The Town Crier

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Bedevil Sun Devils
By Steve Porter

In their home opener the Penguins scored the first 12 points of the game and held Arizona State scoreless for the first 4-1/2 minutes of the game. YSU eventually opened a 21 point lead. The Sun Devils hit some late buckets, though, to cut their deficit to 49-36 at halftime. The Penguins outshot ASU 53% to 41%, outrebounded the 24-15, and held a 7-4 turnover advantage. C Will O’Neil poured in 12 points.

Youngstown State continued to dominate in the 2nd half, opening as much as a 31 point lead and finishing with an 87-63 beatdown of Arizona State even with Coach Durst playing his bench extensively. The Penguins his 53% of their shots while holding the Sun Devils shooting to 31%. YSU held controlled the boards 42-28. 

Leading the Penguins was C Will O’Neil with 16 points and 9 rebounds while playing just 18 minutes. SF Colin Chambliss and PF Lee Pauly both scored 11 and C/PF Andre Lilly and SG B.J. Dennis each had 10 points. PG Pat White dished out 8 assists.

When asked about his decision to start Andre Lilly at PF, Coach Durst said, “Andre has a lot of talent. We decided to gradually work him into the flow and he ably backed up at both C and PF in our first two games this season. We started him at PF alongside Will O’Neil at C tonight, then brought Lee Pauly in at PF fairly early so that Andre was rested enough to take over at C when Will needed a blow. That way those three players can handle the majority of the minutes at our interior positions with Morris Phelan, LeRoy Delea, and Colin Chambliss sharing the remaining minutes.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Suffer Home Defeat
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State held a small lead throughout the early-going in the first half, but then surrendered the lead as the visiting St. Bonaventure Bonnies controlled the boards and were rewarded with trips to the line. The half ended with the Bonnies in control 37-34 with both teams hitting under 40% of their shots. The Penguins’ guards PG Pat White and SG B.J. Dennis scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

YSU scored the first 6 points of the 2nd half to recapture the lead but surrendered it immediately thereafter. The game stayed close until midway through the 2nd half when the Bonnies began hitting their shots and the Penguins continued to miss theirs. Then late in the half, St. Bonaventure slayed the Penguins and took an 18 point lead before ending with a 73-59 walloping of Youngstown State. 

Leading the Penguins offensively were PG Pat White with 14 points and B.J. Dennis with 13. White also had 8 assists.

“Give St. Bonaventure credit. They took away our inside game completely. Not only did we not score well inside, but we got beat on the boards (46-34), and we let their center Larry Latham score 21 and grab 10 boards and their PF Sam Livas also had 10 rebounds,” said Coach KD Durst. “We started the season with 2 solid wins on the road and a walkover win at home, so I think we had a case of over-confidence. I hope it’s a wakeup call for our guys that things aren’t going to be easy and that they have to come out attacking each and every game.”

SF James Asbury twisted his ankle in the game but is not expected to miss the Penguins next game.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Roll Ball (State)
By Steve Porter

The Penguins scored 12 unanswered points in the first 2-1/2 minutes of play. Their opponent, the Ball State Cardinals finally scored 30 seconds later. YSU continued their onslaught and with 6 minutes left in the first half, they opened a 20 point lead at 36-16. The half ended with the Penguins on top 46-28. SF Chris Chambliss scorched the nets for 14 points.

Youngstown State continued its domination of the Cardinals in the 2nd half even though Coach Durst played his bench extensively and won going away 86-62. The Penguins hit 51% of their FG attempts and 57% of their 3’s (13 of 23 attempts). They held Ball State’s shooting to 40% and also forced 17 turnovers by the Cardinals while making just 8 themselves. The win improved YSU’s record to 4-1.

SF Colin Chambliss scored 20 points in 20 minutes on the court. C Will O’Neil scored 10 while dishing out 7 assists and getting 3 steals.

“Our guys came back after playing poorly in our last game, to attack from the beginning and then kept the pressure on Ball State the entire game,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Take On Big-10
By Steve Porter

The Big-10’s Northwestern University Wildcats (2-2) visited last night to take on the 4-1 Youngstown State Penguins.

PG Pat White picked up 3 quick fouls sending him to the bench after just 4 minutes of play with the Wildcats on top 9-7. After Northwestern held a small lead throughout much of the first half, the Penguins overtook them late and pulled away to take a 46-38 lead to the locker room. The Penguins outshot the Wildcats 52% to 36% and held a 9-5 turnover advantage. C Will O’Neil scored 13, grabbed 5 boards, and had 3 steals in the half.

The Penguins immediately established a double digit lead in the 2nd half and gradually expanded it to as much as 22 points before settling for an easy 93-77 victory. YSU hit 52% of their shots compared to 40% for Northwestern, and the Penguins made just 10 turnovers while the Wildcats were charged with 17 turnovers.

C Will O’Neil had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds as well as getting 4 steals. C/PF Andre Lilly and SG Matt Angner both scored 11 while SG B. J. Dennis added 10.

O’Neil’s big game was enough to earn him Horizon League Player of the Week honors.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Take On ACC
By Steve Porter

For the 2nd straight game Youngstown State’s opponent was from a power conference. This time they travelled to take on the ACC’s Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies came into the game with a 4-2 record.

