Posts Tagged ‘Vytas Sulskis’

Detroit had about three centers, YSU had one (Dan Boudler), and sometimes Damian Eargle who is more of a power forward.  As a result of a serious problem with height, rebounds, especially on the offensive end would be scarce.  The Penguins overcame the size disadvantage but were their own worst enemy at the free throw line again finishing the game 6-14 from stripe as they dropped another close one, this time to Detroit, 73-69.

In the first half, Detroit raced out to a 10-point lead just over five minutes into the game.  YSU would keep cutting into that lead only to see Detroit extend the lead back to at least seven a couple of times.  By the time the buzzard sounded, Detroit held a 41-40 lead.  Eli Holman paced the Titans with nine points and nine rebounds.  Chase Simon and Chris Blake had ten each in the opening half for the visiting Titans.  YSU got 12 points from Blake Allen and eight more from Kendrick Perry.

In the second half, YSU came out smoking and nabbed a 48-43 lead with 15:49 to go.  Vytas Sulskis led the charge for the Penguins with a couple of buckets.  Blake hit a layup to give Detroit back the lead on an 8-0 run at 49-48 with 14:31 left.  Blake Allen gave YSU a one point lead, the eighth lead change in the game, to put the Penguins ahead 58-57 with 11:15 remaining in the contest.  Chris Blake popped his career high (16 points) with 9:27 remaining for Detroit, putting the Titans ahead, 61-58.

YSU was struggling at the free throw line.  With 8:23 left in the game, the Penguins were an awful 3-10 from the charity stripe, points they need to beat the bigger Titans.  Detroit would battle over the next five minutes to maintain the lead and at the 3:56 mark, the Titans still held a 66-64 lead thanks in part to the Penguins lousy free throw shooting and some equally lousy officiating.  YSU had three very questionable calls go against them over he span of two minutes, and the 3,000 + in attendance really let them know.

Trailing 67-64 with 3:09 left in the game, Tre Brewer took a good shot that hit every part of the inside of the rim, but did not go.  Perry then hit a pair of free throws to cut Detroit’s lead to 68-66.  Perry’s second three of the game came with 18.4 seconds remaining and cut Detroit’s lead to one point at 70-69. Nick Minnerath was fouled to shoot a pair of free throws with 15.5 seconds to go and he made the second to make it 71-69.  Perry tried to hoist a three, but was unsuccessful.  YSU fouled Blake and the rest is academic.

YSU was lead by Allen and Sulskis with 15 points each.  The Penguins dropped to 7-12 on the season, and 1-7 in the league.  With the exception of Butler and Valpo, YSU has been in every league game until the end.  Having seen each Horizon League team with the completion of this game, no one will be writing off YSU as an easy win in the second half.

Detroit got 20 points from Chris Blake, his career-high.  Simon also contributed 14 points for the Titans.  With the win, Detroit improved to 11-10 and 5-4 in the Horizon.

Youngstown State goes West to Illinois for games against UIC and Loyola this week.

After the game, Coach Slocum talked about the woes that hamper his squad.  “We just aren’t good enough yet to win those close games.  It is very disappointing to work so hard all of the time and not reap the reward of winning.  This was a very tough match up for us because of the size difference, but I thought we did a great job battling and working hard.”

In a must-win game for both teams, Youngstown State needed a win to prove that it belonged in a conference.  Wright State, coming off of a 69-63 win over Butler, needed a win to prove superior in the same conference.  When it was over,  YSU (7-11, 1-7) was winning for a majority of the game, at times by as many as ten, but the team competing for a championship came out on top on this night, 66-62.

“We turned the ball over and we didn’t make shots”, was pretty much all Coach Jerry Slocum had to say after this game.

The Penguins came out fired up scoring the first five points.  Wright State would answer and take a 6-5 lead.  The rest of the opening half was nip-and-tuck and the Penguins forged ahead for a 28-24 halftime lead.  Ashen Ward hit a couple of threes and a couple of twos for ten first half points to lead YSU.  Wright State got eight from N’Gai Evans and seven from Vaughn Duggins.

In the first half, Damian Eargle blocked a shot to become the second player in Youngstown State history to record 50 blocks or more in a single season.  Eargle finished the game with xx points and xx blocked shots.  Eargle joins Ricky Tunstill in the blocked shots hierarchy at YSU.

