Posts Tagged ‘Kendrick Perry’

Youngstown State University had learned that they had clinched a home playoff game, but wanted to roll into that contest with momentum.  Standing in the way of the Penguins to accomplish that fete were the Detroit Titans.  The Titans brought their A game and handed the Penguins a 76-74 loss to end the regular season.

In the first half, the Penguins started fast but as the game went, seemingly so did the momentum.  The Penguins had a five point lead with 15:03 left to play in the first half.  By the time the buzzer sounded to signify the end of the opening stanza, it was Detroit that held a 36-32 lead.  The Titans got 11 points out of Ray McCallum and nine more from Chase Simon.  The Penguins got a good half out of Blake Allen who had ten first-half points.  Detroit created some matchup problems in the paint for the Penguins using an extreme size advantage in the paint.

The second half saw Detroit start strong and continue dominating the inside.  The Penguins were down ten with about ten to play, then cut it to down five with five to play.  Kendrick Perry kept penetrating in the last few minutes of the game and drawing contact.  Two Perry free throws shrunk the lead to two with a minute to play, but the Penguins would get no closer.

YSU (15-15, 10-9) got 23 from Perry and DuShawn Brooks and Allen had 13 points each.  Damian Eargle had 11 points to go with seven rebounds but failed to block a shot for YSU.

Detroit (19-13, 12-7) is a very big and physical team that could make some noise in the tournament.  The Titans got 18 from Chase, 15 from McCallum and are tough to beat, as any team would be, shooting 55% from the field.

Brooks and Ashen Ward were honored as the seniors playing in their last home game before this one tipped off.  They will have another home game anyway when they host a first round tournament game on Tuesday.

When Youngstown State played Wright State the first time this season, the Raiders came away with a 63-62 thriller that the Penguins were ahead by 15 in and thought they should have won.  Furthermore, the Penguins had lost their last nine to Wright State.  The Penguins got a great game out of Kendrick Perry who collected 23 points in a 61-54 win.  The Penguins solidified their chances of a home game in the first round of the Horizon League playoffs with the triumph.

“We knew Wright State was capable”, said Perry.  “We were up 15 at their place and lost.  This time we kept our foot on the gas and stayed hungry.”

Things are very different this season.  After Damian Eargle missed the front end of a one-and-one at a crucial time late in the second half, Penguin Coach, Jerry Slocum, clapped and encouraged Eargle to put it behind him and keep battling.  The Penguins made a defensive stop and scored the next time up the court.

In the first half, the Penguins and Raiders both looked a little sluggish on offense or decent on defense, just depends on how you want to perceive it.  Neither team shot better than 40% from the floor and nobody had a lead larger than four points.  Kendrick Perry had nine points to lead the Penguins in scoring.  Damian Eargle had three blocks to build on his league-lead to go with six first-half points.  Wright State was paced by Kendall Griffin who had nine and Vance Hall contributed eight more as the Raiders took a 29-27 lead at the break.

“In the first half, quite frankly, we made some coaching errors”, said Slocum.  “We doubled the post and shouldn’t of.  Our guys were able to battle back and made some really big stops in the second half.  Our defense created offensive chances for us.”

KP (above) took over early in the second half with a couple of threes, a fast-break layup-and-one, and a steal to punctuate YSU opening the second half with a 16-5 run to open a 45-34 lead with 15:01 remaining.  A DuShawn Brooks baseline drive and a nice feed from Ashen Ward to Blake Allen pushed the lead to ten points at 49-39 with 12:18 left to play.

Wright State cut the lead to 49-42 on a tip-in with 8:03 remaining forcing Coach Slocum to burn a quick timeout to regroup.  Reggie Arceneaux hit a three to pull Wright State within four at 51-47, but Eargle hit a dunk and then a pair of free throws to give YSU a 55-47 lead with 5:41 to play.  Allen got a nice feed on a Perry steal and layed it in to put the ‘Guins back up by 10 with 5:07 left in the game.

