Mens 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 SeriesThis 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 DetroitSenior 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 NextThe 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 RecordWith 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 LeagueFreshman 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 AimJunior 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 EncountersIn 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 MarkFreshman 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 ShavesSince 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 OutSophomore 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 CompanyYoungstown 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 ClutchFreshman 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 PointYoungstown 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 16thSenior 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 ChartSophomore 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 MarkWith 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 LeagueSophomore 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 NightJunior 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 ChartSenior 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 30With 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.
