 on second-chance points.
YSU shot 42.4 percent overall and was 11-for-29 from 3-point range. Wright State shot 36.8 perdent and was 6-for-19 from beyond the arc.
Thomas added 11 rebounds, and Sandifer finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Penguins scored the first 11 points of the game and led 13-2 after making their first five attempts. YSU then missed its next eight shots, and Wright State scored 19 straight points to go up 21-13 with 10:35 left. Bennett had eight points during the run, and Thomas scored the final nine.
Middlebrooks hit two 3-pointers to keep Wright State from pulling away, and a 10-0 run gave the Penguins a 33-32 lead with under a minute remaining. Courtney Boyd hit a deep triple to give Wright State a 35-33 advantage, but Maryum Jenkins nailed a bucket just inside the 3-point arc at the buzzer to tie the score at 35 at halfftime.
The Penguins hit seven 3-pointers on 15 attempts in the opening period but were outscored by six at the free-throw line as only three fouls were called on Wright State. Brown scored 11 points, and Middlebrooks had nine for YSU. Thomas and Maria Bennett had 11 apiece for Wright State.
Jenkins tied the score again at 45 with 15:05 remaining, but Wright State scored the next eight points and went up 53-45 with 13:09 to go. The Raiders still led by eight, 57-49, but Youngstown State made its charge.
Jenkins' steal and lay-up with 6:42 remaining capped a 9-0 run put the Penguins up 61-59. Two Sandifer free throws tied the score at 61 with 5:41 left, and neither team led by more than one until there was 0.9 ticks left.
Thomas hit a jumper to give the Raiders a 66-65 lead with 1:35 left, but Tieara Jones hit an off-balance bucket on YSU's next possession to give the Guins a 67-66 lead with 1:11 left. Neither team scored on its next possession, and Thomas was fouled by Jenkins with 12 seconds left. The senior guard missed both free throw attempts, and Jenkins was fouled to set up the one-and-one situation.
Youngstown State displayed its improvement against the Raiders. The Guins lost by an average of 27.7 points the last three times at the Nutter Center.
Youngstown State plays its final regular-season road game at Cleveland State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Well ...after being blown out yesterday, a heart-breaker today 0-1. We did look much better today. McCulloh was good for his first start. However, in the bottom of the 9th, young Manuppelli walked the lead-off, and ECU won with text book play. -steal second -bunt to advance to third. -sac fly to score and win.
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (8-18, 2-14 Horizon League) hosts its fifth opponent from the Mid-American Conference when it welcomes Bowling Green (12-14, 7-5 MAC) in the ESPNU-Sears BracketBuster Game on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
Tipoff Notes • This is the 12th meeting between Youngstown State and Bowling Green, but the first since 2004. The Falcons own a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1939, and have won the last eight contests. In the two most recent meetings, the Falcons defeated the Penguins, 81-59, on Dec. 11, 2004, and 76-64 on Feb. 21, 2004.
• Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of 18 active coaches with more than 600 career victories. He currently ranks sixth among active Division I coaches with 637 career wins.
• With seven 3-pointers made against Detroit on Feb. 16, the Guins broke the school mark of 199 set during the 1997-98 season. The Guins have made 206 3-pointers this season.
• In seven bracketbuster games, the Guins own a 3-4 record. The Guins have won every time they played a bracketbuster game at the Beeghly Center, but have lost every road contest. The Guins' first bracketbuster game was a 76-64 loss to Bowling Green on Feb. 21, 2004.
• With five assists against Detroit on Feb. 16, freshman Kendrick Perry eclipsed the 100-assist mark and has 103 on the season. This is the third straight season and the fifth time in the last six years a YSU player has tallied at least 100 assists. Perry also ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 4.0 assists per game and is tied for the league lead with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• The Guins set a single-game record with 35 3-point attempts against Detroit on Feb. 16. The previous record was 33 set earlier this season against Samford on Nov. 12 and tied against Akron on Nov. 20, and Wilberforce on Jan. 11.
• Sophomore Damian Eargle tied a career high with 25 points in the 91-79 loss at Detroit on Feb. 16. The last time Eargle scored 25 points in a game was against Appalachian State in 2009 when he played at UNC-Greensboro. Eargle posted 11 rebounds and five blocks against the Titans.
• Junior Ashen Ward leads the team with 44 3-pointers made this season and ranks ninth in the Horizon League with 1.8 3-pointers made per game. He also needs just three more to match his career total of 47 entering the 2010-11 season.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,263 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs 26 more points to move into 16th place on the all-time list. He became the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 points in a career after scoring 22 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 27.