Wright State wouldn’t go away as Arceneaux hit a pair of charity tosses with 3:37 left to cut the YSU lead to 57-53.  Perry stayed hot nailing a pair of free throws to keep YSU ahead comfortably at 61-54 with 30 seconds to play.

The Penguins improved to 15-13 and 10-7 in the Horizon League.  With that tenth league win, YSU has their highest Horizon League win total ever.  Perry looked like a player-of-the-year candidate from wire to wire in this one.  The sophomore finished the game with 23 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.  Eargle big again finishing with 8 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

The five blocked shots by Eargle set a couple of records.  His 113 on the season are a single-season record.  His 65 in Horizon League play mark a new conference record.

Coach Slocum commented on Eargle’s fete.  “Damian has had a tremendous year for us on the defensive end.  It is not something that we can coach.  It is just natural God-given ability and his timing is unreal.  Every time a game is tight, he has an ability to come up with a big block for us.”

Wright State got 13 points from Hall and another 9 from Griffin.  Probable Horizon League Newcomer-of-The -Year Julius Mays finished the contest with 7.  The Raiders dropped to 13-17 and 7-10 in the Horizon.

He can jump, he can shoot, he can dunk, and he can ball.  He’s Kendrick Perry, one of the reasons that Youngstown State’s basketball team has turned a corner this season. Perry has another gear, the ability to change his motion in mid-air, and is a very exciting and talented commodity.  The strangest thing about the sophomore guard from Florida is the fact that he remains humble.  He plays on a team with guys he considers his family.  He is the best guard in the Horizon League and is inching closer to Player of The Year possibilities with each game on a team that remains hungry.

Paneech: What steps were taken to get you here from Florida?

Perry: In high school, my coach at that time, mentioned Youngstown State.  At the time, I had my mind set on Florida or Florida State, some of the bigger schools. Throughout high school, YSU stayed with me and kept me on their radar.  Before my senior year of high school started, I went on my visit and committed before the season started.  Coach Wernicki and Coach Slocum were the two main guys that were instrumental in recruiting me.

Paneech: You are losing a couple of guys when this season is over in Ashen Ward and DuShawn Brooks.  What have you learned from them?

Perry: I have learned a lot from them.  Ash has shown great leadership both on and off the court.  First one in the gym and the last one to leave.  He does all of the talking and the little things that make us a better team.  I can take that from him.  DB gives us a good spark when we need it.  Whether it is offensive rebounds, making the right pass, or just making shots, he has been a spark in big games when we need it.  Ash is my best friend on the team.  He took me under his wing when I was recruited and made me his little brother.

Paneech: You had some losses you maybe should have won this season.  Which of those would you take back and do over if you could?

Perry: That’s a tough one.  I really can’t just pick one because there are more than one of those games where we beat ourselves.  If I had to pick one though, I would say the UIC game or the Butler game.  Every game counts as much as the next and they are losses.  The important thing is that we have grown from those games.

Paneech: Coach Slocum and the staff have my respect because of the way they work you guys.  When you are around him so much, do you get used to his style?

Perry: I don’t think it is really that hard.  It takes some time to adjust.  Nobody wants to make a mistake, but we are all human and we all make mistakes.  Coach Slocum will let you know two different ways – and if you make the same mistake again, be ready for it because he will get on you for it.  As a person, he does his best to make sure that everyone is in tune.  Some guys he talks lightly to, others he can be more aggressive with.  He knows when he does that, he is sending the message to get in tune, to be more focused and play better as a team.

Paneech: You are losing a couple of good players, and this season is not over yet, by any means.  Take a gander forward and tell me what to expect next season.

Perry: I see a lot of guys coming back and trying to get better. Shawn [Amiker] has really improved, Josh [Chojnacki] and Fletch [Fletcher Larson] have gotten better, and Mike Podolsky has probably shown the most improvement along with DJ [Cole]. Ash and DB give us a lot and we are going to need guys to step up and fill those roles. I think we have a good recruiting class coming in too.  It’s a bunch of hungry guys who want to get better.

