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The Youngstown State men's basketball team (3-0) goes for its fourth straight victory and begins a stint of four straight road contests when it visits Big Ten member Penn State, Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on WKBN 570-AM and will be videostream on BTN.com.
Guins Celebrate 40 Years in Beeghly
The 2011-12 campaign is the 40th season the Beeghly Center has been the home of Youngstown State men's basketball. YSU first took to the court in the Beeghly Center in 1972-73. YSU has a record of 315-233 in games played in the Beeghly Center.
Nearing 1,000 Wins
The Guins are approaching a significant milestone in the program's history. YSU has won 995 games and needs just five more to collect the program's 1,000th win.
Looking For Four Straight
The Guins have started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season and are going for their first 4-0 start since the same year.
The Penn State Series
This is the first meeting between Youngstown State and Penn State.
About Penn State
Penn State is currently 4-1 and is coming off a 53-49 win over South Florida on Nov. 20. The Nittany Lions' lone loss came to Kentucky, 85-47, on Nov. 19. Junior guard Tim Frazier leads the Nittany Lions in scoring with 20.7 points per game and is the only player averaging double figures. Frazier has also taken 24.5 percent of Penn State's field-goal attempts.
Guins vs. Big Ten
This is the 10th time the Guins have played a team from the Big Ten Conference. They own a record of 0-9 against teams from the Big Ten.
• vs. Michigan (0-4)
• vs. Michigan State (0-1)
• vs. Ohio State (0-3)
• vs. Purdue (0-1)
Last Time Out
The Guins snapped an 11-game overtime losing streak when they defeated UC-Riverside, 53-49, on Nov. 18 at the Beeghly Center. Senior Ashen Ward led the Guins with 15 points while junior Damian Eargle just missed a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks.
Fewest Points In Win Since 2000
The Guins' 53 points in the victory over UC-Riverside are the fewest points scored in win since they defeated IUPUI, 43-41, on Jan. 6, 2000.
Guins Clutch At Line
In the win over UC-Riverside shot 69 percent from free-throw line. However, after halftime, the Guins connected on 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) from the stripe, including 9-of-12 in the overtime period.
Guins Tie 3-Point Record
Against Notre Dame College, the Guins tied the single-game record of 14 3-pointers made. Ward led the Guins with five treys. The last time YSU made 14 3 pointers in a game was against Butler on Jan. 9, 2011.
Eargle Just Misses Triple Double
Damian Eargle nearly missed becoming the first player in YSU history to record a triple-double of any variety. Eargle scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks against UC-Riverside on Nov. 18.
50 Boards vs. Highlanders
The Guins grabbed 50 rebounds against UC-Riverside on Nov. 18. It marked the first time they posted at least 50 rebounds since grabbing 61 against Wilberforce on Jan. 11, 2011.
Guins Top 3-Point Team
Just three games into the season, the Guins are the Horizon League's top 3-point shooting team. YSU leads the circuit with a .368 3-point percentage and 8.3 3-pointers made per game.
Ward Nearing 10th
With two 3-pointers against UC-Riverside, senior Ashen Ward moved his career total to 105. He needs two more to move into 10th place on the YSU all-time 3-pointers made chart.
Up Next
The Guins stay on the road to take on Saint Francis (Pa.), Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m. in Loretto, Pa.
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 641 career coaching victories.
Eargle Fourth With 100 Blocks
Junior Damian Eargle set a career high with eight blocks against UC-Riverside on Nov. 18. Those eight blocks moved him to 106 career blocks at YSU. He is just the fourth player in school history to record 100 career blocks.
A Win Will
• Improve YSU 4-0 on the year.
• Mark YSU's second road win of the season.
• Mark the first time since 2000-01 the Guins started the season 4-0.
• Mark the program's first win over Penn State.
• Mark YSU's first win over an opponent from the Big Ten Conference.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 642nd career victory and his 62nd at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 996th victory in the program's history.
• Mark the first time since 2008-09 the Guins have won consecutive road games.
Three Guins Among 3-Point Leaders
The Guins have been living by the 3-pointer early in the season. YSU players are scattered in the top six in the Horizon League when it comes to 3-pointers made per game. Senior Ashen Ward and junior Blake Allen rank tied for third with 2.7 3-pointers made per game and sophomore Kendrick Perry is sixth with 2.3 treys per contest.