PG Pat White hit a 3 on the Penguins first possession, but they then watched Virginia Tech run off 14 straight points as the Hokies’ fans made things tough on YSU. They then fell behind 21-6. They then cut the lead to 8 but Virginia Tech then began to bury the Penguins again. They then kept the Penguins on their heels the entire half and held a 41-26 advantage at the break. PG Pat White led the scoring for YSU with 11 points.

The Hokies continued to dominate the Penguins in the 2nd half. Any time YSU cut into their lead, they simply pulled away again. When the buzzer sounded, the Penguins were on the short end of a 75-57 score.

PG Pat White with 20 points was the only Penguin to score in double figures. All 5 starters for Virginia Tech scored in double figures with C Matt Beasley getting a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds.)

[PointGuard 70]

Posts in the WolverineStudios forums following the report on the Virginia Tech game:

 

By CoachC:   "Jim Rome is interested in what you say and would like to learn more. Jim Rome would like to learn more."

 

By Wayne23:  "All roads lead to Rome."

[PointGuard 70]

Defense Key to Penguins Victory
By Steve Porter

UNC Greensboro presented the Penguins with a challenge since the Spartans entered the game with 4 players averaging in double figures and another just under 10 ppg. SG William Bell led their scoring with 16.7 ppg. 

The Penguins applied a staunch defense early allowing the Spartans to hit just 1 of their first 11 shots so that YSU led 13-3 after 6-1/2 minutes of play. Even though UNC Greensboro began hitting some shots, they still were limited to knocking down just 29% of their FG attempts in the first half and sunk just 1 of 15 from beyond the arc. Both teams made just 1 of 5 free throw attempts. But YSU sank 49% of their FG’s and sported a 37-22 advantage at the break. PG Pat White and C Will O’Neil both scored 6 points for the Penguins.

Youngstown State expanded their lead to 20 points after 4 minutes of play in the 2nd half. The Penguins went on to roll to an easy 80-58 stomping of the Spartans. YSU outshot UNC Greensboro 52% to 35% and held a 43-34 rebounding advantage. The win improved the Penguins season record to 6-2.

Leading the scoring for YSU was PG Pat White with 20 points. C Will O’Neil scored a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. SF Chris Chambliss hit for 13 points to go along with 9 boards. 

“Getting a big lead allowed us to get our entire bench onto the court and give them some good playing time,” said Coach KD Durst. “We played solidly defensively the entire game, but our offense was a little streaky. Our starters all shot well though.” [The starters hit 67% of their shots.]

An incident after the game prompted a quick response by Beeghly Center venue security. A strange man attempted to rush on the court toward Coach KD Durst as he headed toward the locker room. Security tackled the man before he could get to the coach and subdued him as he screamed, “Everyone talks to Rome!” As additional security personnel intervened, he was dragged from the floor, hollering, “Get your freakin’ hands off me! It’s Rome, you hear. Rome! Rome rules!” Security Chief Roger Rarebit later reported, “The guy was like a madman. He just kept shouting and frothing from the mouth. We turned him over to police so he could be questioned and his mental state evaluated. I’m proud of my staff’s quick reactions and how they protected Coach Durst.”

Next week Youngstown State completes it pre-conference schedule by travelling to Palo Alto, California to take on the 7-3 Stanford Cardinal. Coach KD Durst said, “Stanford is going to be a big challenge for us. They’ve got a history of producing strong basketball teams and this year seems to be a continuation of that success. If we want to have any chance of beating them on their own court, we have to play at the top of our game.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Take On The Pac-12
By Steve Porter

Stanford and Youngstown State kept the game close throughout the entire first half even though the Penguins didn’t shoot well (35%). The score at the end of the half was 37-35 in favor of the Cardinal. PG Pat White led YSU’s scoring with 9 points.

The 2nd half was a continuation of the first as neither team could take control. With 9 minutes to go, the Penguins took their biggest lead of the night at 64-58. Then with 5 minutes remaining, C Will O’Neil sunk 2 free throws to put YSU on top 72-63. Stanford cut the lead to 6 with 1-1/2 minutes to go. But Stanford was then forced to foul and the Penguins pulled away for a bit 80-68 upset on the road to the Cardinal. The win gave them a 7-2 pre-conference record. Both teams hit 40% of their shots but Youngstown State controlled the boards 41-30 and held a 13-8 turnover advantage that allowed them to get more shots off.

C Will O’Neil scored 20 and grabbed 9 boards. SG Matt Angner came off the bench to have his best game in his short career at YSU with 19 points. PG Pat White dropped in 13 points and dished out 7 assists. SF Colin Chambliss added 10 points.

“Even though we pulled away a little in the latter part of the game, this was an exceptionally exciting game the entire way,” said Coach KD Durst. “I’m really proud of how our team hung in their against a talented Stanford team. There were a few points in the game when I was afraid the Cardinal might break it open, but our guys stepped up big each and every time. We didn’t let any of their players break out and we held their top scorer this season to just 5 points. We kept their 3 top scorers this season from getting good shots and that resulted in their hitting just 8 of 29 shots.”