Paneech: I will always remember last year at Akron.  You drove a crowded lane and dunked over a much bigger player.  Do you envision your finish when driving or do you create once you leave the ground?

Perry: I think it is just natural God-given ability.  I try to have the mindset to play aggressively each game.  What goes through my mind trickles its way through my whole body, so it is a mental thing.  My athleticism catches people off-guard.  If I am getting chased on a fast break, the person chasing me is thinking about getting an easy block.  Most of the time it isn’t.  I like that underdog feeling, where I can rise up and use an extra spurt of confidence to get it done.

Paneech: Big difference between Youngstown and Florida.  Besides the weather, what is different here?

Perry: The biggest thing would probably be a car, honestly.  In Florida, I have a car, whereas here, I have to rely on guys who have cars to get me places.  It seems like I am eating Taco Bell or McDonalds every day when I can’t get a ride out.  It is a different culture but it is diverse like Florida, young and old, different races.

Paneech: So you get in the car with a friend and head toward Boardman.  Where are you going to eat?

Perry: (laughs) That would depend on how much money I have in my pockets.  I have $50, we are going to the Springfield Grill or Red Lobster.  If I have $5, we are going to Burger King or McDonalds, I’m not that picky of an eater.  That $5 will get me a 20 piece chicken nuggets and extra barbecue sauce.  It’s a sacrifice (laughs), a sacrifice I gotta make.  When I came on my visit though, I had Niccolini’s, and that was really good and when I helped recruit DJ, I had Springfield Grill, so its about 50/50 on those two places.

Paneech: If not basketball, what sport would Kendrick Perry be playing?

Perry: Soccer.  Definitely.  My brother plays professionally for the Columbus Crew. Growing up, it was soccer or basketball for both of us.  He stuck with soccer, and it got him somewhere he wanted to be.  I stuck with basketball and so far, I am where I want to be.

Paneech: Does your family get to some of the games?

Perry: Yeah, they try.  They came to Samford for the opener last year.  My mother does a good job of following our games and always is able to find a feed online whether it be the Horizon League Network or the opposing teams site, she will find it. She always tells me about what she saw me do after the games, and they really do a good job staying on top of it.

Paneech:  Is this home now or are you on the first bus back to Florida when you graduate?

Perry: I have definitely made a lot of friends and connections here.  That snow though?  I can’t take that… I would rather deal with the 55 degrees in Florida over the 25 degrees here.  I could see myself being here because of all of the relationships I have made while I was here.  It’s all different though when you look at college.  You have to learn better time management.  A teacher can tell you that you have a 20 page paper due at the beginning of the semester, and you have to be on top of what you are trying to do within your classes.

Paneech: NBA.  Florida. Heat fan?

Perry: I do like the Heat.  I grew up in Orlando, so I have this love-hate thing for the Magic.  My go-to team is the Oklahoma City Thunder and Durant and Westbrook.  I like their athleticism, they are young, and they bring the energy.  They are a very dangerous team and I like watching them.  Lebron is probably the next Jordan, but I don’t think he will ever come back to Cleveland.  He can win multiple championships with his best friend Wade and the talent they have.

Paneech: If there are no sports on television, what are you watching?

Perry: I watch cartoons, I’m not gonna lie.  Not Sponge Bob and all that.  I watch the Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad.  My favorite cartoon though, is called Archer.  It’s a spy cartoon, me and my brother call each other and talk about it and joke about the lines.

Paneech: Who is a bigger team jokester, Eargle or Burkey?

Perry: (laughs) Ohhh, that’s a tough one.  I would say Damian, because it is non-stop with him.  Burkey knows how to turn it on and turn it off.  With Damian though, it’s just non-stop, 24/7, first thing in the morning until the end of the day.

One Word Answers

Favorite Color: Red.

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: Lucky Charms.

Favorite Drink After The Game: Red Gatorade.

Favorite Movie: He’s Got Game.

Song On Your ipod That Nobody Would Expect: Jill Scott, some of that soulful stuff from my mother.

Sport To Watch: Football.

Favorite Snack Food: I could go on for days…  picking one – Fruit Roll-Ups, any flavor.

