Archive for February, 2010

Friday, The Curtis Carr Era was officially kicked into ‘go‘ mode.  Unfortunately for the Youngstown Phantoms, the opponent was the Western Conference leading Omaha Lancers.  The Lancers beat the Phantoms earlier in the week, 6-1, in Omaha.  Much had changed since that game.  Bob Mainhardt was out, Carr was in, and Troy Loney’s son was now a Phantom. 

All of the changes were not a factor as Youngstown dropped their sixth consecutive home game, 4-1.  Matt White had a pair of goals for the Lancers and Jeff Teglia turned away 24 of 25 Phantoms shots to garner the win between the pipes. 

Carr thought that Youngstown played better than they have in awhile.  “We had opportunities to win the game and that is all you can ask for.  I’m very happy with the effort of the guys and they battled until the end.”  In reality, a goal was taken away and a couple of bad breaks were the difference in a very hard-fought game.

Action was fast in the first period.  It seemed like most of the opening stanza was played between the blue lines near center ice.  Matt White, tied for the league lead in goals scored in the USHL coming in, missed a wide open net, but about three minutes later, at the 18:12 mark of the first period, White made up for it.  Erik Haula picked up the assist, his 38th of the season.  For White, it was goal 27 on the season.  At the end of one, the Lancers were ahead of the Phantoms 1-0.

Jiri Sekac appeared to tie the contest after a controversial goal chance at the 9:20 mark of the second period.  Sekac was just on the border of the goal crease and Lancer Goaltender Jeff Teglia was close to having possession of the puck when Sekac knocked it barely over the line.  The goal was not allowed after a five-minute delay and discussion as the referee, Boone Bruggman, ruled the play was dead before Sekac got the puck over the line.

Dan Senkbeil couldn’t handle a puck cleared to center with 4:56 left in the second period, and as a result White had his second goal of the game, a beautiful breakaway that beat Jordan Tibbett.  Seth Ambroz picked up the assist on White’s 28th of the season which put Omaha up 2-0.  The pair of goals by White broke a tie atop the USHL Goal Leaders with Green Bay’s Anders Lee and in all probability was enough to claim the top spot in that category.

Omaha’s Teglia opened the third period looking for his fourth shutout of the season having stymied the Phantoms to this point of the game.  With 11:42 left in the game, the former Pittsburgh Hornet, Dylan Margonari, collected his first Phantoms goal to cut the lead to 2-1, breaking up Teglia’s shutout bid.  Cody Strang got an assist on the goal.

A minute later, the Lancers reclaimed the two-goal lead and went up 3-1 when Tom Craig snuck a short drive past Tibbett off of a faceoff.  Camden Wojtala was credited with an assist.

With 6:03 left in the game, Omaha pushed their lead to 4-1 as Seth Ambroz’s wrist shot snuck in just under the crossbar.  Dakota Eveland and Greg Wolfe were given assists on the score, an even-strength tally.

The Phantoms (15-28-2) were outshot by the Lancers (31-12-3), 30-25.  The two teams will reset the scoeboard and face off again on Saturday.

Richard Yound Tilt-O-Meter:

Coming into 2-19 game vs Omaha:  149 penalty minutes (USHL leader).

After 2-19 game vs Omaha:  151 penalty minutes.

Richard Young barely played Friday night, but still managed to head to his Summer home for a couple of minutes.  Young picked up a two-minute minor for boarding in the second period.

Alex Zoldan announced on Tuesday that Coach Bob Mainhardt and the Youngstown Phantoms have parted ways.  The seperation seems to be mutual.  If the situation were an outright firing, the Phantoms surely would have selected someone other than Mainhardt’s right-hand guy for the past four years, Curt Carr, to replace him.  Further proof that Mainhardt was not hastily sent packing is the fact he will remain a consultant to the team.

“In a situation like this, you really learn who your true friends are.  I am grateful to have met so many hockey fans and to have had the opportunity to work with such a great bunch of people.  I am also thankful to the Zoldan family for allowing me the opportunity.  I would have hoped this had ended a little differently, it’s not what I envisioned”, said Mainhardt Thursday morning via telephone.