The beginning of the second half looked like the start of the first half.  YSU opened up with a 5-0 run to open a 33-24 lead.  Wright State took a timeout and then unleashed AJ Pacher.  Pacher hit a couple of threes to keep Wright State close.  At the 13:23 mark of the second half, the Raiders pulled within one at 41-40 until Vytas Sulskis nailed a three to make it 44-40.  Devonte Maymon then tacked on another three to make it 47-40 with 11:32 remaining.

Sulskis commented on the disappointment of this loss afterwards.  “We didn’t finish.  Four points over the final six minutes is ridiculous and we know we are better than that.”

YSU pushed the lead all the way to nine points with 8:15 left in the game at 53-44.  Every time Wright State would score a bucket or two, YSU was able to respond.  Tre Brewer had previously scored six points in three separate games, hit his ninth point, a free throw, to help the Penguins to a ten point lead at 58-48, biggest lead for either team in the game.  Wright State would chop that lead in half, and with 5:39 left in the game, YSU was ahead 58-53.

The Penguins lead was carved to just one point at 60-59 with just under three minutes left in the game.  Sulskis hit a runner down the lane to increase the advantage to three points.  Troy Tabler kissed one off of the glass to give Wright State their first lead of the second half at 63-62 with 1:11 left.  Eargle missed both free throw attempts after being fouled to keep the Raiders in front.  The Penguins then had a couple of wild looks that they could not convert.  A pair of Tabler free throws put Wright State up three, 65-62 with just 26.2 seconds remaining.

Youngstown State got a good all-around effort from Ward.  The junior from Cleveland finished this game with 12 points and battled for six rebounds.  Eargle played a great defensive game and increased his Horizon League lead in the blocked shot category with six swats and Devonte Maymon chipped in twelve more.

Wright State got 10 points from Evans, and another 10 from Duggins.  Pacher finished the game with three successful long-distance rainbows.

Youngstown State University seems to play well but come up just a bit short when playing quality opponents.  The Penguins did well at North Carolina State, and more recently, at Butler.  Cleveland State brought their 15-3 record to Youngstown, and the Penguins would once again play the underdog and take swings at Goliath.  Norris Cole again torched the Penguins, this time for 21 points, and guided the Vikings to a 61-51 win.

The first half was defense-oriented.  Neither team shot real well as YSU only shot 21% (6-28) and Cleveland State shot 28%.  Both teams committed 11 turnovers and neither team shot more than five free throws.  The Vikings held a 21-14 lead at intermission, which was their biggest lead of the half.  Jeremy Montgomery and Norris Cole, a couple of guys who seem like they have been playing at Cleveland State since 1997, had seven points each.  Youngstown State got seven points and five rebounds from Damian Eargle, who played well at both ends of the court.

Once the action resumed, both offenses showed signs of life.  With Cleveland State ahead 27-15, Youngstown State went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to five points with 15:57 to go in the game.  Cleveland State’s Trevon Harmon and YSU’s Vytas Sulskis then took turns scoring for a few minutes.

Cleveland State then went on a 14-0 run to open their lead to 46-29.  The Penguins got a three from Devonte Maymon to end the run with 11:46 left in the game, but still trailed 46-32.  Maymon hit another three with 8:56 left in the game to cut the score to 46-37, but Cleveland State regain their bearings and full-court pressure was causing Youngstown State to commit a few turnovers in the last ten minutes.

Eargle hit a bucket and got fouled with 4:50 left in the game to but could not convert the charity toss, keeping YSU down by an even ten points.  Norris Cole threw the Vikings on his back hitting a couple of game-defining shots to keep YSU safely at an arms length.  A weak reach foul on Sulskis with 1:56 left in the game sent him to the bench for the night.  Sulskis finished with nine points.

With the loss, YSU dropped to 7-10 and 1-6 in the Horizon League.  Cleveland State improved to 16-3 with the win and may be peeking into the Top-25 soon.

Cleveland State got 21 from Cole and 12 from Montgomery.  Youngstown State was paced by Eargle who finished the game with 20 points and 8 rebounds.  Maymon also chipped in with 9.

After the game, Coach Slocum pointed out the major difference in the loss.  “We shot 54% in the second half, they shot 37% in the second half, and we lost by ten.  The free throw shooting tells the tale.  If we can’t make free throws, we can’t win the game.  In the second half we really executed well, but we still need to make free throws, they were the difference.”

