The Youngstown State men's basketball team (13-11, 8-6 Horizon League) hosts Horizon League leader Valparaiso, Saturday, Feb. 11. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center and can be heard on 570 WKBN-AM.
The Valparaiso Series
This is the 34th meeting between Youngstown State and Valparaiso in an all-time series that dates back to 1989. The Crusaders own a 26-7advantage in the all-time series and have won the last 14 contests. Earlier this season, the Crusaders defeated the Guins, 76-62, in Valparaiso, Ind. Last season at the Beeghly Center, the Guins fell to the Crusaders, 86-78, in overtime. The last time YSU defeated Valparaiso was a 55-49 victory on Jan. 15, 2000.
About Valparaiso
Valparaiso is currently 18-8 overall and leads the league with an 11-3 record. Ryan Broekhoff leads the team with 15.3 points and a league-high 8.6 rebounds per game. Kevin Van Wijk is averaging 14.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
No Sophomore Slump
Sophomore Kendrick Perry, who was named the Horizon League Player of the Week (Feb. 6), is having a tremendous second season for the Guins. Perry leads the Horizon League in scoring with 16 points per game and a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also ranks second in steals per game (2.4) and third in assists per game (4.0).
Allen in Top 10
With a 3-pointers made against Butler on Feb. 9, junior Blake Allen made his 120th career 3-pointer at Youngstown State. He currently ranks 9th all-time. He also has 73 3-pointers this season, which ranks second on the single-season list. He is 20 shy of breaking the single-season record of 92 set by Craig Haese in 2000-01.
A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 14-11 on the year and 9-6 in the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU's most league wins since joining the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU's most overall wins since 2006-07.
• Mark YSU's eighth home win of the season.
• Mark the program's eighth win over Valparaiso.
• Snap a 14-game losing streak to Valparaiso.
• Mark the first win over Valparaiso since 2000.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 652nd career victory and his 72nd at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 1,006th victory in the program's history.
KP Player of the Week
Sophomore Kendrick Perry was named the Horizon League Player of the Week (Feb. 6) after averaging 25.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 steals per game and leading YSU to a 2-1 record last week. His award marks the fifth time a YSU player has garnered the award this season, which is a league record.
Guins Set League Mark
With Kendrick Perry's weekly award, Youngstown State became the first program in Horizon League history to have five different players earn player-of-the-wee accolades. Perry joins senior DuShawn Brooks (Dec. 5), junior Damian Eargle (Jan. 2), senior Ashen Ward (Jan. 9) and junior Blake Allen (Jan. 23) as recipients of the award this year.
To Catch a Thief
With a career-high seven steals against Loyola on Feb. 5, sophomore Kendrick Perry set the YSU sophomore record for steals in a season with 56. He also needs just nine more to set the single-season mark for steals. With 96 career steals, Perry also needs just eight more to move into 10th on the all-time list.
200 3's in Back-to-Back Season
For the first time in school history, the Guins have made at least 200 3-pointers in consecutive seasons. The Guins made 11 against UIC on Feb. 2 to reach the mark and now have 212 made 3-pointers, which are the second most in school history. Last season, the Guins made a school record 235 3-pointers. The previous record was 199 made during the 1997-98 school year.
Need to Hit the Glass
Coaches often talk of the importance of rebounding and for the Guins it is vital to success. When the Guins outrebound their opponents they own a record of 8-0.
Eargle Has Chance For 1,000
In under three seasons of playing college basketball, junior Damian Eargle has scored more than 800 points with 860. Eargle needs just 140 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.
Ward Now Into 6th
With 43 3-pointers this season, senior Ashen Ward now ranks sixth all-time with 140 career 3-pointers. He needs four more to move into fifth place on the list.
Hold Under 70
Another ingredient for the Guins to be successful is to hold their opponents under 70 points. YSU is 13-3 when not allowing its opponents to score 70 points or more.
KP Hits Career High
Sophomore Kendrick Perry scored a career-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers. Perry became the first YSU player to score 30 points since DeAndre Mays scored 30 against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010.