Having interviewed Mainhardt after every home game, I gained alot of respect for the way he conducted himself both on and off the ice.  There were no gimmicks or surprises, no bells and whistles, and the only mystery was what kind of entertaining quote he would furnish after a game.  I can only hope that he is well and he is to be commended for his efforts this season.

Things haven’t been right since this new decade started.  The Phantoms are 2-13-0 in the year of 2010.  No one is sure why things have gone so sour, so quickly.  Mainhardt was often quoted after a loss as saying, “There are still guys not buying into the system and doing their own things”.  Seems like Mainhardt may have grown tired of selling.

Phantoms President, Alex Zoldan, commented on the move Friday.  “I consider Bob [Mainhardt] a very good friend and I think he has a bright future in the hockey business.  Seven years with any organization is a long time and I think we needed a fresh start.  We’re still working together on some things and I have all the respect in the world for Bob.”

Curt Carr, the former Director of Player Development, has been named the new coach on an interim basis.  Carr is plenty capable and surely has mixed emotions about the opportunity.  The Phantoms have 16 games remaining on the schedule and have pretty much been eliminated from thoughts of a postseason.

Good luck to Coach Carr in his new role!  Big thanks to Bob Mainhardt for being a good guy and a person some people could learn a thing or two from about life.

Shovel snow, watch Olympics…   Shovel more snow, watch more Olympics…   Salt driveway, watch Olympics…   Eat dinner while watching Olympics…  Watch Olympics.

The best part about the upcoming Winter Olympic Games from Vancouver is that they are constantly going to be on television.  I am not a curling fan, but I watch it during the Olympics.  It is a great event to promote a little national spirit.  Root for the home team, and watch the Olympics.

Here are some stories from other great sites…

Sports Untapped has the dirt on Tim Lincecum’s new contract.

 Josh Q Public has a nice piece on Nate Robinson, the little green dunk machine.

7th Inning Stache has a Frank Thomas tribute video that was too hot for Canada as the Big Hurt has announced formally he is retired.

 No Guts, No Glory has eight burning questions for NBA All-Star Weekend.

Global Sports Fraternity presents Tony Dorsett hosting Masterpiece Theatre.

 

Youngstown State University had a choice to make going into their contest with Valparaiso.  They could either sulk after a loss to Butler or they could respond positively for hanging with the #15 team in the country.  The Penguins chose to respond positively and played hard but lost 77-75 to Valpo.  The Crusaders have owned the Penguins and have not lost to a Youngstown team since 2000.

The loss left Coach Jerry Slocum searching for answers.  “I thought it was a great basketball game and that our kids played well.  You’re not going to have 16 turnovers and win basketball games.  The hurtful thing about it is that I thought our kids played hard this week.  They gave all they had against Butler and again tonight.  It hurts me as a coach to see that kind of effort and to come up empty.”

Early on, it was the Vytas Sulskis show.  Sulskis was 3-4 from three-point land and had 11 points in the first ten minutes.  The 6’7″ Lithuanian put YSU ahead of Valpo 19-12 with 7:33 left in the first half.  The 12 points for the Crusaders had to be disturbing as they were leading the conference in scoring with almost 73 points per game.

Brandon Wood nailed a three to give Valpo a 23-19 lead as the Penguins went cold after their blazing start.  A Sulskis jumper just inside the foul line and a DeAndre Mays bucket tied the game at 23-23 with 3:15 remaining in the half.  Cory Johnson tied things back up at 27 apiece when he hit a layup and was fouled.

At the half, Youngstown State trailed Valpo 30-28. Sulskis had 13 first-half points for the Penguins, but was hampered with three fouls which may have cut in on his minutes.  Valpo was paced by Brandon Wood’s 12 points.

With 15:35 left in the second half, the Crusaders got a basket from Cory Johnson and YSU answered when Eddie D’Haiti ran the lane and delivered a crowd-pleasing two-handed dunk. Valpo held a 42-40 lead when Ashen Ward hit a two from just inside the arc to vault YSU into a tie. The Penguins would take the lead, 44-42, at the 13:21 mark when D’Haiti first kept a possession alive with an offensive rebound and then hit a pair of free throws, the first two attempted by the Penguins in the contest.