Biggest Phobia: Lizards.

Worst Habit: Cracking My Knuckles.

“I will stay with the sport of basketball and I am going to keep going until I can’t play anymore.  Hopefully, the good college education I am receiving will line up the next part of my life and new career.”

If Jerry Slocum would go to Sam’s Club, he might buy as much consistency as he can find.  Slocum’s multi-talented Penguin team played one of their worst games of the season against Butler Thursday, and to their credit, played one of their best games of the season against league-leading Valparaiso.  DuShawn Brooks and Kendrick Perry spearheaded a very balanced offensive effort as the Penguins knocked off the Crusaders, 71-53.

“We played with great energy tonight”, said Coach Slocum.  “We were embarrassed after Butler but we were able to regroup.  These were two of the top teams in the league here this week and I am really proud of our character in bounce-back games.  We lose a game and then bounce back to beat Milwaukee.  We lose to Butler Thursday and bounce back to beat Valpo tonight.  I am really proud of their character.”

In the first half, YSU was coasting on offense, but the story behind a 32-20 halftime lead was the defense the Penguins played.  It doesn’t show up well on the stat sheets, but the Penguins derailed the Crusaders perimeter shooting, daring Valpo center, Richie Edwards, to shoot open threes.  Offensively, the Penguins got 14 from Brooks and 11 from Perry in the opening stanza.

In the second half, the Penguins gave up a couple of early buckets as Valpo cut the lead to seven, but YSU stabilized the defense and took a commanding 51-34 lead when Perry was fouled shooting a three for the second time in the second half.  Valpo plyed the game without their best player, Kevin Van Wijk, who probably would have made the score closer, but surely would not have been able to compensate the entire difference.

With 7:20 left in the game, the only thing left to figure out was when Jerry Slocum would unload the bench as YSU had a 55-41 lead.  The Penguins continued to dominate the action as well as dictate the pace of the game.  Perry stayed red-hot as he hit a three that pushed the lead to 59-44 with 6:11 to go.  That happened with about 2:30 left in the game.  Bench players like Chris Morgan were able to score and get a nice game-playing experience.

YSU (14-11, 9-6) got 23 points from Kendrick Perry.  The reigning Horizon League Player of The Week was 3-5 from three, 8-10 from the free throw line, had 4 rebounds and 3 assists.  DuShawn Brooks had his shooting stroke going as he deposited 20 points.

“Coach said we needed to rebound and play defense to win the game”, said Brooks.

Valpo (18-9, 11-4) got 19 from Edwards and 12 from Broekhoff, who also gathered 11 rebounds for the visiting Crusaders.  Valpo heads back to work with a home game against UIC on Tuesday.  With Butler beating Cleveland State earlier in the day and YSU knocking off the Crusaders, the Horizon League race seems to really be tightening up.

The Penguins go on the road for games against Green Bay on the 14th and the ESPN BracketBuster game against Austin Peay at a site to still be determined.

After a tough loss in Detroit, Butler needed to make a statement to turn their season around.  The Bulldogs came out barking, owning the paint, denying the perimeter, and dominating every phase of their matchup against YSU on Thursday.  The Penguins trailed by double digits most of the game, cut the Bulldog lead to four in the second half, but couldn’t get any closer, falling 68-59, to fall into a third place tie with the Bulldogs in the Horizon League standings.

In the first half, the Penguins went over thirteen minutes without scoring a field goal.  You cannot win a basketball game when you are unable to score.  Butler held a 35-25 lead at the half thanks in part to balance.  Nine Bulldogs scored at least a point in the opening session.  Leading the way was Ronald Nored with five.  Youngstown State got six points from both Kendrick Perry and Blake Allen.  However, the Penguins went only 2-9 from deep range, which they rely heavily upon.

“I thought that our defensive effort was really solid in the first half”, remarked Brad Stevens.  “We wanted to jump out there and take their three-point shooters out of the game and we did a really good job with that tonight.”

YSU Coach Jerry Slocum agreed.  “It was as bad of a first half as we have played all year.  This is the second time at home that we could not focus or play with the proper intensity.”

