The Town Crier

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Drop Another Road Game
By Kevin Porter

The Milwaukee Panthers, last night’s opponent for the Youngstown State Penguins, came into the game with the best record of any Horizon League team. They sported wins against Oklahoma State, Rhode Island, Miami (OH), and Tulane. And they had a spotless record at home. Four of their starters were averaging in double figures. Prior to the game Coach KD Durst said, “We’re going to have to play extremely well to have a chance against the Panthers.”

With Jamal Grady and Kevin Anderson dominating inside, the Penguins forged ahead by 10 midway through the first half, but the Panthers stormed back to take a 41-37 halftime lead. Grady picked up 12 first half points and Anderson was right behind with 9.

A combination of poor shooting, sloppy play, and horrendous defense in the 2nd half let Milwaukee run away with the game and give the Penguins an 82-63 drubbing.

C Jamal Grady finished the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Reserve C/PF Kevin Anderson scored 11. Milwaukee’s SF Jason Minahan scored 20 points.

“We came out flat in the 2nd half and could never recover,” admitted Coach KD Durst. “After playing so well the first 14 minutes of the game, we lost our momentum and the Panthers made us pay. We’re a better team than how we played tonight. We’re going to work on rebuilding the confidence with which we were playing earlier this season.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins’ Fortunes Rebound
By Steve Porter

In the first half, the Penguins put on a clinic in which the entire team systematically took apart the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix. Hitting 55% of their shots, making just 4 turnovers while forcing the Phoenix to commit 10, and gaining a 19-14 rebounding advantage, YSU slowly but relentlessly ground apart Wisconsin-Green Bay to pull away to a 44-26 halftime lead. The team scored 30 points in the paint with C Jamal Grady picking up 12 points and PF Aaron Tice adding 10. 

Youngstown State continued their dominance in the 2nd half, expanding their lead to 29 points before settling for an 85-59 pounding of the Phoenix. YSU outshot Wisconsin-Green Bay 50% to 40%, held a 34-30 rebounding advantage, a 20-7 turnover advantage, and scored 40 points in the paint compared to just 12 by the Phoenix.

C Jamal Grady led the offensive onslaught with 19 points but SF Colin Chambliss scored 16, PF Aaron Tice hit for 14 plus pulled down 9 boards, SG William Swan came off the bench to score 10, and PG Levall Hart dished out 8 assists. SG Romain Perry had a double-double for the Phoenix with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

“This was a great team effort and we got strong contributions from not only our starters but our bench,” said Coach KD Durst. “Hopefully we can use tonight’s effort as a springboard to playing consistently from here on out.”

The Penguins now have a 2-2 Horizon League record and are one game behind 3 teams that are tied for the league lead.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Recruiting Status
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State is continuing to search for the third and last recruit to fill scholarships that will come available next season. 

Steve Simmons, YSU’s 1st assistant coach whose primary responsibility is recruiting, confirmed this when he said, “We’re continuing to make contact with a strong list of recruits although we are trying ton conserve our limited remaining budget so we can be aggressive this spring to fill the last scholarship. We are pleased that we have two strong high school seniors who have committed to our program. But both still need to get qualifying SAT scores. We’re focusing primarily on guards right now, but still have some good big men on our list as well. Since early December we’ve even opened our sites on a couple international players. We don’t have the funds to take overt actions with these guys, so yeah we’re doing it on the cheap. But our conversations with them have been positive so we at least have a shot at possibly landing one of them. To my knowledge this is the first time Youngstown State has recruited internationally.”

[PointGuard 70]

Are Penguins Awakening From Their Slumber?
By Steve Porter 

Even though Northern Kentucky has had an up-and-down season thus far, they came into last night’s game with an 8-5 record and were coming off an inspirational 74-72 overtime victory that knocked Cleveland State out of first place in the Horizon League. C Troy Fingelton was scoring 17.9 ppg and SF Jared McDaniel had a 13.3 ppg average. PF Chris Correa was averaging 9.5 ppg but was hitting 72% of his FG attempts. Youngstown State had lost both of its Horizon League road games, so the unanswered question was “can the Penguins win on the road?”

The first half was close early, but then the Penguins tightened their defense and steadily pulled away to take a 43-26 lead to the locker room. Northern Kentucky hit just 35% of their shots and had 13 turnovers in the half while the Penguins knocked down 53% of their FG attempts and turned the ball over just 6 times. C Jamal Grady scored 12 to lead the Penguins offensively, but reserve SG William Swan again was on fire with 10 points in 10 minutes of play.

The Norse cut the lead to 10 points early in the 2nd half, but the Penguins then went on a tear to open a 59-35 lead with 12-1/2 minutes to play. YSU then put on an offensive clinic to trample the Norse 93-62. The Penguins sunk 65% of their FG attempts and 50% of their 3’s. They out-rebounded Northern Kentucky 29-24 and held a 19-12 turnover advantage. YSU scored 40 points in the paint.