• Sophomore Damian Eargle leads the Horizon League with 3.0 blocks per game. His 78 blocked shots rank third on the YSU single-season chart. He is also just the second player in school history to post at least 70 blocks in a season. The other was Ricky Tunstall, who did it in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Including his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro in the 2008-09 season, Eargle has 135 career blocks in 55 games. His current career average is 2.45 blocks per game.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry is averaging 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game over the last eight contests. He is also shooting 55.1 percent (38-of-69) from the field and 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from 3-point range in the last seven games.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis tied a career high with 26 points against Wright State on Feb. 7. He made nine straight field goals and six consective 3-pointers against the Raiders.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Guins over Butler, 62-60, on Feb. 3., and hit a game-tying jumper at the buzzer to force overtime against Valparaiso.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis has appeared in 116 career games which ranks third on the all-time list. His 83 career starts rank eighth and he needs one more to move into seventh.
• Junior Tre Brewer scored a career-high 17 points against Loyola on Jan. 27. Brewer scored all of his points in the second half against the Ramblers.
• With 26 points against Wright State on Feb. 7, senior Vytas Sulskis recorded his sixth 20-point performance of the season.
• The Guins' 10 3-pointers made against Cleveland State on Feb. 12 marked the eighth time this season they have made at least 10 3-pointers in a game. The Guins have also tried at least 20 3-pointers in 20 out of 26 games this season.
• Against Butler on Jan. 9, Youngstown State tied a single-game record with 14 3-pointers. It marked the fifth time that has been done in school history. The last time YSU made 14 3-pointers was against UIC in 2007.
• Junior Ashen Ward set a career-high with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor, including seven 3-pointers, in the Guins' 71-69 win over UIC on Dec. 30.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With a 3-pointer against Detroit on Feb. 16, Sulskis has 39 3-pointers made this season and moved into a tie for third all-time with 165 career 3-pointers. He is tied with Quin Humphrey (165, 2003-07) for third place. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08.
• With its 86-78 overtime loss to Valparaiso on Feb. 5, Youngstown State has now lost 10 straight games that have gone into extra periods.
A Win Will • Improve YSU to 9-18 overall.
• Mark YSU's ninth home of the season.
• Mark the program's third win over Bowling Green and the first since 1943.
• Snap an eight-game losing streak to Bowling Green.
• Improve YSU's record against Mid-American Conference opponents to 3-2 this season.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 638th career victory and his 58th at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 992nd victory in the program's history.
The Bowling Green Series This is the 12th meeting between Youngstown State and Bowling Green, but the first since 2004. The Falcons own a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1939, and have won the last eight contests. In the two most recent meetings, the Falcons defeated the Penguins, 81-59, on Dec. 11, 2004, and 76-64 on Feb. 21, 2004.
Up Next The Penguins close out the final week of the regular season with two home contests beginning with a Horizon League matchup against Green Bay, Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7:05 p.m.
Guins in the BracketBuster In seven bracketbuster games, the Guins own a 3-4 record. The Guins have won every time they played a bracketbuster game at the Beeghly Center, but have lost every road contest. The Guins' first bracketbuster game was a 76-64 loss to Bowling Green on Feb. 21, 2004. The Guins are also 1-2 in bracketbuster games against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
BracketBuster History 2004 at Bowling Green L, 64-76
2005 vs. Eastern Michigan W, 74-60
2006 at Canisius L, 68-75
2007 vs. Eastern Kentucky W, 66-61
2008 at Buffalo L, 82-95
2009 vs. Saint Peter's (N.J.) W, 68-64
2010 at UC-Riverside L, 60-62
Last Time Out The Guins dropped their final regular season road game of the season with a 91-79 loss to Detroit on Feb. 16. Sophomore Damian Eargle tied a career high with 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five blocks. It was Eargle's second double-double of the season. Freshman Kendrick Perry scored 13 points with nine boards while sophomore Blake Allen added 11 points.
Scoring Uprise The Guins are averaging 68.1 points per game this season, which is the most since the 2005-06 campaign. The last time the Guins averaged more than 70 points per game was during the 2000-01 season. The Guins have scored at least 70 points 12 times this season and own a record of 5-7 in those games. It is also the most times scoring at least 70 since the 2006-07 season.