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Play Beginning for Penguins
By Steve Porter

Next week the Youngstown State basketballers begin Horizon League play as they try to extend their 3 consecutive seasons atop the Horizon League. The Penguins completed pre-conference play with an impressive 7-2 record. “Before we began play this season, if you’d told me we would come away with a 7-2 record in a season when we significantly upgraded the quality of our schedule, I would have thought you were being overly optimistic. But our guys really played well together. We got excellent play from our starters, but the depth of our bench was a key as well. I’m excited to begin playing Horizon League opponents.”

The team averaged 77.6 ppg (53rd best in the nation) and gave up just 68.0 ppg (91st best in Division 1). They out-rebounded their opponents 37.7 rpg (24th best in the country) to 34.6 rpg. Another key was that the team only averaged 11.1 turnovers per game which is 22nd lowest amongst all Division 1 teams.

While scoring is spread out well among the entire team, C Will O’Neil leads with 16.8 ppg followed by PG Pat White’s 10.9 ppg. O’Neil also is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.3 rpg and White’s 6.3 apg is best on the team.

“Pat White has really stepped up his game this season and is doing a great job of directing our team and finding open men,” said Coach Durst. “Will O’Neil continues to be the anchor of our team, but he isn’t having to score quite as much as last season due to others putting more points on the board. Whereas interior play has been our cornerstone in previous seasons, we’ve been getting good offense both inside and outside this season so we’re more balanced. This improved distribution puts a lot more pressure on our opponents.”

While the Penguins have shown strength in pre-conference play, other Horizon League teams have been far less successful. Only one other team, the Detroit Titans who are 5-4, has a better than .500 record. Durst was unwilling to predict how his team would do in league play, saying, “It seems that every season, we see Horizon League teams that have lackluster pre-conference records and then come on to perform well in league play. And playing on the road always is difficult so you can’t look at W-L records or player and team stats and make predictions on how teams will perform. We also know we have big targets painted on our backs since everyone wants to knock us off what has been our top perch the past few seasons. Our league schedule gives us a challenge early.”

[PointGuard 70]

Shaky Start for Penguins in League Opener
By Steve Porter

The Valparaiso Crusaders came into last night’s game at Youngstown with a 3-7 record, but one of those wins was against Baylor and 3 of their losses were against Washington, #2 Louisville, and UCLA. Don Davis, Valparaiso’s senior center, appears to have blossomed this season into their go-to guy offensively. He’s averaging 19.5 ppg and has scored more than 30 points in two of their 10 games. 

JC transfer Matt Angner started at SG for Youngstown State and scored the team’s first 7 points in the game. But the rest of the team missed all 8 of their shots and had 3 turnovers allowing the Crusaders to take an 11-7 lead after 8 minutes of play. While the Penguins shooting improved somewhat, they still only hit 31% of their FG attempts in the half and trailed 33-25 at the break. Angner’s 7 points led the team’s scoring.

The Penguins came onto the court in the 2nd half and began to trim the lead. With 15:05 remaining, they tied the game at 41-41 when after working the ball around the perimeter, Matt Angner fired the ball into Will O’Neil who faked out his defender and drove to the basket for a thunderous dunk that brought the hometown crowd to its feet. Although poor shooting continued to hamper their efforts, the Penguins forged a 53-49 advantage with 7-1/2 minutes left in the game as their defense tightened. YSU slogged on from there to forge a 71-61 victory. Youngstown State uncharacteristically made 16 turnovers, but they forced the Crusaders to turn the ball over 18 times and their defense late in the game reduced Valparaiso’s shooting to 38% for the entire game.

C Will O’Neil scored 14 and pulled down 9 rebounds. SG Matt Angner finished with 11 points and PF/C Andre Lilly scored 10 and grabbed 9 boards. PG Pat White scored 9 and had 8 assists. For Valparaiso, C Dan Davis scored 20 to continue but had little offensive support from his teammates.

“Valparaiso gave us fits. If not for our defense, we wouldn’t have been able to pull this game out. With two tough road games coming up next, we’re going to have to play a lot better,” said Coach KD Durst. “On a positive note Matt Angner had his 2nd consecutive strong game and is really beginning to get a good sense of our offensive and defensive schemes. He seems to have a nose for the basket which is something we’ve needed at SG since I got here.”

[PointGuard 70]

Posts from CoachC in Wolverine Studios Forums:

 

 

"Jim Rome is interested in what you say and would like to learn more. Jim Rome would like to learn more."

 

 

 

"Coach K.D. Kurst has ignored Jim Rome. Coach Kurst has ignored Jim Rome. Rome is burning."

 

 

 

"In his biographical information prior to becoming head coach at this institution, Coach Dunst talked about his high school career at a private parochial school. He also talked about about his college career and his coaching career in collegiate basketball. He left out a couple of years in between, however when he went back to his high school alma mater for 2 years as an assistant coach. He left out the part where he was accused of tampering with incoming parochial school freshmen and offering them partial scholarships against city conference rules. He also left out the part where in his 2nd year as a coach at said high school, he was caught in the girl's locker room claiming to be looking to have a discussion with the head coach of the girl's team.