One of the new buttons Coach Jerry Slocum has to press this year is named Blake Allen.  The Blake Allen button is versatile in the sense that it can start, come off the bench, shoot, score, pass, rebound, and play defense.  Just a sophomore, Allen has been turning heads as YSU’s most consistent scorer over the past couple of weeks.  He has a good attitude, is enjoying the college experience, and can hoop with the best of them.  Along with his roommates Devonte Maymon, DuShawn Brooks, and Tre Brewer, the future looks a little brighter than the past for Youngstown State fans.

Paneech: Last year this team was harder to watch.  With only three returning players, it is almost a whole new group.  You guys are, for the most part, competitive.  What’s the team feeling these days?

Allen: I think we gel as a team.  Guys genuinely like each other on and off of the court.  That has been a big part of this group and an important part of building the trust factor within this group.

Paneech: What factors have given you more minutes, and what have you done to maximize the opportunity?

Allen: I just tried to always work hard at practice and to take advantage of any opportunity that I was given.  I try to stay at the gym as much as possible.  It was difficult early on to adjust to the Division-I style, but I think I have come along and am playing as hard as I can trying to help the team win.

Paneech: Familiarize the Youngstown State fans with Blake Allen, tell everyone how you got here.

Allen: Out of high school, I went to a prep school in Virginia and last year I went to a community college in Oklahoma.  I am from Tampa, Florida.  (Laughs)  I’m still adjusting to this weather.  Virginia and Oklahoma were both colder than what I was use to, but it snows a little more out here.  I try to stay bundled up.

Paneech: You have had an array of coaches throughout your upbringing to get to this point.  Have you ever had one like Coach Slocum?

Allen: He is definitely a very good coach.  He has a very sophisticated offense that gets our guys as many shots and opportunities as possible.  The offense is very well set to make plays.  I have really enjoyed playing for him so far.  He definitely has a sense of humor, but when the game is going, he only cares about getting 40 solid minutes from the team.

Paneech: How do you like Youngstown the community, and Youngstown State the college?

Allen: I like the area and the people have treated me really well.  The school part is very challenging.  It is a lot to keep up with all of the schoolwork, especially during the season with practices, traveling, and distractions.  I think I have been able to adjust to that as well, I was satisfied with my first semester and hope I can maintain that over the time that I am here.  It gets tough, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m an accounting major.  I like numbers and my aunt is an accountant, so I’m interested.

Paneech: Who are you closest with and what do you guys do when you get some spare time?

Allen: I’m really close with all of my roommates – Devonte [Maymon], DB [DuShawn Brooks], and Tre [Brewer].  We hang out quite a bit, and I am pretty good friends with all three.

Paneech: What goes through your head when you hit the floor at North Carolina State?

Allen: That game was a memorable one for me because it was actually my first start.  I was a little bit nervous, but I just told myself to go out there and play as hard as I possibly can and to let everything that I have done for preparation up to that point take over.  It was definitely the biggest crowd I have ever played in front of.  I had thoughts like “wow” early in the game, but once you get out there and start playing, it’s just basketball and they are humans, just like we are.

Paneech: Do you have a favorite team or player?

Allen: I love the Los Angeles Lakers, I am a huge Kobe Bryant fan.  Being from Florida, I kind of grew up an Orlando Magic fan.  The whole Shaq and Penny thing was going on when I was a kid, but I switched over to LA.  I also watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I watch tennis sometimes.

One Word Answers

Favorite TV Show: The Game.

Favorite Movie Ever: American Gangster.

Your Order At Taco Bell: Five crunchy tacos and a Baja Blast.

Favorite All-Time Football Player: Mike Alstott.

Favorite Drink: Hawaiian Punch.

Song On Your ipod That People Wouldn’t Think: My Gospel tracks.

What’s Worse, Doctor or Dentist? Dentist.

Favorite Cartoon Character: Scooby Doo.

Toppings On a Pizza: Pepperoni.

Name The Other Cast Members Besides Scooby: (laughs) Fred, Shaggy, Velma, and the other one…  Daffney I think?

If this YSU group that Slocum has assembled can stay together for the next few years, expect more wins and dare I say competing for championships.  Blake Allen has the mindset to be a key component in the development of a very young team and has some fire power around him to ride the wave of the ascent.

The Youngstown State men’s basketball team tied a school single-game record with 14 3-pointers but dropped an 84-79 decision to Butler on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Penguins fall to 6-9 overall and 1-5 in the Horizon League while Butler improves to 12-5 overall and 4-1 in the league.