70 in Four Over the last four games, the Guins have scored at least 70 points in each contest. It is the first time a YSU squad has scored 70 points in four straight games since the 2000-01 season when the Guins scored at least 70 in seven consecutive games from Jan. 13 to Feb. 8, 2001.
New 3-Point Record With seven 3-pointers made against Detroit on Feb. 16, the Penguins broke the single-season 3-point record of 199 set by the 1997-98 team. The Guins have made 206 3-pointers so far this season. The Guins also set a single-game record with 35 3-point field-goal attempts against the Titans.
Eargle Ties Career High Sophomore Damian Eargle tied a career high with 25 points in the 91-79 loss at Detroit on Feb. 16. The last time Eargle scored 25 points in a game was against Appalachian State in 2009 when he played at UNC-Greensboro. Eargle posted 11 rebounds and five blocks against the Titans.
KP3 Charity With five assists against Detroit on Feb. 16, freshman Kendrick Perry eclipsed the 100-assist mark and has 103 on the season. This is the third straight season and the fifth time in the last six years a YSU player has tallied at least 100 assists. Perry also ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 4.0 assists per game and is tied for the league lead with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Ward Taking Aim Junior Ashen Ward leads the team with 44 3-pointers made this season and ranks ninth in the Horizon League with 1.8 3-pointers made per game. He also needs just three more to match his career total of 47 entering the 2010-11 season.
February Close Encounters In the last 13 games the Guins have played in the month of February, 10 have been decided by eight points or less and seven have been decided by four points or less. Over the last four Februarys, the Guins have played in 12 games that have been decided by four points or less and own a record of 5-7 in those contests.
Close Shaves Since the Guins' Jan. 9 game at Butler, five of the last 12 games have been decided by five-points or less and eight have been decided by 10 points or less. The Guins own records of 1-4 and 1-7 in those games, respectively.
Slocum In Elite Company Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of just 10 active Division I head coaches with at least 600 career victories. Slocum currently ranks sixth on that list with 637 career coaching victories.
To the Point Youngstown State's two point guards - Blake Allen and Kendrick Perry - are two of the best in the Horizon League at taking care of the ball. The two have combined for 165 assists and committed just 78 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1. Allen and Perry are tied for the league lead with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sulskis Nearing 16th Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,263 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs 26 more points to move into 16th place on the all-time list. He became the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 points in a career after scoring 22 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 27.
Eargle Climbing Blocks Chart Sophomore Damian Eargle is quickly climbing the YSU single-season blocks chart. His 78 blocked shots rank third on the single-season list. Only Ricky Tunstall, in 1982-83 and 1983-84, has blocked more shots in a season. With two more blocks he will become just the second player in school to post at least 80 blocks in a season. He needs just six more to move into second place on the single-season list with 84. Tunstall blocked 83 shots in the 1982-83 season. Including his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro in the 2008-09 season, Eargle has 135 career blocks in 54 games. His current career average is 2.45 blocks per game.
Penguin Block Party As a team, the Guins have 130 blocks, doubling the 65 by their opponents. It also ranks as the second most in school history - just 37 shy of the school record
Guins Tied School Mark With their 14 3-pointers against Butler on Jan. 9, the Guins tied a school record for most 3-pointers in a game. It marked the fifth time in school history that has been accomplished. The last time the Guins made that many 3-pointers was against UIC on Feb. 3, 2007.
Ward Had Career Night Junior Ashen Ward turned in a career performance against UIC on Dec. 30. Ward scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Ward set career highs in points, field-goals made and 3-point field-goals made. His seven 3-pointers made rank tied for fourth-most made in a single-game. The school record is 11 by Mike Alcorn against Pitt-Bradford on Feb. 24, 1992. It was also the most 3-pointers made since Quin Humphrey made eight against Detroit on Feb. 14, 2007.
Sulskis Tied for Third Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With a 3-pointer against Detroit on Feb. 16, Sulskis has 39 3-pointers made this season and moved into a tie for third all-time with 165 career 3-pointers. He is tied with Quin Humphrey (165, 2003-07) for third place. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08.
Last to Score 30 With 30 points against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010, DeAndre Mays set a career-high and became the first player to score at least 30 points since Keston Roberts scored 31 against Detroit on Feb. 27, 2007. Mays' performance was the 10th time under Jerry Slocum a player has scored at least 30 points in a game. YSU had just 10 30-point plus performances from Feb. 1988 to Dec. 2005.
