The Town Crier

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Crushes Aggies
By Steve Porter

The New Mexico State Aggies came into the game sporting a 7-2 record that included a win on the road against #24 ranked Kansas.

Hot shooting by the Penguins made it possible to open a lead and gradually pull away from the Aggies in the first half. With 8 minutes remaining until halftime, YSU led 30-15. The lead expanded to 20 with 4-1/2 minutes remaining in the half. When the half ended, the Penguins were on top 42-25. C Will O’Neil had a tremendous half, scoring 16 points and pulling down 9 boards.

Youngstown State scored the first 9 points in the 2nd half to open a 26 point lead. The lead shrunk to 12 points late in the game, but the Penguins held on to record a 74-56 win over New Mexico State. Defensively, the Penguins held the Aggies shooting to 35% and forced 22 turnovers.

Leading the Penguins offensively was C Will O’Neil who scored 26 points and also grabbed 14 rebounds. PF Aaron Tice scored 18, SG B.J. Dennis hit for 12 points, and SF Chris Chambliss added 10. PG Pat White dished out 10 assists.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins’ Center Gains Horizon League Honors
By Steve Porter

Will O’Neil, Youngstown State’s freshman center had a big game against New Mexico State (scoring 26 and pulling down 14 boards). That earned him not only the Horizon Leagues Freshman of the Week award but also the league’s Player of the Week award. Following the Penguins first 8 games, he leads the league in scoring averaging 19.5 ppg and is 5th in the league in rebounding with 7.1 rpg.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Nearly Bowled Over by Bowling Green
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State opened with a 4-0 lead but then fell behind. Even though they continually drew close, they didn’t overtake the Bowling Green Falcons until there were 3 minutes left in the half. They then held of the Falcons to hold a narrow 30-28 lead after 20 minutes of play in what was a defensive struggle. SG B.J. Dennis was the Penguins top scorer in the first half with 9 points.

In the 2nd half, Bowling Green’s defense stymied the Penguins and the Falcons went ahead 44-36 with 13 minutes to play. YSU fought back and with 4:58 on the clock, B.J. Dennis sunk a long 3 to put the Penguins back on top 57-55. A series of turnovers by Bowling Green allowed the Penguins to take a 64-57 lead with 1:37 on the clock. The Penguins then held on to score a 69-62 road victory and run their win streak to 5 games. YSU outshot Bowling Green 46% to 38%.

SG B.J. Dennis led the scoring for Youngstown State with 16 points and C Will O’Neil and PF Aaron Tice contributed 14 and 11 points respectively. PG Pat White dished out 9 assists for the 2nd straight game.

“This was a tough game for us. Bowling Green kept us on our heels most of the game. Fortunately our offense caught fire late in the 2nd half. B.J. Dennis played strongly throughout the entire game,” said Coach KD Durst. He added, “I’m pleased that we were able to finish our pre-conference schedule with a 7-2 record, particularly since 6 of our 9 games were on the road. I think we’re ready for league play now. The team is looking forward to defending its league title.”

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Outlook
By Steve Porter

Three teams in the Horizon League finished pre-conference play with stellar records. Wisconsin-Green Bay lost their final two games but still has a 6-3 record and has the 14th best RPI in the nation. Valparaiso’s record also stands at 6-3 and they have an RPI of 65. Youngstown State came on strong to go into conference play with a 7-2 record and an RPI that is 43rd best in the country.

The Penguins have been led by C Will O’Neil who is averaging 18.9 ppg which is tops of any player in the Horizon League. He and PF Aaron Tice are both averaging 7.0 rpg so they’re tied as the 4th best recruiters thus far in the Horizon League. Tice is also averaging 10.4 ppg. PG Pat White is only averaging 5.8 ppg but his 7.6 apg is the best of any Horizon League player. SF Chris Chambliss is averaging 11.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg and is the 2nd best player in the league in steals with 1.6 spg. SG’s B..J. Dennis and William Swan are averaging 7.9 and 6.6 ppg, respectively. 

