Sophomore Kendrick Perry scored a career-high 30 points and led the Youngstown State men’s basketball team to a 73-65 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday evening at U.S. Cellular Arena.  Perry, who connected on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor and made four 3-pointers, is the first player to score 30 points since DeAndre Mays scored 30 in 2010 and the first sophomore to score at least 30 points since Mike Alcorn posted 35 points in 1992.

Senior DuShawn Brooks and junior Damian Eargle each scored 14 points while senior Ashen Ward grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.  With the win, the Guins improve to 12-9 overall and 7-4 in the Horizon Leauge and move into sole possession of third place in the league standings.

The 12 wins are the most since the 14 victories in 2006-07 and the seven league victories match a team high since joining the league in 2001-02. The Penguins won seven league games in 2006-07 and in 2008-09.

The Panthers led by one, 24-23, with five minutes left in the first half, but a 3-pointer by Nate Perry, a triple by Ward, and another 3-pointer by Nate Perry sparked a 9-0 run and put the Guins up, 32-24, with 2:53 to go.  Kendrick Perry, who scored 16 of his 30 points in the second half, canned three straight free throws to put the Guins up nine, 35-26, before a Paris Gulley tip-in with one second left cut the Penguins lead to 35-27 at the half.

YSU began the second half on an 8-2 run to built its lead to 13 points, 43-30, after a layup by Fletcher Larson with 17:12 to go.  After the Panthers cut the deficit to nine, Brooks, who scored 11 points in the second half, started an 13-5 run with a 3-pointer and ended it with a layup to give the Guins an 18-point lead, 61-43, with 6:48 remaining.  Milwaukee whittled the lead down to six, 67-61, with 1:55 to go, but two free throws by Perry, a dunk and two free throws by Eargle sealed the game for the Penguins.

YSU will continue their three-game road trip against UIC, Thursday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. in Chicago, Ill.