Mays hit a baseline jumper with 9:32 left to give YSU a 53-51 lead. However, on YSU’s next possession, Mays was swatted by Matt Kenney who took the ball three-quarters of the court for a layup. At the 7:37 mark, Valpo held a one-point lead at 56-55.

Wood put Valpo up 62-57 with a three.  Valpo, to this point, was shooting a blistering 9-15 from three-point land.  Kelvin Bright tied the game with his second dunk of the game.  With 4:45 left both teams had 62 points.

Sulskis was in a different zone on this night, he topped his season-high with 24 points and tied his yearly high with nine rebounds.  Matt Kenney had a dunk with 35 seconds left in the game to give Valpo a 73-72 lead.  Kenney was then intentionally fouled and hit both charity tosses to put Valpo up 75-72.

Mays was fouled on YSU’s next trip up the court and he hit one of two to cut the Crusader margin to just two points at 75-73.  Kenney was fouled on the rebound of Mays missed free throw where he promptly connected on both attempts making it a two-possession game at 77-73.

Bright was fouled with five seconds left and hit both his his free throws to cut the lead to two points at 77-75.  After a quick foul, YSU grabbed a rebound but Sulskis had to heave a half-court prayer that didn’t get close and Valpo held on for an exciting 77-75 win.

Valparaiso (14-14, 9-7) got 22 points from Brandon Wood.  Youngstown State (8-17, 2-13) got 24 from Sulskis and DeAndre Mays had a career high with ten assists.

Valpo Coach Homer Drew was full of praise to Youngstown State after the game.  “Jerry [Slocum] has these kids playing hard.  We knew they were going to play hard against us.  I was also proud of our guys to hang in there.  What a game, we’re up, they’re up, we’re up.  Not having any turnovers in the second half and hitting 10 of 18 threes were the difference.  Credit Youngstown, they have been in alot of games and it comes down to one shot here or there either way.”

YSU next heads to Milwaukee for a Monday 7:00 game.  Catch the action on AM-570 with Robb Schmidt bringing the call.

Sirlester Martin was the glue of the Youngstown State Basketball Team last season.  This year he has help, a team full of guys still trying to win games.  With the upcoming BracketBusters game on Fenruary 20th, nobody has to remind Martin that if this team can catch fire and play a stretch of complete games, that the sky is still the limit.  Martin stands at 6’7″ and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and has been the most consistent rebounder the Penguins have had through the last couple of seasons.  I recently sat down with Martin and discussed everything from Coach Slocum being on Survivor to X-Box to academic standing.

Paneech:  What is it going to take for you guys to make some noise in your conference tournament?

Martin:  We have to be tough and stay disciplined on defense.  We have to box out and do all of the small things all the time. 

Paneech:  You recently had a game on ESPNU.  People came out of the woodwork to see.  How much of that do you guys really take in?

Martin:  Well, what we do when we go into any game is not focus on the fans.  We just try to motivate each other and keep one another going.  The bench has to have life, everyone has to stand up and be clapping.  We use the extra energy from the bench to keep our guys going.  We don’t focus on the stands or who is watching us. 

Paneech:  So when there is a packed house chanting “De-Fense“, you can’t hear it?

Martin:  I mean, you can hear it, but you kind of block it out because you are focused. 

Paneech:  Comment on Coach Slocum.  He is an emotional guy.  Could you see him on a reality show like Survivor?

Martin:  Coach Slocum is a real interesting guy.  I have played for many coaches and he [Slocum] definitely has his own way of doing things.  He does have alot of passion for the game, but I think we all do.  As far as seeing him in another role, he thinks he is pretty funny.  I could see him doing some stand-up comedy or something like that.  Maybe doing a radio show where he can open up.

Paneech:  How did you get to Youngstown State, and what other options were available to you?