The team is averaging 76.8 ppg while having given up just 66.9 ppg. They’ve out-rebounded opponents 35.0 rpg to 34.1 rpg. And the Penguins have averaged only 12.3 topg while they forced their competition to make 17.9 topg.

“I’ve got a good feeling about our team this season,” exclaimed PF Aaron Tice. “We’re putting a potent offense together with a strong defense. After Jamal Grady graduated at the end of last season, I think everyone expected that our interior offense which had been our strength would wither away. But Will O’Neil has really come on strong. For a freshman to not only contribute but lead our team offensively like he’s done is simply amazing. And Pat White has really been an asset in the way he’s able to direct our offense and feed guys the ball for easy scores. This year we again have a strong bench with guys who can come in, fit in really well, and give us a boost. I can’t wait for Horizon League play to get underway.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Open Defense of Horizon League Crown
By Steve Porter

C Will O’Neil scored the first 8 points for Youngstown State in their game last night in Milwaukee against the Milwaukee Panthers. After 6 minutes of play, YSU led 17-7. But after leading 21-11, the Panthers went on a run that gave them a 25-23 lead. The Penguins then scored 7 unanswered points to recapture the lead. When PG Pat White hit a long 3 with 4:11 left in the half, YSU went ahead 39-27. The Penguins then continued to dominate, hit 62% of their FG attempts, and left the court at halftime with a commanding 51-34 advantage. PG Pat White was on fire throughout the half, scoring 17 points and hitting all 4 of his 3-point attempts. C Will O’Neil scored 16 and pulled down 5 boards in the half.

The Penguins continued to put the ball in the hoop in the 2nd half and finished the game hitting 58% of their FG attempts and 54% of their 3’s. YSU had just 10 turnovers while forcing Milwaukee to turn the ball over 17 times. Youngstown State came away with a resounding 92-69 victory in their opening Horizon League game. 

C Will O’Neil dropped in 25 points while hauling in 6 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and blocking 3 shots. PG Pat White finished with 22 points. Reserve C Kent Jones hit for 16 points and grabbed 9 boards, while PF Aaron Tice scored 14.

“It really was nice to see Pat White have a breakout game offensively for us. We knew he had it in him and shooting the way he did tonight should give him a lot of confidence for the future,” said Coach KD Durst. “It was great to get a win in our opener on the road.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Romp Over Titans
By Steve Porter

The Penguins put together some rock-solid defense early against the Detroit Titans and went ahead 19-7 after 7 minutes of play. But with the refs continually whistling fouls against the Penguins, including 3 against C Will O’Neil, the Titans went to the foul line repeatedly and were able to hang in the game. The Penguins continued to stymie Detroit with a defense that held the Titans’ shooting to 28%. With YSU hitting 56% of their shots, the Penguins built a 53-31 halftime advantage. PF Aaron Tice dropped in 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

After just 3 minutes of play in the 2nd half, C Will O’Neil and PF Aaron Tice were both relegated to the bench with 4 fouls apiece. The Penguins went on to drub the Titans 91-70. That win improved their league record to 2-0 and their season record to 9-2. The team’s RPI improved to 27th best in the nation.

Six Penguins' players scored in double figures: SG William Swan-14, PF Aaron Tice-12, PG Pat White-11, C Kent Jones-11, C Will O’Neil-10, and SF Colin Chambliss-10. Chambliss grabbed 11 rebounds to record a double-double. PG Pat White had 8 assists. Reserve C Kelley Johnson scored for Detroit.

“Even though the refs seemed to target our big guys with fouls limiting Aaron Tice and Will O’Neil to a combined 32 minutes of playing time, the rest of the team stepped into the breach and carried us to victory,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Award Goes to O’Neil
By Steve Porter

For the sixth out of seven weeks, the Horizon League Freshman of the Week award was garnered by Youngstown State’s Will O’Neil. In the Penguins first two league contests this past week, O’Neil scored 35 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, and had 4 blocks even though, due to foul trouble, he was limited to just 17 minutes on the court in the second game.