Opening weekend for the guin hard-ballers. Good luck. We are so young this year. I was surprised not to see a group of young players from Fitch and Canfield, but we have two from power-house Cathedral Latin. Several frosh from PA as well. Always nice to see kids from Hickory, we have had a great run of players from there. Couple of young guys to watch:
-David Leon was Horizon new-comer two years ago, then red-shirted last year. I hope it was not a serious injury. He is tough.
-Dan Hurlimann out of Rochester NY, was first-team all region . .588 as a junior & .386 as a senior. Switch-hitter.
-Nic Manuppelli out of PA is a right-hander. He played on the Allegheny elite team. averaged almost 1-strikeout per inning.
-Chris Mitko played down here in Columbus at Northland ...batted .688 last year.
I wish we had some more experience, but I am excited either way. This is Pasqual's first really large recruiting class, and many of them are going to have to play.
Detroit -- Detroit outscored the Youngstown State men's basketball team 18-6 over the final eight minutes of the first half and held off a late charge to win 91-79 on Wednesday evening at Calihan Hall.
YSU's largest deficit was 23 with 16 minutes remaining, but the Guins trimmed that down to 15 with 12:25 left. The margin was eventually down to nine with 2:17 left following a 17-7 run, but that's as close as the Guins would get.
Damian Eargle matched a career high with 25 points, and the sophomore forward added 11 rebounds and five blocks. All three of those stats were game highs as well.
The Penguins trailed just 30-25 with 8:04 remaining in the first half, but they had just two more field goals the rest of the period and missed its final six attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. That helped Detroit take a 48-31 lead at halftime.
Detroit improved to 15-14 overall and 9-8 in Horizon League play while YSU fell to 8-18 and 2-14.
The Penguins shot 36.8 percent for the game and were just 7-for-35 beyond the 3-point arc. Ironically, YSU broke the previous school record for 3-pointers in a season when Ashen Ward hit a triple with 14:29 remaining in the first period. The Penguins now have 206 treys on the season, surpassing the previous mark of 199 set during the 1997-98 season.
Detroit shot 47.5 percent overall and 57.1 percent in the first half. Five players scored in double figures, led by 24 points from Nick Minnerath. Ray McCallum added 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Through 10 minutes, neither team led by more than four, and the game featured five ties and four lead changes. Dan Boudler's free throw gave the Penguins a 15-11 advantage with 13:52 on the clock. Detroit went on a 9-2 run to go up 20-17 on a Nick Mick Minnerath bucket, but a three-point play by Eargle tied the score at 20-20 with 10:57 left.
Detroit went on an 8-0 run to go up 30-21, and, after YSU cut it to 30-25, the Titans scored seven straight points to take a 37-25 advantage. A Blake Allen lay-up cut the deficit to 10 with just under four minutes left, but Detroit hit three triples in the final 2:17 of the half to take a 48-31 lead at halftime.
The Titans led 75-56 with 8:16 remaining, but that's when YSU made its run. DuShawn Brooks and Eargle had four points apiece, and Kendrick Perry hit a triple with 2:17 to get the margin to single digits for the first time of the period at 82-73. Perry missed the front end of a one-and-one on YSU's next possession, and he missed a 3-pointer with 1:34 left that would have cut the game to two possessions. Detroit went on to score six of the next nine points.
Youngstown State returns to Beeghly Center to face Bowling Green on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. as part of the ESPNU BracketBusters.
Youngstown State University track athletes Michael Davis and Samantha Hamilton were named Horizon League Runners of the Week for the week of Feb. 14 following their performances at the Akron Invitational.
Davis placed fourth overall in the 60m, finishing the race in a league-best 6.88 seconds. His time ranks fifth in YSU's record books. He also ran the 200m in a time of 22.18 seconds, which is just shy of his season-best time of 21.98.
Hamilton set a new school record in the mile with a time of 4:56.21 to finish sixth in the gold division. This is also the fourth-best mile time in the Horizon League this indoor season. The previous YSU record was 5:00.99 set by Lauren Blasé in 2010.
The Penguins will compete at the Kent State Tune Up on Feb. 18-19 and will host the Horizon League Indoor Championship meet on Feb. 26-27.
Men’s Basketball Visits Detroit for Final Regular Season Road Game
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The Youngstown State men's basketball team (8-17, 2-13 Horizon League) plays its final regular-season road game when it visits Detroit (14-14, 8-8 Horizon League) on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.
