The Youngstown State men's basketball team (9-18, 2-14 Horizon League) returns to Horizon League action when it hosts Green Bay (13-16, 7-9 Horizon League) on Thursday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
Tipoff Notes
• This is the 29th meeting between Youngstown State and Green Bay in a series that dates back to 1993. The Phoenix own a 22-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four contests. The last time the Guins defeated the Phoenix was a 77-73 win at the Beeghly Center on Feb. 12, 2009. In the last meeting, Green Bay defeated the Guins, 74-59, on Dec. 4, 2010, at the Resch Center. The Guins lead by eight points midway through the second half before the Phoenix outscored them 28-5 to close out the game. Sophomore Damian Eargle led the Guins with 13 points while senior Vytas Sulskis added 11 and freshman Kendrick Perry and junior Devonte Maymon each scored 10 points.
• 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 638 career wins.
• With 11 3-pointers made against Bowling Green on Feb. 19, the Guins have pushed the school 3-point record to 217 3-pointers made. The Guins have also set the 3-pointers attempted mark at 645. The old record was 578 set in 2005-06.
• Over the last five games, the Guins have seen a significant increase in the scoring column. The Guins averaged 77.2 points per game and shot 45.5 percent from the field in those games. Senior Vytas Sulskis and sophomore Damian Eargle averaged 15.8 and 15.6 points per game, respectively. Junior Ashen Ward averaged 13.2 points per game and freshman Kendrick Perry posted 11.8 points and 6.6 assists per game. Sulskis (.500), Eargle (.582) and Perry (.556) shot at least 50 percent from the field in those contests.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With two 3-pointers against Bowling Green on Feb. 19, Sulskis has 41 3-pointers made this season and ranks second all-time with 167 career 3-pointers. He just surpassed Quin Humphrey (165, 2003-07) and Mike Alcorn (166, 1990-94). Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08.
• Junior Ashen Ward scored 23 points with six 3-pointers made against Bowling Green on Feb. 19. He leads the team with 50 3-pointers made this season and ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 1.9 3-pointers made per game. Ward has also surpassed his career total of 47 3-pointers made entering the 2010-11 season. He has 97 career 3-pointers made.
• After dishing out a career-high nine assists against Bowling Green, freshman Kendrick Perry pushed his total to 112 assists on the season. He ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 4.1 assists per game and leads the league with a 2.3 assists-to-turnover ratio (112-to-49).This is the third straight season and the fifth time in the last six years a YSU player has tallied at least 100 assists.
• 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.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,280 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs nine 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 and ranks 11th nationally with 3.0 blocks per game. His 81 blocked shots rank third on the YSU single-season chart. He is also just the second player in school history to post at least 80 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 138 career blocks in 58 games. His current career average is 2.46 blocks per game.
• Freshman Kendrick Perry is averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game over the last nine contests. He is also shooting 52.6 percent (41-of-78) from the field and 35.3 percent (12-of-34) from 3-point range in the last nine 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 consecutive 3-pointers against the Raiders.
• Senior Vytas Sulskis has appeared in 117 career games which ranks third on the all-time list. His 84 career starts rank seventh.
• With 26 points against Wright State on Feb. 7, senior Vytas Sulskis recorded his sixth 20-point performance of the season.
• The Guins' 11 3-pointers made against Bowling Green on Feb. 19 marked the ninth 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 21 out of 27 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.
• 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 10-18 overall and 3-14 in the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU's 10th home of the season and mark the first time YSU won 10 games at home since the 2006-07 season.
• Mark the program's sevent win over Green Bay and the first since 2009.
• Snap an four-game losing streak to Green Bay.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 639th career victory and his 59th at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 993rd victory in the program's history.
The Green Bay Series
This is the 29th meeting between Youngstown State and Green Bay in a series that dates back to 1993. The Phoenix own a 22-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four contests. The last time the Guins defeated the Phoenix was a 77-73 win at the Beeghly Center on Feb. 12, 2009. In the last meeting, Green Bay defeated the Guins, 74-59, on Dec. 4, 2010, at the Resch Center. The Guins lead by eight points midway through the second half before the Phoenix outscored them 28-5 to close out the game. Sophomore Damian Eargle led the Guins with 13 points while senior Vytas Sulskis added 11 and freshman Kendrick Perry and junior Devonte Maymon each scored 10 points.
Up Next
The Penguins will honor their two seniors - Dan Boudler and Vytas Sulskis - prior to the regular-season finale when they host Milwaukee, Saturday, Feb. 26, at 1:05 p.m.
Last Time Out
Junior Ashen Ward scored a team-high 23 points and led four Penguins scoring in double figures in an 83-76 win over Bowling Green on Feb. 19. Senior Vytas Sulskis and sophomore Damian Eargle posted 17 and 15 points, respectively. Junior DuShawn Brooks added 10 points off the bench and freshman Kendrick Perry dished out a career-high nine assists.
Sulskis Moves into Second
Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With two 3-pointers against Bowling Green on Feb. 19, Sulskis has 41 3-pointers made this season and moved into second place on that list with 167. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08.
Scoring Uprise
The Guins are averaging 68.7 points per game this season, which is the most since the 2000-01 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 13 times this season and own a record of 6-7 in those games. It is also the most times scoring at least 70 since the 2000-01 season when they scored at least 70 in 15 games.
70 in Five Straight
Over the last five 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 five 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.
3-Point Record Expansion
With 11 3-pointers made against Bowling Green on Feb. 19, the Guins pushed their 3-point record to 217.
Guins Nationally
In the national statistics, the Guins rank 36th in 3-pointers made per game (8.0), 33rd in blocks per game (5.0), 28th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28), 38th in turnovers per game (11.
. Damian Eargle ranks 11th in blocks (3.0) and Kendrick Perry ranks 43rd in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
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
Freshman Kendrick Perry dished out a career-high nine assists against Bowling Green on Feb. 16 and now has 112 assists. 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 4.1 assists per game
Ward Taking Aim
Junior Ashen Ward leads the team with 50 3-pointers made this season and ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 1.9 3-pointers made per game. He is the first player to make at least 50 3-pointers in a season since Quin Humphrey in 2006-07. Entering this season, Ward had made 47 3-pointers. He has made 97 3-pointers in his career.
February Close Encounters
In the last 14 games the Guins have played in the month of February, 11 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 13 games have been decided by five-points or less and nine have been decided by 10 points or less. The Guins own records of 1-4 and 2-7 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 638 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 178 assists and committed just 79 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.3. Perry leads the league with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio while Allen is second at 2.2
Sulskis Nearing 16th
Senior Vytas Sulskis ranks 17th on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,280 career points and is just the 18th player in school history to score at least 1,200 points in a career. He needs nine 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 81 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 just the second player in school to post at least 80 blocks in a season. He needs just three more to move into second place on the single-season list with 84. Tunstall blocked 83 shots in the 1982-83 season.
Penguin Block Party
As a team, the Guins have 134 blocks, more than doubling the 66 by their opponents. It also ranks as the second most in school history - just 33 shy of the school record.
