Youngstown State University had their way on Sunday afternoon with an outmanned Hiram team.  YSU (1-1) used a balanced attack and executed the way they practiced it in trurning back the Division III Terriers, 81-41 in their home opener at Beeghly Center.

After losing 83-57 at Xavier to open the season, it was Youngstown’s turn to take on the role of playground bully.  The Penguins used everyone on the roster by the end of the game, and 11 of the 12 players in the first half.

If Xavier were a circle on the left and Hiram were a circle on the right and this was a Venn Diagram, YSU would be shaded pretty equally into the first two opponents circles by being the overlapping middle circle.  Logically, YSU is somewhere right between Xavier and Hiram on the scale.

Vance Cooksey led a balanced Penguins scoring attack with 18 points and eight rebounds.  The junior guard had some good looks and was the beneficiary of some nice passing.  Redshirt freshman Eddie D’Haiti posted a double double with 12 points and ten rebounds.  DeAndre Mays knocked in ten points and had a couple of steals.

Slocum was pretty workmanlike after the game, not in a state of panic from Xavier, nor elated about the Hiram victory.  “We got a chance to play and get a good look at everybody.  We took some bad shots early, but we played well over the final nine minutes of the first half.”

The one area concern for Slocum was the three-point shooting of the Penguins who went 3-18 from long distance.  “I won’t lie to you, it is an area of concern.  I would like to shoot 14 to 16 threes a game, that is a good number for us.  We just need to knock them down and I feel we will improve.”

Eddie D’Haiti who made a couple of beautiful passes to put the exclamation point on his double-double was hard on his own performance.  “I would give myself a C.  I wasn’t too happy with my game tonight.  I could have got more rebounds.”

The Penguins host Kent State at Beeghly Center Wednesday night.  The men’s game will start after the women’s game in the first of four co-ed doubleheaders at home this year.  The Lady Penguins tip off at 5:15.