Martin:  I came out of Walters State Community College in East Tennessee.  I played two years there.  My freshman year, I played pretty well and in my sophomore season, we went to the nationals and finished the season 32-3.  Coach Mike [Wernicki] came up and seen me.  I was recruited but had a problem with some hours that Summer that I had to get finished.  Some schools would not wait around, but Youngstown State stood behind me and waited on me. 

Paneech:  How has the education been at Youngstown State?

Martin:  It has gone pretty well.  I asked around when I got here about different things to do as far as declaring my major.  I took general studies for the first couple of years.  I am leaning towards social work when I graduate.  I would like to work with juveniles and help straighten their lives out.  I came from an atmosphere that was tough, so I feel I can relate to what they are going through.  The classes at Youngstown State are challenging, and I love this school.

Paneech:  Do you watch any other sports, or just basketball?

Martin:  I used to watch alot of football, I was a wide receiver in high school.  Mostly though, I watch the Cavs.  They might be able to make a run, but it’s gonna be tough without Delonte [West] and Mo [Williams].  Shaq could turn out to be ok for them, but anything can happen.

Paneech:  Walk me through a day from start to finish.

Martin:  I wake up, go to my 8 o’clock class,  then I come here [Beeghly Center] and head up to the coaches office.  I do some studying or watch some film until my next class starts at ten.  Usually, I will come back to Beeghly, work out, and get to take some shots before practice.  Go through practice, shower, and then head home.  Depending on the day or the way I feel, I will stay and get more work done and then go home.  Once I get home, eat something, and then just watch some TV or play a video game.  After that, I relax and talk on the phone.  I usually call it a day around 11:30.

One Word Answers:

Favorite Fast Food:  McDonalds.

Favorite Drink:  Snapple Juice.

Biggest Phobia: Snakes.

Worst Habit:  Procrastinating.

Favorite Video Game:  Street Fighter and UFC

Best Show On TV:  The Game and Rayjay.

Best Movie Ever Made:  Waist Deep.

Favorite Cereal:  Lucky Charms.

Favorite Candy:  Gummy Bears.

Favorite Toy As A Child:  My wrestling men.  Hulk Hogan, Sting.

Best Class Taken at YSU:  Psychology.

 

Youngstown State University had to play with nothing left to lose.  After all, the Penguins dropped the first meeting 91-61 on January 16 and wanted to pick up some steam heading into Bracketbusters on Feb. 20.  Surely a win, or at least a good showing against #15 Butler shoud help compile confidence.

Half of the battle was won, as the Penguins made a respectable showing against the powerful Bulldogs ultimately falling 68-57.  Butler (22-4, 15-0) clinched the Horizon League Championship with the win and is very capable of advancing a few rounds in the NCAA Tournament come March. 

With 12:44 left in the first half, Butler raced out to a 16-8 lead, but Ashen Ward gathered in a long deflection and hit a cutting DeAndre Mays for a pair to cut the early Bulldog lead to six points. 

The Penguins cut the lead to one point at the 8:05 mark on a Kelvin Bright three-pointer.  Youngstown State was playing a great game defensively in the early going.  With Butler ahead 18-17, Mays nailed a three to give YSU their first lead of the game.  Vytas Sulskis hit another to put YSU up 23-18 as the large Beeghly Center crowd got loud.

The Penguins extended their lead to seven with 4:17 left in the first half when Mays hit a layup for his twelfth point of the half.  It was the first half that no one would have expected and the lead grew to eight.  Unfortunately for Youngstown State, things started unraveling and Butler used a blast of offense to take a halftime lead and had an 11-2 run to put themselves a point in front of Youngstown State at 31-30.

Butler took advantage of shoddy YSU ball control to start the second half.  Over the first seven minutes, the Penguins turned the ball over five times.  Coach Jerry Slocum commented on the poor second half start.  “We had five turnovers in our first six possessions in the second half.  This game was lost during those first seven minutes of the second half.  You can’t keep a good team like that down too long when you have that many empty possessions.  Another turning point in the game was when [Matt] Howard got his fourth foul and they want one big and four small, we did not match up well at that point.”