Coach KD Durst said, “Will is so effective inside the paint. Defenders have a really tough time from keeping him from working his way into the basket. Often the only way they can stop him is to foul him so he gets to the line more than anyone else on our team. He’s hitting 61% of this shots and is now leading our team not only in scoring but also rebounding and blocks.”

When asked about his team yesterday, Coach Kendrick “KD” Durst responded, “Gotta be happy when your team has a 7-game win streak going and stands 9-2. But we’re coming into a critical part of our schedule over the next week. Our next two road games are against Valparaiso and Wisconsin-Green Bay. Not only were both of those teams predicted to be up with us contesting for the league championship, but they both played as well and maybe better than us during pre-conference play. In the previous seasons since I got here, both teams have played us tough when we’ve gone up against them. Valparaiso has a big win as part of their 7-4 record. They beat Villanova on the road. And Wisconsin-Green Bay has a 9-3 record with their 3 losses coming on the road against Florida, Ohio, and Alabama. They have a solid road win against a tough Tulsa team and are tied with us for the Horizon League lead. So we go into both of those games as underdogs, particularly since we’re taking on both teams in their own gyms.

“In tomorrow night’s game against Valparaiso, all five of their starters started all last year for them. We have to try to contain their experienced C Travon Capel. He’s been averaging 16.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Derick Coffee, their starting PF, who is averaging 11.5 ppg, can punish you if you focus too much on Capel. And Jack Ray, their PG, is a 3rd year starter who really knows how to distribute the ball and can read defenses well. While SF Andrae Calloway’s scoring thus far is down from last year’s 13.1 ppg, he definitely can’t be ignored since I’m sure he will bust out soon.

“Wisconsin-Green Bay has three players averaging in double figures and their other two starters are averaging 9.6 and 9.1 ppg. Their C Pete Richmond is averaging nearly 15 ppg and SF Marlon Dunleavy is a high percentage shooter from outside. Four of their starting five started for them last season and PF Josh Abraham, a transfer from New Mexico, looks like a strong addition to the team. He’s averaging 10.7 ppg and provides some muscle under the basket.

“Sandwiched between these two games is a home game against Northern Kentucky. If you just look at their 2-10 record, you might consider them walkovers. But we can’t overlook them or we’ll get burnt. Anyway, I think we’ll have a much better understanding of how good our team is after the next eight days. We’re kind of at the point of the basketball equivalent of midterm exams. The results of midterms often give a pretty good idea of how you will do on the final exams.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Stop Crusaders
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State got off to a slow start in their game against the Valparaiso Crusaders last night. But when they offense came alive, the Penguins spurted out to a 20-12 lead with 10 minutes to play in the first half. But as the half wound down the Crusaders fought back to take a small lead and it took a last second 3 by PG Pat White to give YSU a slim 33-32 halftime margin. Hampering the Penguins in the first half was poor shooting. They hit just 36% of their FG attempts compared to Valparaiso’s 44% shooting. PG Pat White notched 12 points to lead the Penguins.

The Penguins slowly drew away in the 2nd half and with 12 minutes to play had built a 53-40 lead. Valparaiso crept back and with just under 6 minutes remaining trailed by just a 59-57 score. The Penguins then scored the next 6 points to give them a 65-57 lead with 3 minutes to go. Valparaiso picked off a pass and scored on a breakaway with 37 seconds remaining to cut the Penguins’ lead to 67-63. The Crusaders then fouled William Swan on a 3 point attempt. Swan converted 2 of 3 to restore a 6 point lead. With neither team able to score, the final score stood at 69-63 in favor of Youngstown State. 

Leading the scoring for YSU was C Will O’Neil with 18 points, followed by PG Pat White’s 16, and 13 from both PF Aaron Tice and SG William Swan. For Valparaiso, C Travon Capel chipped in 20 points, grabbed 8 boards, and had 5 blocks.