I well know that accusations are not always what they seem to be. I've been willing to allow coach Dunst the opportunity to give his version of events in a public forum. But he refuses. Rome is burning!"

[PointGuard 70]

Rumors Surface About Coach KD Durst
By Steve Porter

Nationally-known syndicated sports show host, Jim Rome, recently alleged that Youngstown State’s head coach KD Durst was involved in some questionable activities while temporarily serving as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater. Further, Rome stated Durst has been unwilling to respond to his claims and challenged Durst to comment publicly on these accusations.

When confronted by this reporter about these issues, Coach Durst replied, “I see no reason to give any weight to Rome’s baseless accusations for which he is merely trying to stimulate interest in his moribund show.”

This paper will be delving into the accusations so we can report the facts to our readers as quickly as possible.

[PointGuard 70]

Investigative Results Regarding Coach KD Durst
By Steve Porter

To follow up on the accusations made by Jim Rome against KD Durst, coach at Youngstown State, this newspaper sent me to the Philadelphia area to investigate.

Rome alleged the Durst tampered in illegal recruiting of talented high school freshmen and was caught in the girl’s locker room while claiming to be having a discussion with the girls basketball team’s head coach.

Officials at Bishop McMonigal High School in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were reluctant to respond to questions concerning allegations made by Jim Rome about incidents by Kendrick “KD” Durst. Their response was that they were unable to discuss personnel matters. They indicated that the school consistently follows all conference requirements for their sports teams and that they have always maintained the highest level of safety and security for the girls attending their school.

Investigation into records of local newspapers as well as discussions with newspaper reporters and other media representatives and supporters of Bishop McMonigal HS provided the following regarding Rome’s accusations:

After graduating from Bishop McMonigal HS and Rice University, Durst coached at two high schools. He then decided to return to the Philadelphia area to pursue a post-graduate degree. While involved in this post-graduate work, he volunteered to assist Patrick O’Malley, his old high school coach (now deceased), as an unpaid assistant. He performed these activities for two years until he was awarded his post-graduate degree. In the second of those two years, Bishop McMonigal won the Pennsylvania State Championship and Coach O’Malley highly praised Durst’s contributions to the team.

There are no records of actions taken against Durst by the Bishop McMonigal High School. There also were no newspaper records regarding improprieties by Durst. The private high school has been the focus of repeated rumors over the years concerning their unusual ability to bring talented freshmen to play for their football and basketball teams, but no disciplinary actions have been taken against the school by local or state sports authorities. 

But one of the primary supporters of the high school’s athletic teams is a well-placed and influential business man with many political connections. The name of this individual is Ken Hurst. Hurst was active before, during and after the period when Kendrick Durst was assisting Patrick O’Malley. Ken Hurst was a frequent visitor at the school and highly involved with the school’s coaches for football, boys basketball and girls basketball. All three of these programs were and are exceptionally successful as perennial conference champions and high ranked both locally and statewide. People familiar with the school and its athletic teams indicate that key supporters of those three programs had free access to the coaches both in their classrooms and in their offices in athletic facilities and that the girls basketball head coach was most easily reached via access through the girl’s locker room. There is no record, though, that Hurst ever visited the girls basketball coach by going through the girl’s locker room.

When confronted about Ken Hurst, high school authorities expressed glowing praise and denied that he ever influenced incoming freshmen or had access to the girl’s locker room. They again refused to confirm or deny whether there had ever been any actions taken against anyone for either recruiting violations or improper access to athletic facilities. Attempts to reach Ken Hurst were unsuccessful and he never returned any of our repeated calls. 

Following our investigation, Coach KD Durst again said, “I’m unwilling to give any credence to any of Jim Rome’s diatribes and unsupported innuendos by commenting further.” He did acknowledge that he knew of Ken Hurst, both while he attended and played basketball at Bishop McMonigal and while he served as assistant coach. Durst said, “I’m completely unaware of the details regarding Hurst’s support of high school athletics. I merely saw him at the high school on occasion and had a few fleeting inconsequential discussions with him.”

[PointGuard 70]

Panthers Pounce on Penguins
By Steve Porter

The Penguins led throughout the first half, but Milwaukee cut into their lead late and the half ended with Youngstown State holding onto a 31-25 lead, primarily due to an 11-4 turnover advantage. SF Colin Chambliss led YSU’s scoring with 7 points.

Youngstown State held onto a lead throughout the 2nd half, but with 2 minutes to go, the Panthers knocked down a 3 to put them on top 56-54. 30 seconds later, Will O’Neil fouled out. With 1:16 remaining, Colin Chambliss sunk a 3 from the corner to allow the Penguins to regain a 1-point lead. After a missed shot by Milwaukee, Matt Angner was fouled and he dropped in both shots to make it 59-56 in favor of YSU. Milwaukee called a time out and ran a play to get a clear 3-point shot. They were successful and tied the game with 31 seconds on the clock. The Penguins worked the ball inside to Andre Lilly but he was unable to convert on a drive to the hoop. Milwaukee put up a shot from 15 feet with 6 seconds to go and it went in to sink the Penguins and send them to a 61-59 defeat. Although YSU held a 22-11 turnover advantage that was offset by a 2nd game with poor shooting. The Penguins hit just 37% of their FG attempts, 29% of their 3’s, and 47% of the FT attempts.