Guins Nationally
In the most recent NCAA statistics, Youngstown State is scattered throughout the team and individual categories. The Guins ranked ninth with 8.8 3-pointers made per game, 12th with 5.8 blocks per game, 16th with just 11 turnovers per contest and 37th with a .381 3-point percentage. Individually, Damian Eargle ranks third with 4.0 blocks per game, Blake Allen is 14th with 3.0 3-pointers made and 12th with a .453 3-point percentage. Kendrick Perry ranks 12th in the country with 2.4 steals per contest.
Perry First Soph With 30 in 20 Years
With his 30-point performance against Milwaukee, Kendrick Perry became the first YSU sophomore to score at least 30 points since Mike Alcorn scored 35 on Feb. 24, 1992.
Allen Had Career Night
Junior Blake Allen set a career scoring high with 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field against Milwaukee on Jan. 20. Allen also tied a career high with seven 3-pointers against the Panthers. He made seven 3-pointers against Penn State on Nov. 23, 2011. It also marked his third 20-point outing this season.
Eargle Block Party
Junior Damian Eargle has recorded a block in every game this season. He has posted multiple blocks in 21 of 24 games and has swatted at least three blocks in 19 games.
The Starting Line
• The Guins have had the same starting lineup in all 24 games.
• Four starters are averaging in double figures in all games.
• Four starters are scoring in double figures in Horizon League games only.
• Each starter has posted at least one 20-point outing.
• Four starters rank in the top 20 in scoring in the Horizon League.
• Starters account for 89 percent of the Guins' scoring.
Guins Setting Record Pace
The Guins have made 212 3-pointers in 23 games this season for an average of 8.8 3-pointers made per game. They are on pace to shatter the school's single-season mark of 235 set last year. If YSU continues this pace over the next six guaranteed games, they will finish the season with 264 3-pointers made.
Eargle Passes Himself
Junior Damian Eargle has 97 blocks in 24 games this season, which ranks second on the YSU single-season list. He needs 42 more to set the single-season mark of 138 set by Ricky Tunstall in 1982-83. His 91 blocks last season now rank third on the list.
Up Next
The Guins return to the road to take on Green Bay, Tuesday, Feb. 14. Tipoff of is at 8 p.m. EDT at the Resch in Green Bay, Wis.
Eargle Now Second
Junior Damian Eargle has moved into second place on the YSU career blocks chart in just 54 games played. Eargle has 188 blocked shots. The only player ahead of Eargle is Ricky Tunstall, who recorded 221 career blocks. Counting his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro, Eargle has reached 245 blocked shots for his entire college career.
Perry On His Way to 700 Points
Sophomore Kendrick Perry could become the 33rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. In just 54 career games, Perry has scored 652 points and needs 348 more to reach the coveted plateau. For his career, he is averaging 12.1 points per game, including a 16.0 points per game scoring average this year.
Allen Named Player of the Week
Junior guard Blake Allen was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 23 after averaging 21.5 points per game and shooting 75 percent from the floor and 76.9 percent from 3-point range. Allen, who led the Guins to a 2-0 record, scored a career-high 27 points against Milwaukee and had 16 against Green Bay.
Ward Named POW
For the first time in his career, senior Ashen Ward was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 9. Ward averaged 21.5 points per game and shot at a 63.6 percent clip from the field and 70 percent from 3-point range. He posted consecutive 20-point performances in wins over Loyola (21 points) on Jan. 5 and UIC (22) on Jan. 7.
Eargle Named HL Player of the Week
Junior forward Damian Eargle was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Jan. 2. Eargle posted his second double-double with a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds and led the Penguins to a 73-67 win over Cleveland State on Dec. 31. Eargle scored 14 of his points in the second half. He went 8-of-11 from the field. It marks the first time in his YSU career Eargle has won the league accolade.
Brooks Named Player of the Week
Senior DuShawn Brooks was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for Dec. 5. Brooks averaged 20.5 points per game and shot 61.5 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from 3-point range. He scored a career-high 24 points against Detroit on Dec. 1 to lead the Guins to a 64-61 win. He also led the team with 17 points in a one-point loss to Wright State on Dec. 3.