“Valparaiso didn’t give us many easy shots so it’s fortunate we were able to gain a17-9 turnover advantage,” said Coach KD Durst. “We weren’t successful controlling Capel in the 2nd half but did a good job defending the Crusaders’ other players.”

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Win Streak Continues
By Steve Porter

In last night’s game against the Northern Kentucky Norse, Youngstown State scored the first 12 points of the game. With 11 minutes left in the first half, YSU was up 23-4. YSU let the Norse come back a little but still held a 45-30 halftime advantage. C Will O’Neil hit for 12 first half points.

Youngstown State held a healthy lead in the 2nd half until Northern Kentucky made a run that got them with 9 points with 5 minutes to play. But the Penguins then re-established a double digit lead and came away with an 87-72 victory to run their season record to 11-2, their win streak to 9 games, and their Horizon League record to 4-0. With Wisconsin-Green Bay losing to Oakland, the Penguins now are in sole possession for 1st place in the league and hold a one-game lead over the next closest 3 teams.

C Will O’Neil scored 23 points, PG Pat White hit for 13, and PF Aaron Tice added 12. SG Kevin Young scored 20 for Northern Kentucky.

[PointGuard 70]

O’Neil Horizon Frosh of Week
By Steve Porter

Another two strong games by C Will O’Neil cemented yet another Horizon League Freshman of the Week award for the talented freshman from New Carlisle, Indiana. In the Penguins’ two wins this past week, O’Neil scored 42 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and had 2 steals and 2 blocks. O’Neil now is averaging 18.9 ppg in the 13 games played by YSU.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Dominance Continues
By Steve Porter

Defenses predominated early in the Penguins game against the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix last night. After 78 minutes of play, YSU led 18-6 as the Phoenix had hit just 33% of their shots and already turned the ball over 7 times. Uncharacteristically, the Penguins were turnover prone with 5 at that point. But at that point the offenses caught fire with both teams scoring freely. By the end of the half, Youngstown State’s lead had ballooned to 50-32. The Penguins hit 58% of their FG attempts (including hitting 6 of 12 from beyond the arc) compared to the Phoenix’ 44% shooting. YSU completely dominated the boards 20-8. Reserve C Kent Jones led the team’s scoring with 10 points, but 11 Penguins’ players had scored.

In the 2nd half, YSU went ahead by as much as 30 points and then coasted to a convincing 85-67 thumping of the Phoenix. The Penguins dropped in 53% of their shots, 50% of their 3’s, and controlled the boards to the tune of 38-18.

Topping the scoring for YSU was C Will O’Neil with 21 points. SF Colin Chambliss, C Kent Jones, and SF James Asbury each scored 10 while PF Aaron Tice pulled down 13 rebounds.

“Wow, I’m so happy to get that game under our belt. The Phoenix are a talented team and for our team to play so well tonight was fun to watch. Our guys were totally focused on what they had to do tonight and simply were NOT to be denied. They combined a potent offense with a solid defense and rebounding dominance,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Top Raiders
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State blazed out to a 13-2 lead in the first 2-1/2 minutes of last night’s game against the Wright State Raiders. The Penguins expanded their lead to 15 and then watched as Wright State went on a run late in the half that cut their lead at the end of the first half to 43-39. C Will O’Neil tossed in 14 points.

The Penguins rebuilt a double digit lead early in the 2nd half and held onto it throughout most of the rest of the game. They finished with a solid 81-71 win for their 11th straight win. That improved their season record to 13-2 and their Horizon League record to 6-0.

SG William Swan and C Will O’Neil both scored 17 points to lead the Penguins offensively. SF Colin Chambliss chipped in 14 points and PG Pat White added 12. 

When asked about the team’s goals, Colin Chambliss said, “We all agreed to playing each and every game as if it were a championship game that we had to win. Additionally, we are committed to coming out on top of the Horizon League standings and then win the league tournament so we can go to the NCAA Tournament and come away with upset victories.”

[DoublePump 0]

Inside information indicates that Coach Durst feels that at the beginning of the season his interior players are stronger than his perimeter players and that his big man depth is stronger than that outside.