SF Colin Chambliss scored 12 while hauling in 7 rebounds. PG Pat White added 11 points.

In the post-game interview room Coach KD Durst expressed disappointment in how his team performed, “We held a lead throughout almost the entire game, but then let it get away from us in the final minutes. This is a game we should NOT have lost.”

Durst reported that SG Matt Angner strained his back in the final seconds of the game and will be held out of practice the next few days, but that team athletic trainers believe he will be ready to play in the Penguins next game.

When asked by a TV reporter what he had to say about Jim Rome’s accusations and if his thinking about them detracted from preparation of his team for this game, Durst replied, “Why would I have a comment about bogus and asinine allegations? I really didn’t give them a moment’s concern. There was absolutely no reason at all for me to lose my focus on preparing the Penguins to play Milwaukee. I’ll take the hit, though, for not rallying the team in the waning moments of the game when the Panthers caught up and passed us. But the guys executed the play we diagrammed during the time out before our final possession very well. The ball just didn’t drop through the hoop. Unfortunately that happens sometimes.”

The same reporter followed up by asking Durst if there were any skeletons hiding in his closet. Durst testily snarled, “That’s a helluva dumb question to ask anyone, and if that’s the best question that can be asked, there’s no reason for me to be here any longer.” He then rose from the interview table and stormed from the room.

[PointGuard 70]

Whistles Haunt Penguins
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State travelled to Detroit to take on the first-place Detroit Titans (7-4, 2-0) last night.

The Penguins fell behind 11-3 to start the game. YSU fought to cut into the Titans lead from there on but each time they did, Detroit re-established a 6-9 point advantage. But when SF Colin Chambliss tossed in a long 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining, the Penguins forged ahead 39-37. The half ended with the score knotted at 41-41. SG Matt Angner led the Penguins’ scoring with 10 points.

With the refs still calling foul after foul against the Penguins in the 2nd half, the Titans again pulled ahead. The officiating drove Coach Durst vent his outrage against the officials resulting in a technical. YSU struggled to get back on top but trailed by between 1 and 5 points and with 4-1/2 minutes left were behind 70-69. With 3:14 to go, C Will O’Neil was fouled and dropped in both free throws to tied the game 71-71. Two more fouls against the Penguins allowed Detroit to go ahead 75-71 with 1-1/2 minutes remaining. The Penguins were unable to score from there on and lost 77-71. Detroit went to the line 15 more times than YSU and scored 8 more points on free throws. With the loss the Penguins league record fell to 1-2 and dropped them 2 games behind league-leading Detroit and Oakland.

SG Matt Angner scored 16, C Will O’Neil had a double-double (12 points and 12 rebounds), and PF/C Andre Lilly scored 11.

Following the game, when asked about the officiating, Coach KD Durst simply stared at the questioner and was mute.

[PointGuard 70]

Post by CoachC in the WolverineStudios forums:

 

 

'There are no records of actions taken against Durst by the Bishop McMonigal High School. There also were no newspaper records regarding improprieties by Durst. The private high school has been the focus of repeated rumors over the years concerning their unusual ability to bring talented freshmen to play for their football and basketball teams, but no disciplinary actions have been taken against the school by local or state sports authorities'."[unquote]

 

 

 

And although it is public record that local authorities and the state high school association never brought charges against coach Dunst, during that period, it doesn't mean he wasn't investigated, however ineptly. What we at the Rome Institute For Better Sports Reporting have uncovered, however are the reports of the diocese that were never made public and which the state authorities never bothered to subpoena. That Coach Durnst has never bothered to directly answer questions directly to the founder of this institute implies that he has something to hide

[PointGuard 70]

The Most Reverend James D. Flannery, Aux. Bishop of Philadelphia Overseeing Catholic Education, has made a formal written request to the Rome Institute for Better Sports Reporting to provide a copy of any and all documents and reports the Institute possesses regarding alleged improprieties related to Bishop McMonigal High School as reported by Jim Rome and the Institute so that these allegations can be thoroughly reviewed and investigated.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins’ Defense Rules
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State played defense soundly and pulled away to a 23-7 lead over visiting Wright State after 11 minutes of play. The Penguins continued to pile it on and by the end of the half were burying the Raiders to the tune of 46-18. YSU held Wright State’s shooting to 21%, dominated the boards 25-12, and had a 9-4 turnover advantage. C Will O’Neil scored 15 while pulling down 7 boards.

The Penguins merely held off the Raiders in the 2nd half and ended with a 80-54 thumping of Wright State. YSU had a 48-26 rebounding advantage and forced the Raiders to make 17 turnovers while making just 7 themselves. Even though the Penguins improved their Horizon League record to 2-2, they remain 2 games behind league-leaders, Detroit and Oakland.

C Will O’Neil scored 23 and had 8 rebounds. PG Pat White scored 12 and had 6 assists and 6 boards. PF/C Andre Lilly added oints.