Sophomore Blake Allen tied a career-high with 17 points with five 3-pointers to lead the Penguins while junior Ashen Ward scored 15 points. Junior Devonte Maymon scored 13 points and senior Vytas Sulskis added 10 points with eight rebounds.

The game featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties with the last coming with 1:24 to go in the game when Maymon converted an old-fashioned three-point play.

After a tip-in by Butler’s Andrew Smith gave the Bulldogs an 81-79 lead, the Penguins had three different chances to tie the game but came up short and the Bulldogs made three free throws to seal the victory.

The Guins, who connected on 10-of-14 3-pointers in the second half, trailed by six, 72-66, with 7:15 to go but used a 10-2 run keyed by two 3-pointers by Ward and another by Allen to take a 76-74 edge with 4:07 to go.

But a 3-pointer and layup by Shelvin Mack gave the Bulldogs a 79-76 advantage before Maymon’s three-point play.

The Guins trailed by as many as nine points, 48-39, early with 17:58 left, but the Guins used a 22-5 run over the next 5:53 to take a 61-53 lead. During the run, the Guins hit six of their 10 second-half 3-pointers to take the lead.

Maymon and Blake each connected on two each while Ward and junior Dushawn Brooks each added a trey.

Butler, however, was able to regain the lead and scored 18 of the next 23 points to take a 72-66 lead.

The Guins return home to host Wilberforce, Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

Youngstown State University had just ended 2010 on a high note with a dramatic win over UIC.  Then something happened, 2011 showed up, and so did Loyola.  Unfortunately, the Penguins struggled on both ends of the court in a very lethargic performance to open a new calender year and lost to the Ramblers, 83-53, to drop to 1-3 in the Horizon League.

In the first half, Youngstown State seemed a step slower on the offensive end and at least two steps slower on defense.  Loyola shot 63.6% from the floor, while the Penguins could only muster 32%, including 1-8 on three-pointers.  Loyola opened a seventeen point lead within the first ten minutes of the first half and maintained that margin coasting to a 40-22 lead at intermission.  Tre Brewer had a team-high six first half points for YSU, which just seemed out of sync the entire half.  Ben Averkamp posted 13 first half points for the Ramblers.

The second half started much the same way that the first half ended.  Loyola was ahead 49-26 with 15:58 in the game when DuShawn Brooks did what he could to keep the Penguins in the game hitting a jumper from the top right side of the key.  As luck would have it, the Penguins ran into a buzz saw.  With 13:31 left in the game, Loyola had a 56-31 lead, but more importantly, they were shooting 67.7% in the game to this point.  When a team shoots greater than 55%, they are hard to defeat.  With Youngstown State gasping for straws on offense, they would have had to keep Loyola at bay on the defensive end, but were unsuccessful with either side of that two-fold game plan.

Frustration was evident in the second half.  Vytas Sulskis fouled out with just under ten minutes left in the game.  The Penguins were trying, but were also committing hard fouls and playing out of their comfort zone.  With 6:51 left in the game, YSU was simply playing for respectability and pride.  Loyola was ahead 71-43.  YSU got a decent second half from Brooks who played hard on both ends.  Coach Slocum threw up the white flag with about five minutes left when he emptied the cupboard and let some of the low-minutes guys get some experience.

Brooks (above) was top scorer for YSU with 13.  Damian Eargle also scored ten points and gathered five boards in the loss.  Josh Chojnacki contributed a career-best seven points for YSU.  The Ramblers got 18 points from Walt Gibler and 17 from Averkemp.  Loyola shot over 60% from the floor as a team.

After the game, Jerry Slocum called the performance “one of the worst losses I can remember.”  Slocum also went on to say that the Penguins showed little heart and character in the loss.  “The energy was bad today, and we got outplayed badly.”

Loyola Coach Jim Whitesell was surprised at how easy the win came.  “Usually when we play here, the games are donnybrooks and go down to the wire. I feel for Jerry, I was just there the other night against Cleveland State.  We challenged our big guys [Averkamp, Polka, and Gibler] to step it up and they responded.”

YSU heads off to Valpo and Butler before returning home to face Wilburforce on January 11.

The Horizon League is probably the most unrecognized conference in NCAA-DI basketball.  UIC was YSU’s opponent on this holiday evening, and UIC had just beaten then-ranked #12 Illinois a couple of games back.  The Horizon League is no slouch, ask Duke.  As the conference rises in prominence, Youngstown State is trying to evolve with it.  The Penguins had not won a conference game in their last 13 chances.  Throw out the records and chalk up a conference win for the Penguins, 71-69, over UIC.