 

Yes I agree

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Have Trouble Finding the Basket
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State travelled to take on the Cleveland State Vikings. The Vikings have righted their ship after struggling in pre-conference play. Coming into last night’s game, they had won all three of their home games in Horizon League play.

The Penguins struck from outside early, scoring their first 9 points on 3-point shots but still trailed Cleveland State by a single point after 3-1/2 minutes of play. Poor shooting (36%) by the Penguins allowed Cleveland State to take a 33-32 lead to the locker room. PG Pat White had 6 points to top YSU’s scoring.

As Youngstown State’s shooting woes continued in the 2nd half, the Vikings opened a 53-43 lead at the 11:25 mark. The Penguins then crippled Cleveland State with a stout defense. And even though YSU’s shooting made catch up difficult, SG William Swan hit a jumper with 6:39 on the clock and converted a foul shot that cut the Vikings lead to 55-53. Cleveland State answered with two quick successful 3-point shots that re-opened an 8 point lead. The Penguins doggedly fought back and Swan’s 25 footer with 3 minutes to play cut Cleveland State’s lead to 66-65. With 55 seconds to go, Cleveland State converted a 3 point play to give them a 75-71 lead. Another missed shot by YSU forced the Penguins to foul. Cleveland State made one of two shots to go ahead by 5 with 38 seconds remaining. Following a time out, Youngstown State got B.J. Dennis open for a quick 3 that went cleanly through the silks narrowing the lead to 2 points. YSU again fouled quickly but this time Cleveland State sunk both shots to make the score 78-74 with 25 seconds left. The Penguins again called a time out, but this time with the Vikings’ fans screaming, B.J. Dennis tossed the ball out of bounds as he tried to set up Linehan Murphy for a 3 point shot. The Vikings avoided being fouled and dropped in a jumper to make the final score 80-74, pinning the first league loss on the Penguins. That dropped the Penguins into a tie for the league lead with Detroit.

PF Aaron Tice scored 13, PG Pat White and SG William Swan both scored 11, and SF Colin Chambliss added 10. C Will O’Neil had his first poor offensive game, scoring just 7 points, but he did pull down 9 rebounds.

“We out-rebounded the Vikings 37-32 and held a 15-11 turnover advantage, but we shot abysmally, hitting just 41% of our FG attempts and 57% of our free throws. It was really an off-night, but you have to give Cleveland State credit for a solid defense. They were simply were unwavering and would not let us get ahead,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Fortunes Turn for the Penguins
By Steve Porter

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies came to town last night with a 5-2 league record. If they could pull off a win against 6-1 Youngstown State, they would pull into a tie with the Penguins.

The Penguins jumped out on top and seemed to have things in control until their offense sputtered. Oakland took a single point lead with 7 minutes left in the half. The lead shifted back and forth the rest of the half. When the buzzer sounded ending the first half, the score was tied 37-37. PG Pat White, SF Colin Chambliss, and PG Linehan Murphy each scored 7 points.

Youngstown State held a lead throughout the 2nd half, but Oakland hit a 3 with 56 seconds left in the game to cut the Penguins lead to 78-76. Then the Golden Grizzlies picked off a pass and scored on a driving layup to tie the game. Another turnover by the Penguins in the backcourt gave Oakland a last second long 3 that went cleanly through the basket giving them an upset 81-78 win. YSU’s loss dropped them into a tie with Oakland for 2nd place in the league. 

SF Colin Chambliss led the Penguins scoring with 18 points. C Will O’Neil hit for 15, and PG Pat White, SG William Swan and SF James Asbury each scored 10 points. SG Donte Ferguson scored 23 for Oakland.

“We gave this game away. We were in control until the last few minutes and then folded like a cheap tent,” said Coach KD Durst dejectedly. “We’ve not played up to our potential the last two games. We need to regain our mojo.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Feel the Burn
By Steve Porter

The UIC Flames hit 5 of 7 three-pointers early in the Youngstown State’s game last night and took a 29-16 lead after 9 minutes of play. Late in the half the Penguins were able to cut into the lead and closed to within 43-37 at the break. C Will O’Neil scored 16.