C Jamal Grady scored 24 to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocks. SG William Swan popped in 17 points. SF Colin Chambliss scored 12 and pulled down 7 boards. PF Aaron Tice hit for 10 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. The Penguins held C Troy Fingleton to 11 points.

The Penguins are now 3-2 in the Horizon League placing them into a tie for 3rd place a game behind Milwaukee and UIC.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Again Display Potent Offense
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State led from the outset against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first half. At one point the Penguins held a 16 point lead. But Oakland shot well late in the half to cut the Penguins halftime advantage to 45-37. C Jamal Grady scored 11 points to lead YSU.

The Penguins offense continued to click in the 2nd half and their lead grew to as much as 24 points. Hitting 56% of their FG attempts and 53% of their 3’s, YSU cruised to a 98-76 shellacking of Oakland.

C Jamal Grady dropped in 24 points, SF Colin Chambliss hit for 18, reserve SG William Swan scored 14, SG B.J. Dennis notched 12 points, and reserve C/SF Kent Jones added 10.

Their third straight offensive onslaught improved Youngstown State’s Horizon League record to 4-2 and lifted them into a 4-way tie for first place in the league standings.

The success of the Penguins this week was highlighted by C Jamal Grady being selected Horizon League Player of the Week and SF Colin Chambliss again being named as the Horizon League Freshman Player of the Week.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Eke Out Road Win
By Steve Porter

In a game that would break the tie for first place in the Horizon League, UIC scored the first 6 points in the game. But the Penguins fought back and took a 10-8 lead with 14 minutes left in the half. YSU held onto a small lead thereafter. But late in the half, the Penguins went on a 10-0 run to go ahead 37-21 with 1:11 remaining in the half. UIC hit late some 3’s and came back to cut YSU’s lead to 41-29 at the break. C Jamal Grady’s 10 points led the Penguins scoring.

UIC chipped away at the lead in the 2nd half and edged ahead of the Penguins 57-56 with 9-1/2 minutes to play. The lead then continually seesawed back and forth. With 43 seconds left, the game was tied at 74-74. Jamal Grady fouled out with 34 seconds on the clock and UIC made one of two shots to put them on top 75-74. The Penguins missed two shots on their next possession, but PF Aaron Tice successfully put back the 2nd miss and YSU went back on top with 10 seconds to go. The Penguins pressed and while UIC got the ball over midcourt, they were left with a long last-second 3 in desperation that clanked off the rim. The Penguins escaped with a 76-75 victory that gave them a 5-2 league record and put them in sole possession of 1st place in the Horizon League.

C Jamal Grady scored 16 together with 6 rebounds and 4 steals. SG William Swan again propped up the Penguins coming off the bench to score 14 and grab 7 boards. SF Colin Chambliss added 10 points. For the UIC Flames, C Dan Davis scored 20 points.

Coach KD Durst said, “UIC has a very good team so we were fortunate to be able to pull off this win on the road against them. Our bench was a big component of our win by scoring 35 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Put It All Together
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State came out with guns blazing and rapidly pulled away from the Cleveland State Vikings. By the time the buzzer sounded ending the first half, the Penguins had hit 54% of their shots while holding the Vikings shooting to just 23% and had out-rebounded Cleveland State 26-11. That resulted in a lopsided 48-18 lead for the Penguins. PF Aaron Tice and C Jamal Grady both had scored 10 points.

YSU relaxed their defense in the 2nd half but held onto their lead to batter the Vikings by a score of 88-59. The Penguins held a 46-23 rebounding advantage and out-shot the Vikings 56% to 33%. The win was YSU’s 5th straight bringing their league-leading record to 6-2 and their season record to 11-6. Their RPI is now 60th best in the nation.

PF Aaron Tice hit for 18 points plus pulled down 9 rebounds. C Jamal Grady and reserve C/PF Kevin Anderson both scored 14 points and reserve SG William Swan dropped in 12 points. 

“We were on fire throughout the entire game tonight,” said Coach KD Durst. “And our defense in the first half was outstanding.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Continue to Roll
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State travelled to take on Wright State last night. The game was close between the Penguins and Raiders throughout most of the first half with 10 lead changes and 7 ties, but Youngstown State’s defense tightened in the late in the half. The Penguins then quickly opened a solid double digit lead and left the court at the intermission with a 51-37 lead over Wright State. Even though C Jamal Grady got into foul trouble early and played just 8 minutes in the half, he led the scoring for the Penguins with 10 points. SG B.J. Dennis added 9 points and dished out 5 assists in the half. 