Tipoff Notes • This is the 29th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit in a series that dates back to 1953. The Titans own a 21-7 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four contests. The Penguins had won five straight before dropping the last four. The Penguins' last win against the Titans was an 80-78 victory in Detroit on Jan. 1, 2009. In the last meeting at Calihan Hall, Detroit walked away with an 82-71 victory on Dec. 3, 2009.
• Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of 18 active coaches with more than 600 career victories. He currently ranks sixth among active Division I coaches with 637 career wins.
• With 10 3-pointers made against Cleveland State on Feb. 12, the Guins tied the school mark of 199 set during the 1997-98 season.
• Junior Ashen Ward leads the team with 43 3-pointers made this season and ranks ninth in the Horizon League with 1.8 3-pointers made per game. He also needs just four more to match his career total of 47 entering the 2010-11 season.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks tied for 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,255 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs 34 more points to move into 16th place on the all-time list. He became the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 points in a career after scoring 22 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 27.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry ranks fourth in Horizon League with 3.9 assists per game and second in the league with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Sophomore Damian Eargle leads the Horizon League with 2.9 blocks per game. His 73 blocked shots rank third on the YSU single-season chart. He is also just the second player in school history to post at least 70 blocks in a season. The other was Ricky Tunstall, who did it in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Including his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro in the 2008-09 season, Eargle has 130 career blocks in 54 games. His current career average is 2.41 blocks per game.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry is averaging 13 points and 5.1 assists per game over the last seven contests. He is also shooting 57.4 percent (35-of-61) from the field and 40 percent (10-of-25) from 3-point range in the last seven games.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis tied a career high with 26 points against Wright State on Feb. 7. He made nine straight field goals and six consective 3-pointers against the Raiders.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Guins over Butler, 62-60, on Feb. 3., and hit a game-tying jumper at the buzzer to force overtime against Valparaiso.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis has appeared in 115 career games which ranks third on the all-time list. His 82 career starts rank tied for eighth and he needs two more to move into seventh.
• Junior Tre Brewer scored a career-high 17 points against Loyola on Jan. 27. Brewer scored all of his points in the second half against the Ramblers.
• With 26 points against Wright State on Feb. 7, senior Vytas Sulskis recorded his sixth 20-point performance of the season.
• The Guins' 10 3-pointers made against Cleveland State on Feb. 12 marked the eighth time this season they have made at least 10 3-poitners in a game. The Guins have also tried at least 20 3-pointers in 19 out of 25 games this season.
• Against Butler on Jan. 9, Youngstown State tied a single-game record with 14 3-pointers. It marked the fifth time that has been done in school history. The last time YSU made 14 3-pointers was against UIC in 2007.
• Junior Ashen Ward set a career-high with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor, including seven 3-pointers, in the Guins' 71-69 win over UIC on Dec. 30.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With three 3-pointers against Cleveland State on Feb. 12, Sulskis ranks fourth all-time with 164 career 3-pointers. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08. He needs two more to pass Quin Humphrey (165, 2003-07) for third place.
• With its 86-78 overtime loss to Valparaiso on Feb. 5, Youngstown State has now lost 10 straight games that have gone into extra periods.
A Win Will • Improve YSU to 9-17 overall and 3-13 in the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU's first road win of the season.
• Mark the program's eighth win over Detroit and the first since 2009.
• Snap a four-game losing streak to Detroit.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 638th career victory and his 58th at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 992nd victory in the program's history.
The Detroit Series This is the 29th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit in a series that dates back to 1953. The Titans own a 21-7 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four contests. The Penguins had won five straight before dropping the last four. The Penguins' last win against the Titans was an 80-78 victory in Detroit on Jan. 1, 2009. The only other time the Guins won in Calihan Hall was a 70-66 victory on Jan. 12, 2008. In the last meeting at Calihan Hall, Detroit walked away with an 82-71 victory on Dec. 3, 2009.
Last Meeting With Detroit Senior Vytas Sulskis and Blake Allen each scored a team-high 15 points while freshman Kendrick Perry added 13 points off the bench, but the Guins dropped a hard-fought 73-69 loss to the Titans. The Guins shot just 42.9 percent from the free-throw line converting just 6-of-14 attempts.
Up Next The Penguins return home to Bowling Green in the ESPNU-Sears Bracketbuster game on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
Guins Tie Single-Season 3-Point Record With 10 3-pointers made against Cleveland State on Feb. 12, the Guins tied the school mark of 199 set during the 1997-98 season. With the next 3-pointer made, the 2010-11 squad will become the first team in school history to make 200 3-pointers in a season. The Guins also lead the Horizon League with 7.96 3-pointers made per game.