The first half featured good shooting by both squads.  Youngstown State had a lead as big as nine points in that first half, but UIC marched right back into things before half and the Penguins only lead 34-32 at intermission.  The story in the first half was three-pointers.  Both teams shot over 40 percent with YSU connecting on 7-17 and UIC nailing 4-7.

Ashen Ward had a career best night for the Penguins.  Ward was Mr. Instant in the first half connecting on 4-6 threes and finished the half with 14 points on his way to a career-high in points.  Ward hit another three in the opening minutes of the second half, he was on fire.  With 16:24 left in the game, UIC nabbed the lead, 40-39, when Robo Kreps hit a free throw to complete a three point play.  Ward responded with a deuce to give YSU the lead back on their next possession.

With YSU trailing 46-43, DuShawn Brooks hit a runner from the right side of the key coming in to cut UIC’s lead to one point.  Tre Brewer hit a finger roll to put YSU back up by one with just over twelve minutes to go in the game.  YSU was not getting many inside chances and had only attempted one free throw up to the 11:32 mark when Vytas Sulskis hit a pair to put YSU ahead, 49-47.

With YSU ahead 57-53 with UIC’s Paul Carter hit a runner from the left side and was fouled by Sulskis.  Carter hit the free throw to complete the old-school three and the game was tied again with 8:18.  Ashen Ward then hit his sixth and seventh threes of the game to push YSU’s lead to 63-58.  With 3:24 left in the game, and YSU holding a very slim lead of 65-64, Brewer gathered an offensive rebound and was fouled trying to put it back.  Brewer was unable to connect with either charity toss and UIC ended up taking a two point lead when Carter was fouled while shooting a three.

With 1:41 left in the game, YSU trailed 67-65.  Sulskis hit a spinning layup to tie things up at the 1:31 mark.  UIC could not score on their end and with less than a minute to go and the score tied at 67 apiece, Ward was fouled and hit one of two to put the Penguins up a point at 68-67 with 41.3 seconds remaining.  Carter hit a 15-foot jumper with 24 seconds left to put UIC back up by one in this see-saw battle.

Sulskis was fouled, a blessing for YSU fans because he nails his free throws, hit a pair to give YSU a 70-69 lead with 15.9 seconds to go in the game.  Kreps drove the hoop but threw up a wild prayer that barely drew iron.  Blake Allen hauled in the rebound with 2.9 seconds to go and was immediately fouled and put to the line.  Allen hit one of two to put the Penguins ahead 71-69 with 2.2 seconds to go.  UIC inbounded the ball but could not get better than a three-quarter court look and YSU held on for the dramatic win, 71-69.

Youngstown State (6-6, 1-2) was led by Ward, who posted a career-high with 26 points.  Ward answered every time the UIC seemed to gain momentum by hitting a huge bucket.  Ward finished the game 9-14 from the floor and 7-10 from three-point land.

UIC (5-9, 0-2) got 19 points from Carter who did all he could to keep the Flames in the game down the stretch.

After the game, Jerry Slocum commented on his team’s big conference win.  “We got a huge boost from our bench tonight.  Ash [Ashen Ward] stepped up and hit some big baskets.  They were keeping a close eye on Vytas [Sulskis] and that freed Ash up to get some good looks.  We have been asking Ashen to do a little more offensively and to take more shots.  The whole team battled hard and we came out with a big win.”

Ward commented on his holiday success.  “We took some extra shooting practice and it paid off tonight.  Give credit to our bench, they played well and everyone played hard.”

To sit at the media table at Youngstown State basketball games has been awesome.  To take pictures along the baseline at Beeghly Center when the YSU Penguins have a home game is a different kind of awesome.  You hear both sides of everything because you are real close to the YSU bench, but you hear the commentary of the fans also.   People are very critical of Jerry Slocum and quite frankly, I’m sick of hearing the criticism.  Here are some reasons why Slocum is the man, and hopefully stays at YSU for a very long time.

At a recent home game, a Penguin player threw a turnover, a horrible decision.  The Malone player finished the sequence by making a lay-up and then being fouled.  As Jerry Slocum paced the YSU bench area, I looked over and saw the disgust, from the very recent turn of events that just happened on the court,  obvious in Slocum’s face.