In the second half, YSU went down 14 early but roared back on a pair of buckets from Ashen Ward and Perry to cut the Butler lead to 40-34 with 13:28 left in the game.  Perry then ran the floor on a break and used a nice hesitation move to put in a two-pointer that saw the Penguins down only four, at 40-36 with 12:18 left.

“It was the exact same sore with the exact same amount of time last as last year’s game when we had the eight point lead”, said Butler Coach Brad Stevens.  “I coached as hard as I could to avoid any letdown like last year, and the guys responded and held the lead.”

Roosevelt Jones and Nored hit buckets to stretch the lead back to eight at around the ten minute mark.  Butler was setting up a half court offense and then going into a three-man weave ,a la the Harlem Globetrotters.  Trailing 47-40, Perry swished a three with 8:24 left in the game.  Butler just kept attacking the hoop or shooting the three with no comfortable medium.

Butler pushed the lead back to eight on a charity toss by Jones, but Perry connected quick from the other end to make it a 51-45 game. Chrishawn Hawkins nabbed a three-point play the old-fashioned way with 4:54 remaining and tacked in a two from close range and Butler looked poise to hold their lead, now ahead 59-47.  Damian Eargle (above) tried to get YSU back in the game as he was fouled while scoring, but typical of the night, he missed the free throw to leave it at 59-49 in favor of the visiting Bulldogs.

Butler got good offensive production out of Hopkins, who finished the game with 19 points.  Nored had a very good game for the Bulldogs as he finished with 8 markers, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Jackson Aldridge chipped in 14 more points.

Youngstown State got 21 from Perry, 11 from Eargle, and 10 from Ward.  The loss puts YSU at 13-11, and 8-6 in Horizon League play.  Nothing gets easier for the Penguins as Valparaiso comes to town Saturday night.

“I think Valpo is the best team in the league”, said Slocum.  “I knew we were in for a challenging week.  We played well on the road and were really focused, and that was definitely not the case tonight.”

Rewind your brain a year. Playground bully Butler came to Youngstown State to continue their dominance over a school that had a reputation for football prominence, and little basketball hardware to show off.  The Penguins trailed the Bulldogs by eight points before eventually clawing their way back to claim a dramatic and emotional 62-60 win in front of a good crowd last season.  The win was significant in many ways.

First off, it is a well-known fact that Butler did not lose another game until the NCAA Championship Game loss.   But seeded in deeper meaning, that historic win allowed Coach Jerry Slocum to be a better recruiter.  To knock on a door while recruiting with a Butler win in your briefcase usually gets you invited in.  The ramifications of that win will be louder in a couple of years when Fletcher Larson, DJ Cole, and Cale Zuiker hit stride.

Cleveland State rolled into town last Saturday and embarrassed the Penguins in front of a huge audience.  Don’t think the players and coaches have not been chomping at the bit waiting for the chance for redemption in front of a big assembly of fan support this time.  Coach Slocum said after the 20-point setback that his team was not able to handle the moment.  The moment will be just as important, and this team should bounce back.

The puzzle has been coming together since that significant Butler win.  The Penguins had zero players given any preseason accolades, the team was finished to pick in the bottom third, again, and with schools, like Butler, losing so much, it was easy to predict that these Penguins would be in the thick of things heading into the home stretch of the season.

Five Horizon League Players of The Week later, Slocum could be considered for Coach of The Year with the dramatic turnaround.  He will need a strong run to close out the season and says that every game left on the schedule will be a dogfight.

“We have a stretch of three weeks where everyone we play is really good”, said Slocum.  “we have to keep preparing and getting better.”

“Butler will come in hungry after a tough one in Detroit.  This is where the turnaround started for them last year and they will come in here fired up.”

Ironic that virtually nobody would have said at the beginning of the season that Butler needed to win this game to catch YSU with a handful of games left in the regular season.  However, that is the reality.  Five starters have been recognized for their fantastic efforts, a fete never before accomplished in Horizon League history.  It may be the confidence bump this team of Penguins need for a strong stretch run and into March.