Perry One of Tops in Horizon League Freshman Kendrick Perry ranks fourth in Horizon League with 3.9 assists per game and second in the league with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Ward Taking Aim Junior Ashen Ward leads the team with 43 3-pointers made this season and ranks ninth in the Horizon League with 1.8 3-pointers made per game. He also needs just four more to match his career total of 47 entering the 2010-11 season. February Close Encounters In the last 12 games the Guins have played in the month of February, 10 have been decided by eight points or less and seven have been decided by four points or less. Over the last four Februarys, the Guins have played in 12 games that have been decided by four points or less and own a record of 5-7 in those contests.
Perry Nearing Century Mark Freshman Kendrick Perry currently ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 3.9 assists per game and has 98 total assists this season. With two more assists by Perry, it will mark the third straight season a YSU player has recorded at least 100 assists in a season. It will also be the fifth time in the last six seasons that a Penguin has eclipsed the 100-assist mark.
Close Shaves Since the Guins' Jan. 9 game at Butler, five of the last 10 games have been decided by five-points or less and eight have been decided by 10 points or less. The Guins own records of 1-4 and 1-7 in those games, respectively.
Last Time Out Sophomore Damian Eargle led four player sscoring in double figures with 22 points, but the Guins dropped an 86-76 decision to Cleveland State on Feb. 12. Junior Ashen Ward scored 15 points while senior Vytas Sulskis and junior DuShawn Brooks added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Slocum In Elite Company Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of just 10 active Division I head coaches with at least 600 career victories. Slocum currently ranks sixth on that list with 637 career coaching victories.
KP3 in the Clutch Freshman Kendrick Perry has been one of the Penguins' clutch performers over the last seven games. Perry is averaging 13 points and 5.1 assists per game over the last seven contests. He is also shooting 57.4 percent (35-of-61) from the field and 40 percent (10-of-25) from 3-point range in the last seven games. He also made a game-winning 3-pointer with 20.9 seconds left, and hit a game-tying jumper at the buzzer to force overtime against Valparaiso.
To the Point Youngstown State's two point guards - Blake Allen and Kendrick Perry - are two of the best in the Horizon League at taking care of the ball. The two have combined for 155 assists and committed just 74 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1. Allen and Perry are tied for the league lead with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sulskis Nearing 16th Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks tied for 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,255 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs 34 more points to move into 16th place on the all-time list. He became the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 points in a career after scoring 22 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 27.
Eargle Climbing Blocks Chart Sophomore Damian Eargle is quickly climbing the YSU single-season blocks chart. His 73 blocked shots rank third on the single-season list. Only Ricky Tunstall, in 1982-83 and 1983-84, has blocked more shots in a season. He is also just the second player in school history to record at least 70 blocks in a season. Including his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro in the 2008-09 season, Eargle has 130 career blocks in 54 games. His current career average is 2.41 blocks per game.
Guins Tied School Mark With their 14 3-pointers against Butler on Jan. 9, the Guins tied a school record for most 3-pointers in a game. It marked the fifth time in school history that has been accomplished. The last time the Guins made that many 3-pointers was against UIC on Feb. 3, 2007.
Eargle Leads League Sophomore Damian Eargle leads the Horizon League with 2.9 blocks per game. He has collected 65 over the last 22 games, including a career-high six against Wright State on Jan. 20, Malone on Dec. 13 and Toledo on Nov. 24. Eargle also has 73 of the Guins' 122 blocks on the season.
Ward Had Career Night Junior Ashen Ward turned in a career performance against UIC on Dec. 30. Ward scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Ward set career highs in points, field-goals made and 3-point field-goals made. His seven 3-pointers made rank tied for fourth-most made in a single-game. The school record is 11 by Mike Alcorn against Pitt-Bradford on Feb. 24, 1992. It was also the most 3-pointers made since Quin Humphrey made eight against Detroit on Feb. 14, 2007.
Sulskis Climbing 3-Point Chart Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With three 3-pointers against Cleveland State on Feb. 12, Sulskis ranks fourth all-time with 164 career 3-pointers. He has made 38 3-pointers this season and needs two more to pass Quin Humphrey (165, 2003-07) for third place. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08.
Last to Score 30 With 30 points against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010, DeAndre Mays set a career-high and became the first player to score at least 30 points since Keston Roberts scored 31 against Detroit on Feb. 27, 2007. Mays' performance was the 10th time under Jerry Slocum a player has scored at least 30 points in a game. YSU had just 10 30-point plus performances from Feb. 1988 to Dec. 2005.