Butler was paced by Gordon Hayward (pictured) who finished the contest with 22 points and 17 rebounds, more than half of his team total of 31.  The 6’9″ Sophomore Guard was 8-9 from the free throw line and played a very well-rounded 36 minutes.  Zach Hahn seemed to keep the Penguins at bay down the stretch as his eight points all came at crucial times.

Butler Coach Brad Stevens was happy to escape with the win.  “This time of the year you just try to take a win, get better, and move on.  The guards and players for YSU scare every coach in this conference because when they get it going, they are really hard to stop.  They played a great game and it is a big road win for us.”

Butler heads to Cleveland State next for a Saturday matchup where they have had fits.  Youngstown State (8-16, 2-12) hosts Valparaiso Saturday night.

Growing up a New Orleans Saints fan sucked.  Since I was ten years old, in 1977, I have rooted for New Orleans.  Living halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and geographically nowhere near Louisiana always made my explanation of rooting for this team even harder.  As new Super Bowl and NFL Champions, the Saints have helped remove the weight of 33 years of torture in a three-hour span.

As a youngster, I heard it all.  New Orleans merchandise was tough to come by in Ohio.  There was no NFLShop.com in 1977 and merchandise was hard to find.  With each Christmas, I was asked what I wanted.  I selected the obvious stuff:  Atari, Microvision, Bike, and every year, I would ask for a Saints shirt.  I got the obvious stuff, but never got a Saints shirt until 1981.  It was a #38 George Rogers home replica and I wore it until the paint fell off.

I heard all of the mularkey at school.  Everything from, “Tom Dempsey cheated, he used a nine-iron“, to “Hey Paneech, they are 0-3 already, get out your bag”.  It got old and never went away.  If a schoolmate wanted to unnerve me all they had to do was fire up the Saints jokes.

In college, more of the same.  Remember, the Steelers were just coming off of a dynasty and the Browns and Bernie Kosar were winning division championships, so I was getting slagged both ways.  By the time I graduated college, I owned a Bobby Hebert and a Rickey Jackson shirt.  It was really heartwarming to see Rickey get into the Hall of Fame as I still feel he may be the most unheralded linebacker to ever play the game.  Wanna credit someone for ‘Who Dat?”, I’ll give you a hint.  Long before Ochocinco, Jackson wore a towel tucked into the side of his pants with a little stick figure drawing on it. Dig up the tapes, the crowd was screaming Who Dat a long time ago in the Superdome.  ‘Dat’s Who.’

Things seemed to get better as Hebert and four great linebackers knocked the unbeatable Rams out in 2001.  However, other than hosting a few Super Bowls, the Saints would be a disappointment through the playoffs when they made it.  Again, the bag was back, the insults were flying, and I still stood by my team.

Just a couple of years ago, the Saints played well enough to get to the NFC Championship game, but ran into a buzzsaw in Chicago.  Dome teams do not play well in the snow.  Lesson learned, but enough respect garnered to keep the bag in that top right drawer.

As I watched the Saints win the Super Bowl, all I could think of was how to destroy my ‘Aint’s’ bag.  I dreamt of everything from setting up a lawn chair in my garage and flicking matches into the driveway until I hit the bag causing it to burn.  I thought of treating it like a pet and giving it proper burial in the backyard.  I even thought of giving it to my cousin who is a Browns fan, he needs it these days.  What I ultimately chose was to keep the bag, now over 30 years old, as a reminder of how things go in cycles through our lives.

If you are a fan of a sports team that has struggled for awhile, hang in there, things will eventually change.  It is way too easy to become a Yankees fan or to hop on the Kobe Bryant train.  This way is much more satisfying. 

The Youngstown Phantoms went into their crucial matchup with Waterloo in an unfamiliar place, last. For the first time all season, the Phantoms were in the basement, trailing Team USA by two points. The Phantoms are 1-10-0 in 2010 and if they lost one or even both games to Waterloo, the postseason could be very hard to reach.  The time was perfect to make a push.