The Flames came out hot again in the 2nd half and went ahead 58-44 with 16 minutes left. YSU was dropped behind by as much as 20 points and ended up taking an 84-69 drubbing. The Penguins uncharacteristically turned the ball over 17 times, but the primary differences in the game were that the Flames hit 10 of 23 threes while YSU was able to connect on only 1 of 8 and UIC got to the line 11 more times the YSU.

C Will O’Neil scored 21 points while SF Colin Chambliss hit for 13. But UIC’s two starting guards combined for 40 points with SG Gary Cunningham dropping in 22 and PG Bret Maloney adding 18.

Coach KD Durst said, “UIC simply outplayed us tonight. I guess you could call this an old-fashion butt-kicking. This third straight loss dropped us into 3rd place in the league, so we now have to dig our way out of the hole we’ve created.”

During the Penguins 11 game win streak, they held their opponents to 46-72 points each game, but in their 3 straight losses, their defense has fallen apart and they’ve given up 80+ points in each loss.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Pounce on Panthers
By Steve Porter

PG Pat White scored 10 points in the first 7 minutes of the game to lead the Penguins as they took a 16-12 lead over the visiting Milwaukee Panthers last night. They expanded their advantage to 38-20 with 4 minutes remaining in the half as they forced repeated turnovers by the Panthers. The half ended with YSU on top 42-27. Milwaukee had 14 turnovers compared to just 2 by Youngstown State. White’s 10 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals led the Penguins in the half.

Milwaukee cut the lead to 10 points but then the Penguins spurted out to a 57-34 lead with 14 minutes to go in the game. With YSU hitting 49% of their shots and holding a 26-4 turnover advantage, the Penguins got back on the winning track again by the score of 89-60. 

C Will O’Neil scored 21 points while PG Pat White hit for 20. SF Colin Chambliss contributed 12.

The victory improved Youngstown State’s league record to 7-3 and put them in a tie for 2nd place one game behind Oakland.

“We were sick and tired of losing,” said PG Pat White. “We knew we had to get back to playing strong defensively, so tonight was a good step in that direction. We’ve got to travel to Detroit, the team that’s tied for 2nd place with us, for our next game, so we’ll need to play our best and hopefully this game was a good tune up for that.”

[PointGuard 70]

O’Neil Wins Double Honors
By Steve Porter

The Horizon League again awarded both their Freshman Player of the Week and their Player of the Week awards to the Penguins’ C Will O’Neil. O’Neil has now won 9 of 11 weekly Freshman of the Week awards handed out by the Horizon League and 2 Player of the Week awards.

After 19 games this season O’Neil is now averaging 19.1 ppg, which is tops in the Horizon League. He’s also averaging 6.6 rpg which is 5th best in the league and 1.1 bpg which is tied for 5th best in the league. 

Other Penguins in the Top 5 in statistical categories for the Horizon League are PG Pat White who tops the league in assists, averaging 5.9 apg and PF Aaron Tice whose 7.1 rpg is 4th best in the league.

“It’s been fun watching this kid develop,” said senior PG Lenihan Murphy about Will O’Neil. “He came into practice with a good rep, but without expectations that he’d win a starting role, let alone carry our team offensively. He has an uncanny ability to work his way to the basket and put the ball in the hoop. He’s also got a nice jump shot that makes it hard for defenders since if they fight to keep him from driving to the bucket, he can just pull up and pop in a shot. He’s hitting 2/3 of his shots from up to 10 feet from the basket and over 60% of his shots overall. He’s scored 20+ points in 9 of our games and been in double figures in all but one game for us.”