The Youngstown State University Athletic Department, in conjunction with 570 WKBN, is offering a special $1 ticket price to attend YSU men's and women's basketball games for the remainder of the season.
The YSU home schedule will feature a non-league men's contest against Bowling Green on Feb. 19, as well as the men's and women's Senior Day games. Special give-away nights will include key chains, stadium cups and team pictures.
Fans may purchase a regular-priced $8 general admission ticket for $1. The tickets may be purchased in advance at the Athletic Ticket Office, by calling 330-941-1YSU or on game day at the Beeghly Center ticket office. The gates will open one-hour prior to tip-off each game.
Remaining men's home games are the Feb. 19 game against Bowling Green, Feb. 24 against Green Bay and the regular-season finale and final home game for seniors Vytas Sulskis and Dan Boudler versus Milwaukee on Feb. 26.
Remaining women's games include Saturday's 4:35 p.m. contest versus Valparaiso, March 3 versus UIC and the regular-season finale and final home game for senior Bojana Domitrov against Loyola on March 5.
The Feb. 19 game vs. Bowling Green, which tips off at 7:05 p.m., is part of the ESPNU Sears BracketBuster series and all in attendance will receive a YSU Stadium Cup.
Tickets for the Feb. 24 contest against Green Bay at 7:05 p.m. are $1 courtesy of ClearChannel Youngstown and Sheetz. The regular-season finale against Milwaukee features a special 1:05 p.m. tipoff and fans will receive a team photo.
On the women's side, the Penguins play host to Valparaiso at 4:35 p.m. tomorrow. Fans in attendance will receive a YSU Stadium Cup with their $1 admission.
YSU plays host to UIC on Thursday, March 3 at 7:05 p.m. with all tickets just a dollar. The home finale is on Saturday, March 5 against Loyola at 1:05 p.m. All fans will receive a team photo.
Youngstown -- The Youngstown State baseball team has been picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League in 2011 in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches.
Defending regular-season champion Wright State was chosen as the preseason favorite, receiving three first-place votes and 32 points. Tournament champion Milwaukee also received three first-place votes but finished with 31 points to place second.
UIC earned the other first-place vote and was picked to finish third with 27 points, and Valparaiso was slated to finish fourth with 24 points.
YSU and Butler each received 13 points to finish in a tie-for-fifth, and Cleveland State was picked to finish seventh with seven points.
Senior outfielder Joe Iacobucci received recognition from the league's coaches in a preseason questionnaire conducted by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. Iacobucci was ranked as one of the top three pure hitters and the most under-rated hitter in the Horizon League.
Iacobucci is one of five seniors on the Penguins' roster this season, joining Cody Dearth, Greg Dissinger, Armani Johnson and Phil Klein. Fans will have a chance to meet the 2011 squad Saturday morning at the baseball program's First Pitch Breakfast at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Banquet Hall in Youngstown.
The Penguins will open their 2011 campaign on Feb. 18 at East Carolina.
It’s been a long and tough winter — even by Youngstown’s standards.
So you can’t exactly blame the Youngstown State softball team for dreaming of some sun and warmer days sometime soon. And they’re in luck, because the season starts Saturday with the Phoenix Leadoff Classic at Elon University in North Carolina.
Sun — check.
Warm weather — check.
Oh, and softball — check.
Head coach Brian Campbell said the team is excited to begin the season, his third at the helm of the Penguins, with the trip south.
“We’ll see dirt on Friday for the first time in months,” he said. And that’s not really a joke.
The Northeast Ohio climate has forced the Penguins to remain indoors to train. And while the Youngstown weather may be conducive to an actual penguin, it hasn’t been so kind to the softball team. Campbell said the team has trained and practiced as best they can with the weather. And a lot of extra time has been spent in the batting cages.
“Northern teams tend to hit better because they’ve been in the cages all winter,” he said. “I think there is a little bit of a disadvantage, obviously, for the northern teams over the southern teams that have been outside and on their fields for a while. But the northern teams are usually better hitting teams than the southern ones, so it’s almost a little bit of a reversal.”
Campbell said the Penguins, who finished last season with a record of 8-42, will have a more aggressive offense — one he hopes should be on full display at the tournament.
“I think we’ve worked on a lot this year, namely to be more aggressive offensively with baserunners on, try a few more hit and runs,” he said. “The difference between last year and this year is this team here has been working really hard. We’ve turned into a little bit more of an aggressive offense. In terms of the work ethic, they know that when we get down there we’re there to practice at first.”