Waterloo was in playoff position before this one started and did nothing to hurt their standing. The Black Hawks earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory to send the reeling Phantoms to their sixth consecutive loss.

The Phantoms and Black Hawks skated a scoreless first period. Waterloo took ten shots against Jordan Tibbett and Youngstown had nine stopped by CJ Motte.  The play was physical as both teams were hitting hard.

In the second period, Taylor Holstrom put the Phantoms in front 1-0 with his eleventh of the season.  The goal came at the 9:43 mark as Holstrom connected at even-strength.

Tyler Barnes picked up an unassisted powerplay goal that tied the contest.  For Barnes, it was goal number 20 on the year.  The Phantoms had just finished wiping out a two-man Black Hawks advantage and yielded the goal down one skater.

With 9:57 left in the game, Derek Arnold slid a shot through the crease and into the twine past Tibbett whose momentum was taking him away from the direction the puck was headed.  Brock Montpetit made the cross-crease pass and was awarded an assist on the beautiful feed that gave Waterloo a 2-1 lead.

Arnold got an empty netter, officially his second of the game, with 30 seconds left in the game to close the scoring with Waterloo ahead 3-1.  The Phantoms took 33 shots as compared to Waterloo’s 31.

Richard Young Tilt-O-Meter:

Into Waterloo 2/5 Game: 126 Penalty Minutes (USHL Leader).

After 2/5 Waterloo Game: 130 Penalty Minutes.

Young had a couple of games he missed due to injury.  He pretty much was not allowed to fight against Team USA 17 & Under and had not played many minutes in recent contests.  Young snagged a two-minute minor for elbowing in the second.  In the third period, Young got another minor for a delay of game penalty.  Four minutes, modest night.

When an outsider meets a guy like Curtis Carr, they usually scratch their head and wonder what exactly he does for the Youngstown Phantoms.  His official title in the media guide is Associate Coach / Director of Player Development.  To actually talk with him about his role with the team unveils so much more about what it is that prompts this blog to say that Carr is underpaid.

For as open and forthright as Bob Mainhardt is, you would think he would pick someone with the verbage to alleviate his public headaches.  Coach Carr is the first to admit that he is not a talker, especially to the public sector.  Yet, to have a conversation with Carr was surprisingly refreshing and not at all what I expected.  He hides his intelligence and his emotions but came off as very articulate and passionate about hockey.

Paneech:  As the Director of Player Development for a team in a developmental league, what exactly do you do?

Carr: I help out with the scouting in the offseason. As far as the guys that are here, I work with them before and after practice on their individual skills. I also monitor their off time as far as weight training, dealing with the kids that are in school as far as their academics, and keep track of their transcripts to send to recruiting colleges.  I also maintain profiles for the players for pro scouts.  I also review videotape with the team and players individually so they can pinpoint the things they need to work on.

Paneech:  What is the best thing so far about this year as well as the worst thing.

Carr: The best thing about this year is being in this league [USHL].  It’s been pretty impressive to work with kids at this talent level.  We have a great bunch of guys in our locker room that want to make something of themselves and they really work hard.  The most negative thing about this year is the current losing streak that we are on, but I think we are close to getting it turned around.

Paneech:  Being a married man, how does this all play out with the wife at home?

Carr:  I’m really fortunate, my wife met me when I was already doing this so she knew what she was getting into.  She is a teacher and very passionate about her job so she understands my passion for this.  When I go home, I try my hardest to shut this off and focus on my life away from hockey.  Usually, I will come home three nights a week and concentrate on the things I should at home.  I go to dinners and the movies, you know, just things to let her know that I care about her.

Paneech:  Talk about your one-game suspension.

Carr:  It was my first penalty as a coach. We were in Waterloo and the refs made a couple of questionable calls late in the game that I disagreed with.  I let my opinion be known after the game and got penalized for it.

Paneech: I know Coach Mainhardt wears his heart on his sleeve.  You seem much more reserved, how is the chemistry between the two of you?