Youngstown State held the Raiders at arms’ length in the 2nd half and maintained a solid double-digit lead until the waning moments of the game when Wright State hit a series of last gasp 3’s. The Penguins still were never seriously threatened and came away with a comfortable 84-76 victory. Youngstown State outshot Wright State 54% to 41% and controlled the boards 37-27. The Penguins now have a six game win streak, a 7-2 league record and a 12-6 overall record, and they remain in sole possession of 1st place in the Horizon League, one game ahead of Oakland.

C Jamal Grady dropped in 19 points and pulled down 8 rebounds while playing just 17 minutes. SG B.J. Dennis scored 13 and SF Colin Chambliss added 10 points and 8 boards.

Coach KD Durst said, “Overall we played solidly, but we uncharacteristically committed 18 turnovers. Again our bench played extremely well and we needed that tonight since Jamal fouled out and Aaron Tice was in foul trouble throughout the game. Our strong and deep bench also allows us to keep fresh legs on the floor and wear down the opposition.”

[PointGuard 70]

Revenge is Sweet
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State lost their league opener 75-67 when then travelled to take on the Detroit Titans, so the team was focused on gaining some revenge last night. “We really want to win this game,” said PG Levall Hart before the game. “The Titans (now 3-6 in the league) went into a tailspin after beating us, but they’re still a dangerous team possessing a 10-8 overall record that has three guys averaging in double figures. So we’re definitely taking them seriously.”

With a big crowd filling Beeghly Center, YSU forced Detroit to make 4 early turnovers and YSU’s PF Aaron Tice and C Jamal Grady scored the first 10 points of the game. It took 4 minutes and 41 seconds before Detroit was able to score. The Penguins rolled on throughout the half with a potent offense (hitting 69% of their shots), a staunch defense that held Detroit’s shooting to 33% and forced 12 turnovers by the Titans, and control of the boards (15-8). The half ended with Youngstown State in possession of a commanding 45-23 lead. C Jamal Grady dropped in 16 points in the half.

With the game’s outcome pretty much ensured, the 2nd half was an exhibition of ugly basketball with YSU seemingly content to hold onto a 20 point lead throughout the half. The crowd went home happy though with the Penguins winning by a final score of 79-59. 

C Jamal Grady played an outstanding game, scoring 28 points and grabbing 9 boards while holding Detroit’s talented C William Rogers to just 12 points. PF Aaron Tice also picked off 9 rebounds while scoring 8 points. Reserve C Kevin Anderson scored 10 points in 12 minutes of play. 

Youngstown State is now 8-2 in Horizon League play and expanded their league lead to 2 games over three teams that are tied for 2nd place. The team’s RPI is now 45th best in the nation.

Coach KD Durst said, “After losing our initial game to Detroit, our guys came out with a score to settle and played an exceptionally strong half of basketball. We lost our intensity in the second half, but still I’m happy with how we played overall. It’s not easy winning 7 straight games in league play, but our guys have really come together as a team.”

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins’ Two Recruits Qualify
By Steve Porter

Both recruits who have committed to accepting scholarships to play basketball for Coach KD Durst next season have qualified academically. Although neither SF James Asbury nor C Will O’Neill have stellar academic records at their high schools both got high enough SAT scores to meet YSU’s standards. For O’Neill it was extremely close since his 840 SAT’s were at the minimum acceptable for Youngstown State. 

First Assistant Coach Steve Simmons said, “We’re relieved that both guys qualified. We’ll probably be using some tutoring early on for both to get them off on the right foot academically when they arrive on campus. We now have to focus in on lassoing the final recruit to fill our remaining scholarship that will open the end of this season.”

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Blasts Valparaiso
By Steve Porter

Valparaiso took a 12-5 lead early in the half but at the 14:52 mark of the first half, the Penguins gained their first lead at 15-14 when SF Colin Chambliss hit a baseline jumper. With 8 minutes left in the half, YSU’s lead had expanded to 33-18. The Crusaders then began hitting their shots and cut the Penguins’ halftime lead to 44-35. Youngstown State hit 55% of their shots and had only 3 turnovers in the first half. Leading the scoring for the Penguins was C Jamal Grady with 9 points.

The Penguins controlled the game in the 2nd half and came away with a 92-6nd 9 dusting of Valparaiso. YSU hit 56% of their FG attempts including 50% of their 3’s and held a 16-8 turnover advantage. 

Top scorer for the Penguins was SF Colin Chambliss with 17 points to go along with his 9 rebounds. SG William Swan and PG Levall Hart both scored 14 and C Jamal Grady contributed 13 points.

By winning their 8th straight game, Youngstown State improved their season record to 14-6 and their league-leading record to 9-2 and now are 3 games ahead of 3 teams that are tied for 2nd place in the Horizon League.

