Penguin Basketball News
Game Preview
• The Youngstown State men's basketball team earned the eighth-seed and will visit fifth-seeded Detroit in the first round of the Horizon League Championship, Tuesday, March 3, at Calihan Hall.
• Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be heard on 570 AM WKBN and viewed on ESPN3.com.
About Detroit
• Detroit enters the game as the fifth seed in the Horizon League Championship after finishing with a 7-9 league mark.
• The Titans own an overall record of 14-17 and have won their last two games.
• Leading the Titans is All-Horizon League Second-Team pick Juwan Howard, Jr., with 17.8 points per game.
• Horizon League Freshman of the Year Paris Bass is averging 12.5 points per game for the Titans.
The Detroit Series
• This is the 39th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit in a series that dates back to 1953.
• The Titans own a 29-9 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last three meetings.
• The Penguins have dropped two overtime games in each of the last two meetings at Calihan Hall.
• YSU lost 93-87 in overtime on Jan. 29, 2015, and 83-80, on Feb. 9, 2014.
• The last time the YSU and Detroit met in the Horizon League Tournament was in the second round 2012 at Valparaiso, Ind. Detroit won, 93-76.
Last Time Out
• The Penguins are coming off an 82-74 loss to Milwaukee on Feb. 28. Shawn Amiker had 23 points and Marcus Keene had 21.
• Junior Bobby Hain posted his ninth double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and became the 36th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
• Senior DJ Cole also scored 13 points with four assists.
A Win Would
• Set up a Youngstown State-Cleveland State matchup in the second round, Friday, March 6, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
• Give Youngstown State its 10th win over Detroit.
• Mark Youngstown State's first Horizon League Tournament win since 2013.
• Mark YSU's third appearance in the second round in the last four seasons.
• Snap a three-game losing skid.
• Mark Jerry Slocum's 700th career win and his 119th at Youngstown State.
• Mark Jerry Slocum's eight win over Detroit• Mark the 1,053rd victory in program history.
• Give the Penguins a 12-20 overall record.
Hain's 1,000-Point Countdown
• With 17 points against Milwaukee on Feb. 28,
junior Bobby Hain became the 36th YSU player to score 1,000 points in a career.
• He now has 1,012 career points and is the seventh player to accomplish the feat under Head Coach Jerry Slocum.
• The last YSU junior to reach 1,000 points was Kendrick Perry in the 2012-13 season.
YSU 2K
• With 2,220 points, Youngstown State has scored at least 2,000 points in a season for the sixth straight year.
• It is also the seventh time in the last nine seasons the Penguins have scored at least 2,000 points.
Penguins Among Scoring Leaders
• Youngstown State has three of the top 16 scorers in the Horizon League.
• Sophomore Marcus Keene ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 15.7 points per game.
• Junior Bobby Hain is eighth with 14.6 points per game and senior Shawn Amiker is 16th with 11.5 points per game.
45 and Above
• Youngstown State has a great chance of winning when it makes 45 percent of its field-goal attempts.
• The Penguins are 10-4 when they shooting at least 45 percent from the field.
Keene Nearing Single-Season 3-PT Mark
• Sophomore Marcus Keene has moved into fourth place on the YSU single-season 3-pointers made chart.
• Keene has made 89 3-pointers this season and needs just five more to tie and six to break the YSU single-season record of 94 set by Blake Allen in 2012-13.
• He is just the third player in school history to make at least 80 3-pointers in one season.
Amiker Sets Games Played Record
• With 127 games played, senior Shawn Amiker owns the Youngstown State career record.
• He broke the record of 123 against Wright State on Feb. 15.
Cole Nets 400 Assists
• With two assists against Wright State on Feb. 15, senior DJ Cole became the fifth player in school history to reach 400 assists and has 415 for his career.
• He currently ranks fifth on the all-time list and needs 42 more to move into fourth place.
• With two assists against Wright State on Jan. 8, Cole posted 100 assists this season.
• It marked the third straight year Cole has been credited with at least 100 assists.
• The last player to post 100 assists in three straight seasons was Kendrick Perry, who accomplished the feat four times from 2010-14.
Umude Nets Career-High
• Freshman Sidney Umude turned in a breakout performance against Oakland on Feb. 25.
• Umude scored a career-high 16 points on 4-of-7 field goals and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
• His previous career high was 10 against Thiel on Dec. 7, 2014.
Penguin Basketball Game Day
Our Thanks
ysupenguins.com would like to thank Youngstown State University and the Sports Information Department for their assistance.