“It’s nice to get a solid win at home, but now we have to get back to winning on the road,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Offense Surges
By Steve Porter

Wisconsin-Green Bay entered last night’s game with a 3-1 league record and a 7-6 season record. But 3 of those 6 losses were against teams ranked 1st, 2nd, and 5th in the nation. Three players were averaging in double figures: C Jamil Weekes 15.5 ppg, SG Romain Perry 14.9 ppg, and SF Julian Bonner 10.1 ppg while reserve C Reggie Little averaged 8.8 ppg. “Playing this team on the road is a heckuva challenge. We’re going to have to execute extremely well if we want any chance to win this game,” said Coach KD Durst.

Even though the Penguins jumped out to an 8-2 lead, C Will O’Neil was called for 2 fouls less that 2 minutes into the game. Even though the refs were calling nearly all the fouls against YSU, the Penguins shot well early and held a 24-12 lead with 11 minutes to play in the first half. YSU hit 58% of their FG attempts in the half and even though the refs send the Phoenix to the line 10 more times, the Penguins led 44-38 at the break. SF Colin Chambliss led YSU’s scoring with 12 points.

The Phoenix cut the lead to 2 early in the 2nd half, but Youngstown State responded by pulling ahead by 12 and then holding onto a double digit lead for most of the rest of the half. Wisconsin-Green Bay cut the lead to 78-72 with 1:52 remaining. But the Penguins tightened down defensively allowing them to pull away to soundly defeat the Phoenix 87-74. YSU dropped in 55% of their shots and controlled the boards 35-29. The win improved the Penguins Horizon League record to 3-2 and put them in a 3-way tie for 3rd place.

PF/C Andre Lilly scored 17, PF Lee Pauly had a double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds), SF Colin Chambliss finished with 12, and SG B.J. Dennis scored 10. For Wisconsin-Green Bay, C Jamil Weekes tossed in 23 points. 

“This was a career game for Lee Pauly. With Will O’Neil’s minutes limited due to foul problems, Andre Lilly came on strong also. The entire team pulled together when the Phoenix threatened in the early going of the 2nd half. I was really pleased by how we played tonight and happy to see us regain our footing on the road,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Throttles UIC
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State held the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames scoreless for the first 8-1/2 minutes during which the Flames went 0 for 14 from the floor and the Penguins opened a 17-0 lead. YSU went on to build a 39-17 halftime advantage. The Penguins outshot the Flames 53% to 17% and pulled down 24 rebounds to the Flames 15. PG Pat White and C Will O’Neil both scored 10 points.

YSU held onto a big lead throughout most of the half. UIC hit some late shots that made the final score of 71-59 make the game look closer than it truly was. The Penguins hit 49% of their FG attempts while UIC hit just 32% of theirs. YSU dominated the boards 43-30. 

C Will O’Neil scored 18 while pulling down 9 rebounds. PG Pat White also scored 18 and handed out 6 assists. SF Colin Chambliss added 12 points.

“We followed up a strong offensive performance in our previous game with an equally strong defensive effort tonight,” said Coach KD Durst.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Play Tough on the Road
By Steve Porter

The Penguins travelled south last night to take on Northern Kentucky with whom they were tied for 3rd place in the Horizon League. The winner of the game would rise into a 2nd place tie while the loser would drop into a tie for 4th place in the league.

After falling behind 8-3, Youngstown State tightened their defense and began grinding down the Norse. The Penguins steadily pulled away from Northern Kentucky and with 4 minutes to play in the first half YSU had built a 38-25 lead. The Norse closed the half by reducing the Penguins’ lead to 42-33. YSU outshot Northern Kentucky 52% to 36%. C Will O’Neil scored 7 for the Penguins, but SF Terrance Grace scored 13 and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Norse.

Youngstown State came out roaring in the 2nd half and opened a 53-35 lead after just 4 minutes of play and had saddled the Norse with 4 turnovers in the same period of time. The lead expanded to 20 points midway through the half. The Penguins coasted to a decisive 83-69 victory giving them a season record of 12-4 and a league record of 5-2 as they pulled a game behind league-leading Detroit. YSU turned the ball over just 7 times while they forced the Norse to make 17 turnovers.

C Will O’Neil scored 14, SF Colin Chambliss hit for 12, SG Matt Angner and SF James Asbury both scored 11, and PF Morris Phelan added 10. Northern Kentucky’s SF Terrance Grace scored 19 and had 4 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block but did turn the ball over 7 times.

“We knew the Norse like to fire up 3’s and were pretty successful doing that so we applied a tight man-to-man defense throughout the entire game. 30 of their 58 FG attempts were 3 point attempts, but our guys didn’t give them many open attempts so they only hit 33% of those shots,” said Coach KD Durst. “We were able to play our reserves a lot and it was nice to see James Asbury and Morris Phelan show what they could do with some real quality minutes.” When asked about an in-game injury to PF Lee Pauly, Durst replied, “Lee took a hard shot when a bunch of players went up for a rebound. He sustained a nasty little cut above the right eye and it bled a lot. We decided to be conservative and kept him on the bench the rest of the game. But Lee’s a tough guy. He says he’s fine and our trainers agree. If the elbow had hit his eye or nose, it might be a different case.”