Ward, Allen In Top 10
Senior Ashen Ward and junior Blake Allen are two of the most accurate 3-point shooters in the league. Allen ranks sixth with a .471 3-point percentage while Ward is 10th at .421.
Eargle Tough All-Around
Junior foward Damian Eargle has been one of the top all-around players in the Horizon League so far this season. Eargle leads the league in blocked shots (5.0 bpg), is tied for third in rebounds (9.0 rpg) and 12th in scoring (13.3 ppg). He is also shooting at a .483 clip from the field.
Eargle Has Chance For 1,000
In under three seasons of playing college basketball, junior Damian Eargle has scored more than 600 points with 647. Eargle needs just 354 more points to reach 1,000 for his entire career, which includes 268 points during the 2008-09 season at UNC-Greensboro. Last season, Eargle ranked second on the squad with 339 points for an average of 11.3 points per game.
Perry Nets Career Scoring High
Sophomore Kendrick Perry scored a career-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field to lead the Guins to a 76-69 win over Samford on Nov. 12. Perry's 28 points are the most points scored by a sophomore since Doug Underwood scored 28 against Green Bay on Jan. 29, 2003. He also made four 3-pointers with four assists and four steals.
Big Road Win
YSU's season-opening win at Samford was the first time since 2000 the Guins won a season-opener on the road.
Most Points In Season Opener Since 2003
The Guins' 76 points against Samford in the season opener on Nov. 12 are the most points scored in the first game of the season since they scored 80 against Niagara in 2003. The Guins lost that game, 89-80, Nov. 22, 2003.
Scoring Uprise
The Guins averaged 69.1 points per game in 2010-11. It was the highest season per game average since the 2000-01 team averaged 71.1 points per game. YSU scored 2,072 points in 2010-11, marking just the sixth time since 1990-91 that a YSU team has scored at least 2,000 points in a season. The Guins scored at least 70 points 15 times last season and owned a record of 6-9 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.
Guins Road Warriors
Last season, the Guins played 16 games in the friendly confines of the Beeghly Center. In 2011-12, the Guins will have to take to the road for 16 games and host just 13 contests. It is the fewest number of home games since playing 12 in 2005-06. The Guins also played just 13 in 2007-08.
KP3 Most Frosh Assists in 20 Years
Kendrick Perry's 122 assists in 2010-11 marked the third straight season a YSU player has recorded at least 100 assists in a season. His 122 assists were the most by a freshman since Lacy Jones' 132 in 1990-91 and are the fourth most by a YSU freshman.
Record-Setting Guins
The Guins set school records with 235 3-pointers made and 708 3-pointers attempted. Six different Penguins made at least 20 3-pointers in 2010-11. The Guins also tied a single-game record with 14 3-pointers made against Butler on Jan. 9, 2011.
Eargle Impressive
Junior Damian Eargle was named to the 2011 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team. Eargle averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor. Eargle also led the Horizon League in blocks per game and his 91 blocked shots ranked second on the Youngstown State single-season list.
Ending Strong
Over the final 12 games of last season, sophomore Kendrick Perry was one of the Guins' most productive players. Perry is averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during that span. He scored in double figures nine times and is shot 49.2 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. He also owned an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6.
Allen Had Strong Second Half
Junior Blake Allen turned an solid second half of the season in 2010-11. Over the last 17 games, Allen averaged 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He shot 41.2 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range during that time. Allen made 39 of his 92 3-point attempts in the team's final 17 contests. In the first 13 games of the year, Allen averaged 3.1 points per game and made just 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Eargle 10th Nationally
Junior Damian Eargle ranked 10th in the nation in blocked shots per game with 3.0. His 91 blocks are the second most in a single season. The only other player in school history to record at least 85 blocks was Ricky Tunstall, who posted 138 in 1982-83. Eargle passed Tunstall for second on the list as well. In 1983-84, Tunstall blocked 83 shots.
Guins Set Single-Game Attempts Mark
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.
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.
Guins Sign Hain, Weber During to NLIs
Youngstown State signed Bobby Hain (Jupiter, Fla.) and Ryan Weber (Indianapolis, Ind.) to National Letters-of-Intent during the early signing period. Hain, a 6-foot-9 forward from Jupiter High School, was named second-team all-conference as a junior after averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. Weber, a 6-foot-7 forward from Roncalli High School, helped lead his prep squad to an 18-6 overall mark and the school's fourth sectional championship in the last seven years. Weber averaged 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and was named Honorable Mention all-county.