[PointGuard 70]

SAT Results Alter Penguins’ Recruiting Efforts
By Steve Porter

With three of four available scholarships yet to fill, recruiting remains a big challenge for the Penguins’ coaching staff. Brandon Warren, 1st assistant coach and the man in charge of recruiting for Coach KD Durst said, “Due to their failure to meet our minimum SAT requirements we lost a couple very talented and highly rated recruits who were high up on our list. But we still have a bunch of very strong players we’re continuing to watch and keep in contact with and now we'll just focus more upon those recruits. Right now our goal is to continue to build their interest in our program, while keeping our recruiting costs down, so we can have a good chance of landing them once their high school or JC seasons are completed this spring. Morris Phelan, the recruit who has signed a Letter of Intent for us already, is a great inside player, but we want to sign at least one more big man and a talented guard, preferably a point guard. Coach KD and I remain very optimistic about our chances this spring.”

[PointGuard 70]

DEEE-Fense!
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State’s game last night against the Detroit Titans was a battle for sole possession of 2nd place in the Horizon Leagues. The Penguins defeated the Titans 91-70 earlier this season, but that was at home and last night’s game sent the Penguins on the road.

The game was a defensive battle early with both teams making it tough for the other to get clear shots. After 5-1/2 minutes of play, YSU led 9-5 with 4 of the starters in the scoring column. But with 11 minutes to go in the half, Detroit took its first lead at 14-13. The Penguins regained the lead and held it until the half ended with YSU ahead 34-29. Both teams hit about 35% of their shots in the half. C Will O’Neil scored 10 points to lead YSU while his counterpart, C William Rogers, led the Titans with 8 points.

The defenses continued to make scoring difficult in the 2nd half, but led Will O’Neil along with a tenacious team defense, the Penguins gained a 12 point advantage at 43-31 with 14 minutes remaining. YSU then expanded their lead to 17 before settling for a 66-55 victory. While the Penguins hit just 37% of the FG attempts, they held Detroit’s shooting to 33% while forcing the Titans to turn the ball over 17 times and controlled the boards 41-33. 

C Will O’Neil dropped in 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and also had 2 steals and 2 blocks. SF Colin Chambliss scored 9 points but pulled down 16 boards and had 1 steal and 3 blocks.

“This was our best defensive effort of the year, except for the final 5 minutes when we were coasting,” said Coach KD Durst. “Detroit has a very good team, so defeating them on their court was big for us.”

[PointGuard 70]

Offenses Sputter 
By Steve Porter 

After a strong start, Valparaiso’s season has fallen on hard times, particularly after C Travon Capel broke his finger. But Valparaiso took a small lead early in the game, but even though the Penguins’ shooting was abysmal, their lock-down defense allowed them to gain an 11-10 lead with 8:12 remaining in the half. But while the Penguins held the Crusaders shooting to 29%, YSU could only manage to sink 20% of their shots and fell behind 20-16 at the break. C Will O’Neil was the only Penguin not exhibiting ice-cold shooting. He had 9 points in the half. 

As Youngstown State’s shooting woes continued, Valparaiso took a 26-16 lead after 2 minutes of play in the 2nd half. At that point the Penguins began to dig themselves out of the hole they had dug and with 12:42 to play, B.J. Dennis hit a 15 foot jumper to tie the game at 31-31. But the Penguins continued to shoot poorly and fell behind again until Will O’Neil drove to the basket and put in a shot over his defender that gave YSU a 47-46 lead with 1:26 to play. Then B.J. Dennis picked off a pass as the Crusaders worked the ball around trying to get a free shot. Dennis lofted an alley-oop pass to a driving Colin Chambliss who jammed it down to give YSU a 49-46 advantage with 38 ticks on the clock. The Penguins then harassed the Crusaders to keep them from being able to put up a shot. Valparaiso tossed up a contested shot with 16 seconds remaining but it was off the mark and the Penguins rebounded. YSU called a quick timeout to get their best foul shooters on the floor. The ball was inbounded and quickly passed to Pat White on the left wing. He was fouled but was able to put the ball up in the air outside the arc so was awarded 3 shots. He only made one of his shots though but that gave the Penguins a 4 point lead. Valparaiso quickly brought the ball up court and hit a last second 3 to make the final score 50-49 in favor of Youngstown State. 