Youngstown State sophomore Kendrick Perry (Ocoee, Fla.) has been Horizon League Player of the Week for Feb. 6, the Horizon League announced on Monday. Perry led the Penguins (13-10, 8-5 Horizon) to a 2-1 road record last week, averaging 25.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 steals per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.

This is the first player-of-the week award of Perry’s career and it marks the first time in Horizon League history and YSU history five different players from one school have earned the accolade. Earlier this season, senior DuShawn Brooks (Dec. 5), junior Damian Eargle (Jan. 2), senior Ashen Ward (Jan. 9) and junior Blake Allen (Jan. 23) all garnered the award.

Coach Jerry Slocum talked about the accomplishment of having five players from his team given the award.  “I am very happy for those guys.  It speaks well of how much they have improved and have worked very hard to get better.  They have committed to all of the hard work and they deserve what they are getting.”

Perry scored a career-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also dished out four assists and had two steals.  His 30-point effort was the first since DeAndre Mays scored 30 points against Loyola on Jan. 9, 2010. He is also the first sophomore to score at least 30 points since Mike Alcorn scored 35 against Pitt-Bradford on Feb. 24, 1992.

In the 72-68 loss at UIC, which was the Penguins third game in six days, Perry scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. He almost rallied YSU to a frantic comeback scoring eight points in 35 seconds to cut a nine-point deficit down to two.

Perry connected on 11-of-14 from the field with two 3-pointers for a game-high 28 points in an 80-63 win over Loyola. He also dished out six assists and collected a career-high seven steals against the Ramblers.  He is the first player to record at least six steals in a game since Marlon Williamson tallied six against UMKC on Dec. 21, 2002.

With 11 steals on the week, Perry set a new Youngstown State sophomore record with 56 on the year. The total is the second-best single-season mark in school history, trailing only the 64 of Marlon Williamson in 2002-03. Perry’s 2.4 spg ranks second in the Horizon League, while the point guard ranks second in scoring (15.7 ppg), third in assists (4.1 apg) and first in assist-turnover ratio (2.2).

This is quite an accomplishment for the team picked to finish seventh by the Horizon League voters.  YSU hosts Butler this Thursday with the tipoff set for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be carried on the ESPN3 internetwork.

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.

The Youngstown State men’s basketball team will visit Ohio Valley Conference member Austin Peay in the 2012 Sears BracketBusters announced on Monday evening.

The Penguins (11-9, 6-4 Horizon) and Governors (9-14, 6-4 OVC) have met 14 times while the Guins were members of the OVC, but have not faced each other since 1988.  Youngstown State owns an 8-6 advantage in the all-time series but the Governors have won the last four meetings.  YSU has not won in Clarksville, Tenn., since a 62-57 victory on Feb. 16, 1984.

The Penguins own a 4-4 record in BracketBusters games and are 1-0 against the Ohio Valley Conference, defeating Eastern Kentucky, 66-61, on Feb. 17, 2007.

Dates and times for the game will be announced at a later date, but the location is set, as well as the matchup.

The Youngstown State men’s basketball team (11-9, 6-4 Horizon League) embarks on its longest trek of the season – a seven-day, three-game road trip – when it visits Milwaukee, Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast on 570 WKBN-AM.

This is the 31st meeting between Youngstown State and Milwaukee in an all-time series that dates back to 1972. Milwaukee leads the series 24-6. The Guins snapped a four-game losing streak to the Panthers with a 68-66 win on Jan. 20 at the Beeghly Center. The last time the Penguins won in Milwaukee was a 68-65 win on Dec. 10, 2006. The last time YSU swept the season series against Milwaukee was during the 2006-07 season.

After Milwaukee, the Penguins travel to UIC for a Thursday night game.  The road trip ends on Sunday with a game at Loyola which tips off at 2 p.m.

If the Penguins are to have any shot at winning the Horizon League, they need to win at least two out of these three games as Butler and Valparaiso loom next week for a pair of big home games.