[PointGuard 70]

March of the Penguins Continues
By Steve Porter


William Swan drills shot

Youngstown State sprinted to an 18-6 lead over the Milwaukee Panthers in the first 6 minutes of the game. The Penguins’ lead ballooned to 24 points during the first half. The half ended with YSU on top 46-27. Youngstown State held a 22-15 rebounding advantage and a 12-1 turnover advantage in the half and scored 30 points in the paint. PF Aaron Tice poured in 16 points.

YSU continued their dominance in the 2nd half, finishing the game by controlling the boards 43-28, making just 7 turnovers compared to Milwaukee’s 15, and scoring 46 points in the paint. That allowed the Penguins to post an 88-63 pasting of the Panthers. Youngstown State is now 10-2 in the Horizon League and owns a 9 game win streak. Over the span of those 9 games, Youngstown State has averaged 86 ppg compared to their opponents’ 69 ppg. For the entire season the Penguins are averaging 79 ppg whereas their opponents are averaging 71 ppg.

PF Aaron Tice scored 22 and pulled down 8 boards. C Jamal Grady had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and also dished out 5 assists and had 3 steals. 

SF Colin Chambliss was named the Horizon League’s Freshman Player of the Week. In the Penguins two games this week, Chambliss scored 25 points, pulled down 18 rebounds, and had 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

[PointGuard 70]

Heat Proves Extreme In Green Bay
By Steve Porter

February in Green Bay is supposed to be brutal. But when the Youngstown State basketball team arrived yesterday, the thermometer was setting all time record HIGHS instead of LOWS, confusing the Penguins and making them wonder if they’d flown south instead of north.

Still apparently in a daze, the Penguins started the game slowly with the lead shifting back and forth during the first 10 minutes. But then YSU opened a 10 point lead, only to surrender that in the final moments of the half which ended in a 36-36 tie. C Jamal Grady scored 11 points to lead the Penguins offensively.

With the temperature inside Philips Arena he Phoenix scored the first 9 points of the 2nd half. Wisconsin-Green Bay continued to sink every shot they took and led by 16 with 14 minutes to play. The Penguins made a run to cut the lead to 9 with 4 minutes to go, but could get no closer and fell by a final score of 81-70. The Penguins were outshot 57% to 46% and lost the battle of the boards 32-21. Wisconsin-Green Bay had 6 players scoring in double figures.

C Jamal Grady hit for 17 points and SF Colin Chambliss scored 12. 

The loss broke YSU’s 9 game win streak. The Penguins now lead 2nd place Cleveland State by 2 games.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Alarm Clock Goes Off In 2nd Half
By Steve Porter

Northern Kentucky came out hitting their shots from all over the court. Throughout a good portion of the first half, they knocked down 80% of their FG attempts and built an 11 point lead. The Penguins made a comeback late in the half but still trailed 45-40 at the break. YSU hit 54% of their shots in the half, but the Norse finished the half by sinking 64% of theirs. PG Aaron Tice led the Penguins with 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Four minutes into the 2nd half, Youngstown State tied the Norse at 48-48 when SG B.J. Dennis picked off a pass and pushed it forward to a driving Aaron Tice who threw down a jam which brought the home town crowd to their feet. With 11:30 remaining, the Penguins took the lead with Jamal Grady sunk two free throws to make it 54-52. Thereafter YSU gradually pulled away to win 77-65. 

C Jamal Grady scored 19 points even though he was in foul trouble most of the game and eventually fouled out. PF Aaron Tice had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. SF Colin Chambliss scored 10 points plus has 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a block. Reserve C Kevin Anderson scored 9 points during his 11 minutes on the court.

“Fortunately our defense came to life in the 2nd half,” said Coach KD Durst. “After letting Northern Kentucky nearly score at will in the first half, we held them to just 20 points in the 2nd half by holding their shooting to under 30% throughout the final 20 minutes.”

[PointGuard 70]

Road Work Blocks Youngstown State
By Steve Porter

In last night’s game at Rochester Hills, Michigan, Oakland and Youngstown State combined to hit the first 7 field goals attempted in the game. But YSU coach KD Durst was upset early when Jamal Grady picked up two personal fouls in the first 3 minutes of play. The Penguins then fell behind the Golden Grizzlies 16-10 with 12 minutes left in the first half. But Durst’s team fought back and when reserve C Kent Jones was fouled on a 14-foot jumper that he sunk and converted the 3-point play by dropping in his charity shot, the Penguins went on top 23-22 with 7:57 on the clock. Oakland then went on a rampage to pull away to a 43-28 lead when the buzzer sounded ending the first half. Oakland hit 60% of their shots and outplayed the Penguins in all aspects of the game. PF Aaron Tice scored 7 points for Youngstown State.