B.J. Dennis said, “After our last game when we held UIC scoreless for the first 8 or 9 minutes and built a 17-0 lead, I was hoping we could do something similar. 
But I’ve never played a game where a team didn’t score for so long at the beginning. So to have anything like that happen again was just asking too much. We let Northern Kentucky put us in a hole early, but we came back and took control.”

The Penguins return home Friday for a game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, the team YSU is tied with for 2nd place in the league standings.

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State and Oakland Play Thriller 
By Steve Porter

SF Chris Chambliss scored 10 points in the first 12 minutes of the game and led the Penguins to a 30-15 lead over the visiting Oakland Golden Grizzlies. YSU was tagged with a bunch of fouls late in the half that allowed Oakland to narrow the lead at the break to 46-37. The Penguins hit 70% of their shots in the half but the Golden Grizzlies were able to score 9 more points at the foul line. SF Colin Chambliss’ 12 points led the Penguins offensively.

The Golden Grizzlies came alive in the 2nd half and with 6 minutes left in the game had cut the Penguins’ lead to 71-68. Then with 4:25 left, Oakland’s Chris Rand stole the ball and tossed an outlet pass to Dennis Gooden who jammed down a dunk to put the Golden Grizzles on top 74-73. The Penguins turned the ball over on their next possession and Oakland took advantage to gain a 3 point lead. As the Penguins seemed to wilt, the Golden Grizzlies took advantage to move ahead 79-73 with 2:45 left. YSU scored on 2 of their next 3 possessions, though, to get within 2 points at 79-77 with 1:39 remaining. Oakland made a free throw, but then Pat White drove into the key and put up a jumper that floated through the next to cut Oakland’s lead to 80-79 with 1:17 to go. Then with 31 seconds on the clock White again drove, but this time pulled up at the foul line and was fouled as he put up a shot. He sunk both free throws to put the Penguins on top 81-80. Coach Durst was apoplectic when William Swan fouled on Oakland’s following possession with 19 seconds left. But Oakland missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Swan redeemed himself by grabbing the rebound. He quickly tossed to Pat White who returned it to Swan who was intentionally fouled. Swan dropped in both shots to give YSU a 3 point edge with 15 seconds to go. YSU’s press kept Oakland from firing up a 3 pointer until there were just a few seconds remaining. The shot went off the rim and the Penguins rebounded to clinch the 83-80 win giving them sole possession of 2nd place in the Horizon League. YSU out shot Oakland 55% to 48% but went to the line 9 fewer times where the Penguins scored 8 fewer points that the Golden Grizzlies. The Penguins now have a 5-game win streak, but their next two games are on the road.

PG Pat White tossed in 17 points while SF Colin Chambliss and C Will O’Neil both scored 16 points and SG Matt Angner hit for 12. Chambliss also had 5 assist, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Chambliss and O’Neil combined to sink 15 of 19 FG attempts.

“Oakland is a darned tough team and is playing at a lot higher level than anyone anticipated at the beginning of the season. I have to admit I was pretty worried when we fell behind by 6 points with less than 3 minutes to play. But our guys really shone by outscoring Oakland 10-1 in the final minutes of the game,” said Coach KD Durst.

Pat White said, “Swanny (William Swan) didn’t mean to foul with us ahead by a point just before the end of the game. His guy momentarily lost control of the ball so Swanny thought he had a chance to get a clean steal. But the ref said he caught the guy’s arm. Swanny felt so bad that I was happy when he dove in after the missed foul shot to get the rebound. He quickly outletted it to me, and when I saw him zipping up court, I shot the ball ahead to him just beyond the midcourt line. They swarmed him trying to get a quick foul. It was great to see him go to the line and drop both shots cleanly through the net giving us that 3 point lead which held up.”

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Refuses to Fold at Cleveland State
By Steve Porter

It took 6 minutes for Cleveland State to knock down their first FG, but Youngstown State’s shooting wasn’t that much better so they only led at that point 6-1. The Penguins continued to implement a stingy defense and took a 22-9 lead with 8 minutes left in the half. The Vikings closed to within 6 points but then YSU pulled away late to post a 31-20 halftime lead. Youngstown State outshot the Vikings 39% to 32% and also held a commanding 21-11 rebounding advantage. C Will O’Neil scored 8 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in the half.

Cleveland State scored the first 10 points in the 2nd half to cut the Penguins lead to a single point with over 17 minutes to play. Will O’Neil then took charge and re-ignited YSU’s offense. With 11:16 to play, the Penguins led 47-37. Even though the Penguins shot poorly, YSU held the Vikings off from there on and won by a score of 70-59. Youngstown State held a 21-12 turnover advantage and a 34-28 rebounding advantage. The Penguins hit just 4 of 24 of their 3-point attempts. With their 6th straight win Youngstown State improved their Horizon League record to 7-2 and in doing so, tied for 1st place in the league.

C Will O’Neil had a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) plus had 1 steal and 2 blocks. SG Matt Angner scored 13 and PG Pat White had 10 points, 6 assists, 4 steals and a block.