Then the heckling starts.  I hear people scream about how poor the coaching is.  I bite my tongue and shake my head and just glance at the stupidity around me sometimes.  Jerry Slocum is one of the most passionate coaches you will find in any sport.  He comes to the press conference drained, he leaves it all on the court just like he encourages his players to do.  Yet, there are hecklers.

Let’s be realistic about a couple of things.  Slocum may not be winning championships, but for the most part his teams are competitive and well coached.  Last year he lost everyone except Vytas Sulskis, Ashen Ward and Dan Boudler.  This year, Sheldon Brogden has walked away and turned in his uniform.  Why?  I’ll tell you why.  Hard-nosed old-school coaching, that’s why.  Slocum works his guys hard.  The lazy players quit or become headaches refusing to conform to a stubborn man who is very set in his ways.

Youngstown State is a football school.  Eric Wolford is doing a great job rekindling the fire that once burned between goal lines at The Ice Castle.  Jerry Slocum has done something Eric Wolford has not done yet, he has won over 600 games. 

Slocum could live without media, in fact, I think he actually despises going to press conferences after a loss.  Go find some Bobby Knight footage on You Tube and tell me that he wasn’t the same way.   Slocum has been a joy to cover and he has never given me any negativity or distress.  I do, however, pick and choose times that feel more appropriate when asking a question.

Jerry Slocum is a very private, family man.  He takes great pride in his personal relationships and glows when he talks about his wife or extended family.  He also takes great pride in what kind of product shows up on the court each game.  He is constantly thinking and his scowl is priceless, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

If I were in charge, which I’m not, I would surely try to find out how much longer he wants to coach and throw the paper down for him to sign.  I suggest keeping an eye on him during the game, it is really entertaining because he is working on so many different things.  He is an ace at riding the refs.  Watch how soon YSU gets a make-good call when Slocum questions something less than a minute before, it happens every game.  When a YSU player misses a free throw, he will just look at the ground like his stomach just turned.  These are admirable qualities you don’t get from a coach.  Consider yourselves lucky YSU fans, and Merry Christmas, Jerry Slocum!

Youngstown State returned home to play a game a few days after being trounced by Robert Morris, 90-60.  To make matters worse, one of the team leaders, Ashen Ward, would be inactive with back spasms.  The Penguins last played Malone in 1963, and won that game 117-81.  Monday night, parody showed 50 years of progress and the Penguins didn’t post such a lopsided number, but managed to win the game behind stellar efforts from Vytas Sulskis and Damian Eargle.

The first half saw a sluggish Penguins team establish their presence inside.  Only four Penguins managed to score in the first half. Damian Eargle and Vytas Sulskis combined for 25 of the Penguins 33 first half points.  The other two Penguins to get any points in the opening half were Tre Brewer with five, and Dan Boudler contributing three.  Malone held their ground and trailed by only two at the intermission with the score YSU 33, and Malone 31.

Coach Jerry Slocum was handed a pretty cheap technical foul (below) with 6:31 left in the first half to help Malone stay in the game on a four-point swing.  Malone was paced by Eric Coblentz’s 12 in the opening half.

Coblentz gave Malone a 41-39 lead when he buried a three for his twelfth point as the Pioneers, who shot 45% from long distance in the first half stayed red hot.  Eargle responded with a bucket giving him 16 points, a new career high, to tie the game at 41 with 15:49 left in the game.  Sulskis and Eargle continued to propel the offense which pushed the lead to five with 12:00 remaining.  Sulskis hit a thunderous running dunk off of the right baseline to force the Pioneers to use a timeout to regroup.

Eargle was a man possessed and created problems for the Pioneers all night long.  He was blocking shots, making passes, and scoring. Sulskis hit his season-high 20th point to put YSU up 57-51 with 9:45 left.  The pesky Pioneers were surviving behind the arc hitting 50% for the game to this point.  YSU held a 64-54 lead with 7:53 remaining in the game.

The Penguins took their largest lead of the game with 6:11 left when Blake Allen hit a free throw giving YSU a 12-point lead with 6:21 left at 67-55.  DuShawn Brooks was starting to feel it hitting his second three of the night and recording his eighth point to push the Penguin advantage to 14.

Sulskis (above) finished the game with 25 points, one short of a career high on 10-12 shooting.  He also gathered nine rebounds.  Eargle would have his best all-around game as a Penguin.  Eargle finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, posting his first double-double of the season.  Eargle and Sulskis were virtually everywhere and played scintillating basketball.  Tre Brewer also recorded a career-high in both points (13) and rebounds (14).