The Penguins struggled mightily to cut into the Golden Grizzlies’ lead in the 2nd half. With 8 minutes left in the game, they lead was down to 3 points as C Jamal Grady and reserve SG William Swan led YSU’s offensive effort. But then a series of turnovers stymied the Penguins’ efforts. But the Penguins persevered and cut Oaklands lead to 64-62 with 4 minutes to go. Oakland struck back to increase their lead and prevent YSU from making a last minute charge. Youngstown State went down to a 72-68 road loss that dropped their Horizon League record to 11-4, but they retained a 2 game lead over the two teams, Milwaukee and Cleveland State, that art tied for 2nd place.
 

SG William Swan dropped in 15 points while C Jamal Grady and PF Aaron Tice both scored 14.

“We uncharacteristically made 19 turnovers,” said Coach KD Durst. “But I’ll take the blame for this loss. I sat Jamal Grady for the last 17 minutes of the first half after he got into early foul trouble. That put us in a big hole. I was way too conservative and should have gotten him back on the court in the first half. He played his heart out in the 2nd half and never did get called for another foul. William Swan continues to impress as he hones his skills and becomes more confident in game situations. He’s now strongly competing for the starting SG spot.”

Late breaking news: Following the game, Jamal Grady slipped in the shower and will be evaluated to determine if he suffered a mild concussion. If he did he will miss 1-2 games as a precautionary measure.

[PointGuard 70]

A Swan Leads Penguins
By Steve Porter

Jamal Grady started in last night’s game against the UIC Flames. Grady said, “After our last game I was hurrying out of the shower and just slipped. Dumb thing to do. I hit my head but tests proved there was no concussion. So even though Coach Durst held me out of practice, I was cleared to play and avoided missing a game. The guys have been ripping me, saying there was nothing inside my head to concuss. Gotta slow down more in the showers now, though. I’m really glad to be able to play tonight, because Illinois-Chicago gave us everything we could handle when we played them in their gym earlier this season. “ (That game was a thriller with the Penguins edging the Flames 76-65.}

But the Penguins did introduce a new starter. Sophomore SG William Swan started his first game for Youngstown State. Swan was ecstatic saying, “I spent most of my freshman year pulling splinters out of my butt from riding the bench so much. So this season has been a lot more fun. And finally getting to start is a real rush. Not only parents are here, but a bunch of my relatives and friends have come to the game. I hope I can make them proud, but I need to keep my emotions in check and play within my capabilities to avoid making mistakes.”

Swan hit a 3 early in the game, but UIC’s SF Dan Nielsen nailed his first 3 shots beyond the arc to spearhead the Flames to a 15-7 lead after just 5 minutes of play. With 5:45 remaining in the first half, reserve Kevin Anderson sank two free throws to give the Penguins their first lead of the game at 27-25. YSU poured it on the remainder of the half and finished the first stanza on top 48-39. PG Linehan Murphy scored 12 and SG William Swan had 8 to lead the Penguins offensively.

Swan and C Jamal Grady scored the first 7 points of the 2nd half to put YSU ahead 56-39 with 19 minutes to play. The Penguins maintained a healthy lead throughout the 2nd half, maximizing at 21 points. UIC cut into that lead in the final stages of the game, but Youngstown State still won by a solid margin, 96-87. While both teams hit over 50% of their FG attempts, YSU dominated the boards 36-23 and held a 14-10 turnover advantage.

Leading the scoring for the Penguins were C Jamal Grady with 21, SG William Swan with 19, PG Linehan Murphy with 17, and PF Aaron Tice with 10. Tice also had 11 rebounds to record a double-double. For UIC, SF DeWy Nielsen scored 21 and hit 6 of 8 three-point shots.

Coach KD Durst was pleased with how the team-play exhibited by his team. Of first-time starter William Swan, Coach Durst said, “Not only did he score 19 points but he dished out 9 assists, knocked down 3 of his 4 three-point shots, and had 3 blocks. Of course with all the tickets he was corralling for his family and friends, he had to have had the biggest one-man cheering squad of anyone on our team all season.”

The win assured the Penguins (17-8, 12-4) of finishing the season next week with at least a tie for 1st place in league play.

[PointGuard 70]

Bracket-Buster Turns Into Defense-Buster
By Steve Porter

On Bracket Buster Sunday, Youngstown State (17-8) hosted the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (15-10), winners of 9 of their last 10 games. 

The Penguins broke out to a 13-2 lead in the first 3 minutes, but again C Jamal Grady was charged with 2 quick fouls. While UL-Lafayette then began scoring, YSU’s offense remained in overdrive throughout the first half and they came away with a 54-43 halftime lead by hitting 60% of their FG attempts. PF Aaron Tice led the Penguins’ scoring with 11 points.

The Ragin’ Cajuns came out of the locker room as if on a mission. They quickly cut the Penguins lead and with 13 minutes left in the game UL-Lafayette took a 64-62 lead. With the defenses for both teams non-existent, both teams seemingly scored at will. But in the late stages of the game, Youngstown State went on a run to pull ahead 93-84 with 2:24 remaining. The Penguins then gamely held on to score a 101-93 win. The Penguins hit 57% of their shots while UL-Lafayette knocked down 55% of theirs. The biggest difference in the game was that YSU held a 37-23 advantage on the boards.