So the team won’t be playing in the sand or soaking in the rays, but at least they won’t be stifled by the snow and ice of back home. Campbell said it does give a team somewhat of a mental vacation to play in an area with nicer weather.
“We’re going down when we’re used to seeing 15 or 16 degree days,” he said. “Down there, it’s like 50 or 60 degree days, so it’s going to be a warm front for us. I think the girls are excited to go down.”
The February games are a first for the Penguins under Campbell. In his first two years, the season began in March with the Rebel Games in Florida. Campbell said adding the games a month earlier should be helpful.
“It gives us that opportunity to get some games in and also takes away a couple weeks of actual practice,” he said. Sometimes practice is good. But when you’re consistently going over it, sometimes it’s better to get in and actually play those games and see what you can work on. Sometimes practice gets redundant.”
Dayton, Ohio -- Senior Vytas Sulskis tied a career scoring high with 26 points but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought decision to Wright State, 74-70, on Monday evening at the Nutter Center.
Sulskis, who scored 20 points in the first half, made his first nine field goals and six 3-point attempts while freshman Kendrick Perry scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and dished out seven assists.
The Guins also made 11 3-pointers and shot 42.3 percent from behind the arc. It marked the sixth time this season the Guins made at least 10 3-pointers in a contest.
The Guins, who shot 52.1 percent from the field fall to 8-16 overall and 2-12 in the Horizion League while Wright State improves to 17-9 overall and 8-4 in the league.
In a game that featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes and a lead of no more than five points by either team, Wright State's Cole Darling converted two free throws with 1:18 to go to give the Raiders a 69-68 lead for the games final lead change.
WSU's N'Gai Evans' steal and layup gave the Raiders a 71-68 lead with 1:01 to go.
Perry brought the Penguins within one, 71-70, with a at jumper with 37 seconds remaining, but Evans added two more charity tosses to extend the lead back to three points, 73-70,, with 17 seconds to go.
Junior Ashen Ward's game-tying 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left was off the mark and the Raiders' Matt Vest made one of two free throws for the final score of the game, 74-70.
The Guins shot a blistering 62.5 percent in the first half but committed 11 turnovers that the Raiders turned into 15 points.
The first half had nine ties and six lead changes.
The Raiders' largest lead was four-points, 11-7 on a 3-pointer by Vest while the Guins' largest lead was four points at three different times in the first half.
Ward made a jumper at the 7:11 mark to go up 25-21, then made a 3-pointer with 5:00 to go to take a 31-27 advantage and Perry made a layup with 4:05 left to to up 33-29.
The Raiders outscored the Guins, 11-7, to close out the half to take a 40-38 lead at the intermission.
The Guins visit Cleveland State, Saturday, Feb. 12. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Police are investigating an early-morning shooting near the Youngstown State University campus that has left one man dead and several others wounded.
Jamail E.Johnson, 25, was killed early Sunday morning at a party at his Indiana Avenue home. According to YSU officials, he was a student at the university.
Another person shot at the same time is listed in critical condition.
Capt. Rod Foley, Youngstown police, said an unknown number of people attended an after hours party at 55 Indiana Ave. that lasted into the early-morning hours Sunday. He said an altercation between those at the party erupted leading to gunfire.
Foley said 12 people were shot during the exchange of gunfire. Ten of those wounded in the shooting are expected to fully recover. According to a campus alert issued this morning, six of the wounded were students and were treated at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
YSU spokesman Ron Cole said many of the students shot were members of a sanctioned YSU fraternity who lived in a private, off-campus house.
No arrests have been made, but Foley said police are speaking to witnesses and gathering information on what took place at the party before and during the shooting.
According to the university alert, "[YSU] Police Chief John Gocala reports that there is no threat to campus. As a precaution, YSU police has increased its presence on campus."
The statement also said YSU President Cynthia Anderson met at the hospital today with injured students and their families. Counselors and clergy will be made available on campus.
“I want to express my deepest sympathies to the family of the student who died in this tragic act of violence, and to ask everyone to keep him and the other students in their thoughts and prayers,” Anderson said in the alert to the campus community. “It is a sad day for the YSU family.”
In a statement subsequently released by YSU, Mayor Jay Williams said "The Youngstown Police Department is actively pursuing leads in this case. I am fully confident that they will identify, apprehend and bring to justice the individuals who are responsible."
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