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.