Seven Youngstown State players scored in double figures: C Jamal Grady-16 (plus he pulled down 11 rebounds); SF Colin Chambliss-14 (to go along with 7 assists and 7 rebounds); PF Aaron Tice-13; SG B.J. Dennis-13; C Kevin Anderson-12; PG Linehan Murphy-11; and C/PF Kent Jones-10. For the Ragin’ Cajuns, Reggie Oliver scored 23, Marcus Worrell hit for 21, and William Hyle added 20.

[PointGuard 70]

Long Road Ends for Penguins
By Steve Porter

It was a season with many road games. In their final road game of the season, the Penguins took on the Cleveland State Vikings last night. Neither team was able to draw away in the first half. But Youngstown State was able to carve out a marrow 42-38 halftime lead. C Jamal Grady led the way with 13 points.

With 14 minutes left in the 2nd half, the Penguins had expanded their lead to 56-44. From that point, YSU held onto a double-digit lead and finished with an 82-70 victory on the road that sealed the Horizon League championship. The win improved the Penguins season record to 19-8 and league record to 13-4.

C Jamal Grady dropped in 21 points. Teammates SG William Swan, PG Linehan Murphy, and SF Colin Chambliss scored 15, 13, and 11 points respectively.

[PointGuard 70]

Penguins Finish At Top Edge of Horizon
By Steve Porter

In their final regular season game, Youngstown State gradually pulled away from the visiting Wright State Raiders throughout the first half. When the buzzer sounded ending the first half, the Penguins held a commanding 51-32 lead. YSU outshot Wright State 67% to 39%. The top scorer for the Penguins was C Jamal Grady with 9 points.

The Penguins continued their dominance in the 2nd half, expanding their lead continuously. They delivered an 88-53 pounding of the Raiders. With the win, Youngstown State finished their regular season with an overall 20-8 record and atop the Horizon League with a 14-4 league record. Their RPI is now 30th best in the nation.

Leading the Penguins offensively was C Jamal Grady with 19 points. SF Colin Chambliss tossed in 15 points and pulled down 8 boards. C Kent Jones scored 12 points off the bench. PF Aaron Tice had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League--2019-2020 Season Final Standings:

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Tournament Play Begins
By Steve Porter

Last night the bottom four teams in the Horizon League standings battled to advance in the league tournament. Valparaiso won the opportunity to take on Milwaukee tonight and Wisconsin-Green Bay moved on to be tonight’s opponent for the Youngstown State Penguins. Here's a recap of both games:

#10 Valparaiso Crusaders (7-20, 4-14) vs #7 UIC Flames (15-13, 8-10): Although UIC held a small lead in the early stages of the 1st half, Valparaiso came back to finish the half on top 36-24. The Crusaders completely dominated the Flames in the 2nd half. Valparaiso upset UIC, winning easily 75-59. SG Andrew Calloway scored 16 for Valparaiso. PG Bret Maloney led the Flames with 13 points.

#9 Northern Kentucky Norse (13-15, 7-11) vs #8 Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (11-16, 8-10): Northern Kentucky built a 20 point lead in the first half, but at the half, led by just a 38-30 score. Wisconsin-Green Bay turned things completely around in the 2nd half, racing past the Norse to open a 16 point lead. The Phoenix then cruised to a 73-64 win. SF Marloe Dunleavy and PG Valter Morris shared scoring honors for the Phoenix with 16 points apiece. For Northern Kentucky C Troy Fingelton scored 18 points.

Between games I was able to interview Coach KD Durst. 

Congratulations on finishing atop the Horizon League, Coach. At the beginning of the season would you have predicted your team would do so well?

Durst: To be honest I figured we’d be in the hunt in the Horizon League. But I was pleasantly surprised how our team coalesced. And more importantly, it was good to find out not only would our starting lineup be strong, but our bench would be the asset it has become. I can confidently insert anyone expecting that they will positively contribute. We were fortunate not to have any serious injuries but when players had to miss games, we had others who could ably fill in so we never had any weak spots in our lineup.

What’s your expectations regarding the league tournament?

Durst: I expect tough games. In past years we’ve seen teams from the bottom of the standings come up with big upsets and successfully move through the tournament. So we know we have to prepare for each and every foe we are able to play. There can be no let down. But that makes the tournament exciting and unpredictable. 

You had a set starting lineup nearly the entire season but then started William Swan instead of B.J. Dennis at SG the final four games. Which of those players will be starting tomorrow night?

Durst: Those two are so evenly matched that I could start either one and get a good performance. But I think we will stick with Swan, at least for tomorrow night, with B.J. coming in to make an impact. Both play well so it’s always fun to see which one will have the biggest game each and every time we play.