Carr: I’ve worked with Bob [Mainhardt] for four years and consider him a very good friend.  We do have alot of the same opinions and similar feelings on things, but you are right he does wear his heart on his sleeve and can be a little more animated than I am.  He is very emotional and uses that to get the players going.  I hide in the back and take a couple of deep breaths before I speak, and I just say things in a different matter.  Good cop, bad cop would be a good way to put it.

Whatever the method, and regardless of the record, Carr and Mainhardt make a very strong tandem that will hopefully anchor this franchise for years to come.

Matt Gajtka, the Director of Media Relations for the Phantoms also speaks highly of Coach Carr.  “Curt is a very quiet guy until you get to know him.  Once you break through that exterior, you meet a quality individual who is genuine and concerned with the players in all phases of their lives, as well as hockey.  He does a great job on helping them as they try to get to the next level.”

It would be unfair to use every old adage in the book to describe how close the YSU Women were to their first victory.  Unfortunately for the Lady Penguins, the last couple of possessions were catastrophic and Loyola (11-10, 5-5) escaped Youngstown with a 63-59 triumph in a competitive game that went down to the wire.

Loyola, sky-high, after upsetting nationally ranked Green Bay in their last game ran into a buzzsaw they did not expect, Youngstown State.  The Lady Penguins have had a rough go of it this season battling injuries and carrying the unfortunate banner as the only Division-I program without a win.  However, YSU looked like anything but a winless and shorthanded team as they gave Loyola everything they could handle.

The YSU Penguins had an 11-10 lead with 11:04 to play in the first half.  Kenya Middlebrooks got fouled after she picked the pocket of Loyola’s Shannon Finnegan.  The resulting bucket was a nice power move by Brandi Brown.  At the 7:17 mark, the Lady Penguins found themselves down 16-15 when Finnegan converted a fastbreak.

Macey Nortey connected from just inside the arc to cut the Ramblers lead to 33-28 at the half.  The Penguins had fallen behind by ten, but rallied before the intermission buzzard.  Brown, Rachael Manuel and Boki Dimitrov combined to score 21 of YSU’s 28 points.  For Loyola, Monica Albano threw in ten first-half points.  YSU shot 70% from the free throw line in the half compared to Loyola’s 20%, yet Loyola held the lead.

Youngstown State was playing like a hungry team.  With 13:58 left in the game, the Loyola lead which was as high as seven in the second half was trimmed to just two.  Manuel was having perhaps her best all-around game.  Her pair of free throws tied the contest at 42.

Over the next five minutes, Loyola took an eight point lead and YSU came back to trail only by two at 53-51 with 6:58 left in the game.  Nortey had a game-tying bucket at the 6:36 mark and YSU was striving for that elusive first victory.  Elyse Vanbogaert hit a couple of shots to give Loyola some breathing space with 4:15 left in the game giving her Ramblers a 59-56 advantage.

YSU tied the game at 59 with 1:40 left in the game when Brandi Brown scored underneath.  With 31 seconds left, Vanbogaert connected for her game-high 18th points off of an offensive rebound putting Loyola back on top, 61-59.  After a YSU timeout, the Penguins inbounded but could not get off a good shot.  YSU was held scoreless over the last 2:32 of the game. 

Middlebrooks fouled with 5.5 seconds left in the game to put Maggie McCloskey on the line for a one-and-one.  She hit both shots to make it a two-possession lead for the Ramblers.

Rachael Manuel (pictured) finished the game with a double-double for the Penguins.  The Senior from Illinois ended the game with twelve points and ten rebounds in her best all-around effort of the season.  “The game went well tonight, I thought the flow on our team felt good.  Despite the loss, it was a good situation to be in and we will use it as a building block for our game on Saturday [vs UIC]”.  Brandi Brown also picked up another double-double for Youngstown State.

After the game, Coach Martin showered her team with praise.   “This is much easier to deal with than being blown out by 30.  Anytime you can execute in a tight game when you have not been in a tight game all year shows that the ladies had poise and confidence and they executed to a tee.  I am extremely proud that they kept their composure.”  Kudos to the entire staff to prepare an 0-20 team to come out and fight the way they did.