On a night when the Penguins hit just 33% of their FG attempts and only 2 of 17 from 3-point distance and 4 of 10 from the free throw line, they were able to limit Valparaiso’s shooting to 35% for force the Crusaders to make 21 turnovers thus allowing YSU to escape with a razor-thin victory. The win improved their season record to 16-5 and their league record to 9-3, leaving them in 2nd place, one game behind Oakland, in the Horizon League.

Leading Youngstown State was C Will O’Neil who recorded another double-double (15 points and 13 rebounds) to go along with a steal and 2 blocks. SF Chris Chambliss scored 11 and yanked down 9 boards. 

“We were unable to click offensively the entire game. We only were able to pull off a last minute win due to playing solid defense all night,” said Coach KD Durst. “Each one of those misses clanking off the rim just seemed to get louder and louder to me as the game progressed. This game definitely gave me some gray hairs.”

[PointGuard 70]

O’Neil Doubles Again
By Steve Porter

By scoring 37 points, grabbing 24 rebounds, and garnering 3 steals and 5 blocks, C Will O’Neil again won both the Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week awards in the Horizon League for this past week. O’Neil is now averaging 19.0 ppg (tops in the league) and 7.1 rpg (4th best in the league) for the entire season.

“Will simply took the team on his shoulders and carried us to two big wins this past week,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Burned by Norse 
By Steve Porter

Northern Kentucky blitzed the Penguins in the first 2-1/2 minutes and took an 11-0 lead. After 5-1/4 minutes of play YSU trailed 21-4 and both PF Aaron Tice and C Will O’Neil were relegated to the bench with two fouls apiece. Northern Kentucky continued to burn the Penguins by hitting 13 of their first 14 shots and 15 of their first 17 to take a 37-12 lead with 9 minutes to play in the half. The Penguins then went on a 13-0 run that cut the lead to 12 points. But the Norse cam back to take a 46-28 lead to the locker room. Northern Kentucky hit 61% of their shots compared to 39% by the Penguins. C Will O’Neil scored 9 points for YSU.

In the 2nd half, Youngstown State seemed to be making headway several times early in the half, but the Norse stopped any sustained run each time. But with 7:18 to play, the Penguins had reduced the lead to 63-53. Then with 3:18 left, the lead had shrunken to 67-60. A lay-in by Will O’Neil with 1:50 to play put the Penguins within 4 at 68-64. But that was as close as they could get and Northern Kentucky pasted a loss on YSU by a score of 74-66. The loss dropped the Penguins back into a tie with Detroit for 2nd place in the Horizon League, a game behind 1st place Oakland.

Leading the scoring for Youngstown State was C Will O’Neil with 17 points and he pulled down 8 rebounds. PF Aaron Tice added 11 points and 7 boards.

“We ran into a hot-shooting Norse team tonight. We made a nice run but it was just too late in the game,” said Coach KD Durst. “It was a disappointing loss since Oakland finally lost and we could have pulled into a tie for 1st if we’d won.”

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Dusts Up Phoenix
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State jumped out to an 13-2 lead over visiting Wisconsin-Green Bay last night. But the Phoenix pulled ahead 21-20 with 7-1/2 minutes left in the half. The Penguins then surged to a 46-33 halftime advantage as they forced the Phoenix to turn the ball over 13 times in the half. C Will O’Neil scored 14 and pulled down 6 boards.

The Penguins maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the 2nd half. By gaining a 22-9 turnover advantage and a 32-27 rebounding advantage, the Penguins won with easy 89-81 to remain in a 2nd place tie in the Horizon League.

C Will O’Neil had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. PF Aaron Tice dropped in 14 points, SG William Swan hit for 11, and SF James Asbury and C Kent Jones both scored 10.

[PointGuard 70]

Another Strong Week by O’Neil
By Steve Porter

Will O’Neil, Youngstown State’s star freshman center, again was named both Horizon League Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week. In the two games played this past week by the Penguins O’Neil scored 44 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.