I don’t want to be negative, but should you not win this tournament, do you feel your team will get into the NCAA Tournament based not only on your overall record, but on your win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Bracket Buster Sunday?

Durst: Simple answer--No! We have to win the who enchilada to get to the Big Dance. That means we have to play our asses off against each opponent we go up against

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinals
By Steve Porter

Eight teams took the floor for the Horizon League Tournament yesterday, all with hopes of winning the entire tournament so they can move on to the NCAA Tournament. Those hopes and further Horizon League play this season ended for the four losing teams. 

#5 Detroit Titans (17-11, 9-9) vs #4 Cleveland State Vikings (13-14, 9-9): These teams split their two regular season games. There were 10 lead changes and 5 ties in the first half with the Vikings eking out a 42-40 lead at the break. Cleveland State came out on fire in the 2nd half and built a 22 point lead. Detroit struggled to get back into the game and made a significant dent in the lead, but the gap was just too large to completely erase. Cleveland State came away with an 83-76 victory by outshooting the Titans 49% to 42%. SG Joey Lloyd led the Vikings’ scoring with 18 points while the Titans were led by C William Rogers 14 points and 9 rebounds.

#6 Oakland Golden Grizzlies (13-15, 9-9) vs #3 Wright State Raiders (15-12, 10-8): Each of these teams won on their home court against the other. Oakland took control early in the game and by the half led 44-30. Wright State made a couple runs in the 2nd half. But the Golden Grizzlies never relinquished the lead and won 81-74. Oakland’s SG Jimmy Salvi and Wright State’s PG James Herrick each scored 22 points.

#10 Valparaiso Crusaders (8-20, 4-14) vs #2 Milwaukee Panthers (20-10, 12-6): Milwaukee beat Valparaiso in both of their regular season games. Milwaukee scored first and then used a devastating defense to put the Crusaders in a 38-20 hole at the half. Valparaiso got going offensively in the 2nd half and steadily chipped away at the lead. But the Panthers relied on C Jon Finger who scored 23 points and PF Albert Jolly’s 13 rebounds to score a 69-60 win over the Crusaders. Top scorer for Valparaiso was PG Jack Roy who finished with 17 points.

#8 Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (12-16, 8-10) vs #1 Youngstown State Penguins (20-8, 14-4): During the regular season, the Penguins beat the Phoenix by 14 and then lost to them by 11. The Phoenix’ C Pete Richmond scored 40 points in the two games against the Penguins. 

The first half was an all-out battle. Youngstown State maintained a small lead throughout most of the half but could never pull away even though they outshot the Phoenix 54% to 39%. At the break, the Penguins held a 40-34 advantage with reserve big men Kent Jones and Kevin Anderson both scoring 8 points. 

YSU went on a 12-0 run in the first 2-1/2 minutes of the 2nd half to lead by 18. From there it was a romp in the park for the Penguins as they kept extending their lead. When the game ended the score read: Youngstown State-83, Wisconsin-Green Bay-58. YSU dominated all aspects of the game including shooting (52% to 39%), rebounding (37-28), turnover (17-11), blocks (7-4), steals (9-2), assists (18-8), points in the paint (36-22), 2nd chance points (11-4), and fast break points (12-2).

Leading the Penguins were C Jamal Grady with 15 points and 13 rebounds, C Kevin Anderson with 12 points, PF Aaron Tice with 11 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds, and SF Colin Chambliss with 11 points. For Wisconsin-Green Bay, Pete Richmond scored 18 points (8 of those on free throws).

After the game, Coach KD Durst said, “Frankly I was a little worried going into this game since the Phoenix are a good team. They gave us a tussle in the first half, but then our guys just dug deep and took over the game in the 2nd half. But now it’s time to begin focusing on Cleveland State.”

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Tournament Semifinals
By Steve Porter

#6 Oakland Golden Grizzlies (14-15, 9-9) vs #2 Milwaukee Panthers (21-10, 12-6): When playing on their home courts, goth of these teams were victorious against the other. Oakland jumped out on top and opened a 12 point lead midway through the first half, but the Panthers chipped away at the lead and by the end of the half, trailed by just a 38-37 score. The Golden Grizzlies held onto a small lead through the first portion of the 2nd half, but then Milwaukee evened things up. The lead shifted back and forth a couple times, but with 41 seconds to go the Golden Grizzlies led by a single point. Oakland had possession and tried to work the clock down but an errant pass gave the ball to Milwaukee with 13 seconds remaining. The Panthers quickly got the ball in the forecourt and after two quick passes, Ivan Walters put up an 18 foot jumper that went through the hoop to give Milwaukee a thrilling 73-72 victory. C Jon Finger dropped in 24 points for Milwaukee. PF Art Capel and SG Jimmy Salvi both scored 17 for Oakland. 