Eric Coblentz played very well for Malone and finished with 21 points.

With the win, YSU improved to 5-4 on the season, but more importantly, seemed to pick up the pieces after a disastrous road trip in preparation for North Carolina State and Kent State in the immediate future.

Coach Jerry Slocum was reflective on his team’s effort.  “We got past the shackles of a hard loss and ran a lot of motion.  We played very well and regrouped.  That road trip we just came off of, every one of those teams did well in tournaments last season.  Heading to NC State and playing an ACC team will be tough, but I feel Kent State has their best team this season.  They will both be very hard games for us.”

Vytas Sulskis reflected on the night.  “Me and Damian are roommates and we had good chemistry going tonight.  We were finding each other and it wasn’t planned, it just worked that way.  I was hot tonight.”

Slocum praised the efforts of both Sulskis and Eargle as well. “Vytas played really well on both ends of the court tonight.  He and Damian toughened up on defense and we found a way to get into a rhythm in the second half.”

The new-look Youngstown State University basketball team welcomed another MAC team to Beeghly Center Wednesday.  Toledo came into this game 0-5 and was searching for answers.  The Rockets left Youngstown scratching their heads, and Coach Jerry Slocum picked up his 632nd career victory.  The Penguins remained undefeated at home and improved to 3-1 on the young season with a 73-67 win over Toledo.

Youngstown State looked sharp at times in the first half, but also looked rough during stretches.  Coach Slocum talked about what he expected out of the gate tonight.  “We had a tough loss the other night, and I was really anxious to see how this team would respond to a tough loss.”  True, it was a bit sluggish, but when this team gets going, they are a force.

Vytas Sulskis showed no ill effects of a hyperextended knee suffered at Akron.  Sulskis hit three times from long distance and finished the first half with 11 points and four rebounds and would finish the contest with 20 points for YSU.  However, the Penguins trailed the Rockets 34-33 at intermission.  Toledo got nine first half points from Malcolm Griffin and the Rockets out-boarded the Penguins 21-14 in the opening session.  Griffin finished the game with 18 points.

In the second half, Sulskis continued to score as he hit two free throws with 14:14 left in the game to put YSU ahead 45-43.  Toledo cut the lead to one when Zack Leahy hit a trey to make it 47-46.  Richard Wonell gave the Rockets a three-point lead with just over twelve minutes remaining with an easy bucket in the paint that made it 50-47, Toledo.

Damian Eargle tied the game at 52 and was fouled on an offensive rebound put back attempt on the Penguins next possession.  Eargle hit one of the two and then scored his fifth consecutive point on a nifty reverse layup.  Eargle made it seven straight points the next trip up the court, and there was no doubt that the Warren G. Harding grad was in the zone.  The Penguins would ride the hot hand of Eargle to take a 57-54 lead with 8:23 left in the game.  Devonte Maymon hit a pair of free throws to extend the YSU lead to 59-54 with 7:49 left in the game.

Eargle was dominating the game on both sides of the court in the second half.  He was scoring, blocking shots, rebounding (on both sides of the court), and passing.  Eargle finished the game with six blocks, a career-high, as well as 15 points and six boards and commented on how he is approaching this season after being stuck on the bench all of last season.  “I feel like I can get better every game, and I can see myself doing more.  We are really feeding off of the energy of the crowd and it seems like there are a few more people coming each time we win.”

With YSU ahead 65-58 with 3:26 left in the game, Griffin stole a pass and drove the floor for a bucket to cut the YSU lead to 65-60.

YSU kept their foot on the gas pedal with a five point lead and 2:42 left in the game.  Ashen Ward drilled a three with just under two minutes left in the game to increase the Penguins lead to 70-63.  Ward has been the guy who hits the big shot in a couple of instances this season.  Eargle also played a key role in preserving the win with a couple of blocks and rebounds in the waning minutes.  Slocum credited DuShawn Brooks after the game as the “unsung hero” pointing out that Eargle was the recipient of some nice passes from Brooks at the high post.

After the game, Jerry Slocum talked about what he would be thankful for, and it wasn’t a win.  “I am very thankful for my family.  I know that all of this can take its toll and it really gets hard sometimes. My wife and my kids have put up with a lot, and I could not be more thankful than to have such a great family.”

Sulskis left the media room with a big smile on his face.  “Man, is my turkey gonna taste good tomorrow.”