“When the Vikings cut our lead to 1 in the 2nd half, our guys began pounding the ball inside so it was up to me put some points on the board. Luckily the ball fell through the hoop and we were able to pull away and regain a comfortable lead. Both of our games this week are on the road. We want to keep this win streak intact, so we need to get up for Valparaiso this Friday since they also have a win-streak going [3 games],” said Will O’Neil.

[PointGuard 70]

Valparaiso Zone Stymies Penguins 
By Steve Porter

In their game last night against the Valparaiso Crusaders, PG Pat White hit three 3-point shots in the first 2 minutes of play to put the Penguins on top 9-2. With the Crusaders employing a 2-3 zone, the Penguins continued to fire away from outside and went to the break with a 33-25 lead. The Penguins hit 9 of 18 from beyond the arc. They also controlled the boards 21-14 but turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 11 times while Valparaiso had only 6 turnovers. The Penguins also employed a 2-3 zone and held the Crusaders shooting to just 31%. PG Pat White popped in 15 points while SG B.J. Dennis hit for 11.

Valparaiso’s C Dan Davis scored the first 8 points of the 2nd half to tie the game at 33-33. After 4 minutes of play in the half, Valparaiso was ahead 37-33 as the Penguins self-destructed and their offense sputtered. After falling behind by 6 points, YSU regained the lead at 45-44 with 9 minutes remaining. The lead shifted back and forth over the next 6 minutes but with 3 minutes remaining the Crusaders took a 5 point lead and expanded it to 8 as the Penguins offense fell apart. Valparaiso vanquished YSU by a final score of 64-59. The Penguins poor shooting in the 2nd half lowered their FG% to 37% for the entire game and their 21 turnovers helped seal their defeat.

SG B.J. Dennis scored 16 and PG Pat White scored 15 while handing out 7 assists and making 4 blocks but he turned the ball over 11 times. C Will O’Neil grabbed 11 rebounds but scored just 3 points. C Dan Davis scored 26 points for Valparaiso and PF Derick Coffee had a double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds).

“After we played and shot well in the first half, Valparaiso’s 2-3 defense stymied us in the 2nd half. They totally shut down our inside game and when our outside shooting went south, our goose was cooked,” said Coach KD Durst. 

The loss coupled with a loss by Detroit and a win by Oakland knotted those 3 teams in a tie for 1st place with 7-3 records.

[PointGuard 70]

Durst Evaluates Penguins’ Play
By Steve Porter

Coach KD Durst responded to questions after his team’s recent loss to Valparaiso which was in 8th place in the league coming into the game against YSU. Besides the loss to Valparaiso, earlier this season the Penguins lost to last place Milwaukee. “We’ve got a good team this season, but we’ve played inconsistently in league play. It’s disconcerting that 2 of our 3 losses have been to teams in lower ranks of the Horizon League. And even in a few other games, we’ve let teams come back against us requiring us to scramble to eke out wins. We need to avoid these letdowns in our effort. By the time the League’s Tournament begins, we have to have a consistent high level of effort and effectiveness if we want to have a chance of getting back to the NCAA Tournament,” said Durst.

Durst analyzed play at each position by saying, “Pat White has played very well at PG. He’s become the team leader. Pat is tied for 12th in the nation in assists per game. William Swan, who played SG for us in prior seasons, has been White’s main back up and has done a good job but recently freshman Matt Stafford has been getting more playing time since he’s shown the ability to come in and put some quick points on the board. B.J. Dennis and Matt Angner have split time at SG. Both have had some good games and I’m comfortable starting either player. Colin Chambliss has been the starter at SF in each of his three seasons. He’s a good scorer and a very good rebounder as well as being a solid defender. James Asbury has been backing him up this season, and as he becomes more experienced, is becoming more valuable to us. When freshman Andre Lilly showed strong capabilities early this season, we began starting him at PF as well as having him also play some at C. He’s scoring well and his rebounding is improving as he gains more experience. Lee Pauly has been the primary backup at PF and while he originally was a SF, he’s shown some real strength on the boards. Will O’Neil continues to be our.top scoring threat and is now also our strongest rebounder. Freshman Morris Phelan has come off the bench to play both C and PF and is improving with each and every game. As a team our guys play tenaciously on defense, we rebound well, and we also make few turnovers in most of our games.”

When asked about weaknesses, Durst replied, “Our overall shooting is OK, but as in prior seasons, our 3-point shooting still is subpar. We have yet to develop a go-to shooter beyond the arc. Colin Chambliss has been our best outside shooter, but needs to put up more 3-point attempts. I’d also definitely like to see our FT shooting improve.”

In response to how he saw his team doing the rest of the way in league play Durst was unwilling to make a prediction, but said, “We still have to play our 4 toughest competitors [Oakland, Detroit, UIC and Wisconsin-Green Bay] and two of those games [Oakland and UIC] are on the road, so anything can happen. But to end this on a positive note: We’re the 65th best scoring team in Division 1 while we’re the 30th best defensively in points allowed per game by our opponents. Also, we’re the 18th best in rebounding, 33rd best in assists, and have the 15th fewest turnovers per game.”