#4 Cleveland State Vikings (14-14, 9-9) vs #1 Youngstown State Penguins (21-8, 14-4): Youngstown State beat the Vikings both times they played this season. Cleveland State jumped out to a small lead in last night's tournament game, but the Penguins overtook them and looked like they might pull away midway through the first half. But each time YSU looked like they might get a big lead the Vikings reeled them back in and kept the game close. The half ended with the Penguins on top 34-28. PG Linehan Murphy led YSU’s scoring with 10 points. 

The refs got all four of the Penguins big men in foul trouble early in the 2nd half causing Coach Durst to ride the refs but trying to avoid getting a technical. Defenses for both teams continued to dominate and the game remained close. With 9:21 to play and the Penguins ahead 46-38 a power outage left the arena bathed in just emergency lighting for 5 minutes. When play resumed, the refs finally called a couple fouls against the Vikings. YSU converted 3 of the 4 shots to take their first double-digit lead at 49-38. The Penguins continued to clamp down defensively which prevented the Vikings from cutting into their lead. Youngstown State came away with a 61-50 win. While the Penguins hit just 40% of their FG attempts, they held Cleveland State to 35% and only 3 of 24 from 3-point distance. YSU also controlled the boards (35-26) and forced the Vikings to make 17 turnovers.

PG Linehan Murphy popped in 17 points and SG William Swan scored 12. Top scorer for Cleveland State was PF Rodney Earl who finished with 14 points. PG Levall Hart sustained a strained knee in the opening moments of the game and will miss the next game.

“This was a tough game for us,” said Coach Durst. “The Vikings prevented us from scoring much inside which is where we typically do most of our damage. Fortunately our starting guards were able to put some points on the board.”

[PointGuard 70]

Horizon League Championship
By Steve Porter

A large contingent of Youngstown State fans made their way to Detroit to watch their beloved Penguins take on the Milwaukee Panthers in last night’s championship game. Both teams came into the game with 22 wins thus far this season. Both had scored lopsided victories on their own floors when playing the other team this season. The Penguins had the difficult chore of stopping two dynamic scorers, C Jon Finger and SF Jason Minahan. Both players had had break out games this season and Finger had scored 47 points in the first two games the Panthers played in this tournament.

#2 Milwaukee Panthers (22-10, 12-6) vs #1 Youngstown State Penguins (22-8, 14-4): The Penguins came out tight, making 4 turnovers and fouling 4 times in the first 4 minutes of play. Milwaukee kept the Penguins playing on their heels and held onto the lead throughout the half. YSU narrowed the gap as the half ended to 32-30. The Penguins only hit 39% of their FG attempts in the half. SG B.J. Dennis and PG Tim Lostetter both had 6 points.

The Penguins battled to catch up in the 2nd half but the Panthers held them off. SF Colin Chambliss twisted his ankle and had to sit out several minutes. But with 4:37 remaining William Swan drove in for an easy layup after stealing a pass to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 56-55. Then with 2:58 to go, Linehan Murphy drove into the lane and layed it in to put the Penguins on top 57-56. YSU then forced a back court turnover and Jamal Grady muscled up a shot that dropped through to give the Penguins a 3 point lead. Milwaukee missed on their next possession. Murphy brought the ball up court, passed to Grady who fired it inside to Aaron Tice who was fouled as he tried to score. Tice made one of two shots. Milwaukee scored quickly to cut YSU’s lead to 60-58 with 1:58 remaining. On the Penguins’ next possession, Grady slid underneath and scored to up the lead to 4 at the 1:47 mark. Great defense then forced Milwaukee to attempt a long 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire. The shot missed and the Penguins brought the ball up court and worked the ball around to take time off the clock. Milwaukee was forced to foul with 57 seconds remaining. Linehan Murphy sunk both free throws to make it 64-58. Then Milwuakee and Youngstown State exchanged 3’s so the Penguins lead remained at 6 with 38 seconds to go. Both teams then turned the ball over and Milwaukee scored on a breakaway to cut the lead to 4 with 14 seconds on the clock. The Panthers again fouled and Murphy dropped 2 more shots through the silks. The Penguins full court press again force the Panthers to travel in the backcourt and Youngstown State won the Horizon League Championship 69-63.

C Jamal Grady scored 14 points and yanked down 8 boards. PG Tim Lostetter scored 10 points off the bench. For Milwaukee PG Corley George scored 13 points. The Penguins’ defense held Jason Minehan and Jon Finger to 9 and 8 points respectively.

“We won this one with defense and grit against an excellent Milwaukee team,” an excited Coach Durst said after the game. “We really had a tough time catching up to them but once we did we poured on the coal. Our guys just wouldn’t give up and didn’t want to be denied a trip to the Big Dance.”

[PointGuard 70]

Youngstown State Penguins Player and Team Statistics for the 2019-2020 Season

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