The Town Crier

[PointGuard]

Penguins Fall Short
By Steve Porter

The Penguins took a 3-1/2 hour bus ride to take on the Wright State Raiders last night. Youngstown State came out firing away and opened a double digit lead that they held onto for much of the first half. But the Raiders began hitting away from beyond the arc late in the half and narrowed the halftime margin to 46-42. C Jamal Grady was relentless inside and finished the half with 15 points. PF Rick Braswell added 10.

Wright State scored 5 quick points to start the 2nd half, taking a 47-46 lead. The Raiders expanded their lead to 57-51 with 13-1/2 minutes remaining in the game. The Penguins muddled along trailing by as much as 11 points before making a last-minute run that cut Wright State’s lead to 81-78 with a half minute left. YSU fouled intentionally, but the Raiders sunk both free throws giving them a 5 point advantage. The Raiders’ defense prevented the Penguins from putting up a shot until there were 4 seconds left. Linehan Murphy’s 3 dropped through but was too little too late. Youngstown State went down to a stinging 83-81 defeat.

C Jamal Grady dropped in 20 points with PF’s Aaron Tice and Rick Braswell both scoring 12. For Wright State, PG Arthur Dawson hit 5 of 7 from 3-point land and finished with 21 points.

“We let the game slip away in the early part of the 2nd half. Although we made a valiant effort in the waning moments of the game, we just didn’t have enough time. Unfortunately tonight we shot extremely poorly from the foul line missing 13 of our 32 free throws. Those lost points were extremely damaging. This was a road game we should have won,” lamented Coach KD Durst.

[Side note that is not part of the above newspaper article: I’ve been told that Coach Durst reamed out the team in the locker room after the game, telling them they are better than how they’re playing, that they can’t keep losing to inferior teams, and that they need to get tougher when playing on the road to start posting road wins rather than agonizing losses.]

[PointGuard]

Third Straight Nail-Biter for Penguins
By Steve Porter

The first half of last night’s Youngstown State’s game was a series of runs. The Penguins pulled away early to gain a double digit lead. The hometown fans not only saw the lead disappear but watched as the visiting Oakland Golden Grizzlies grabbed a small lead. Then YSU pulled away again to go ahead by 8. In the final minutes of the half, the Golden Grizzlies again tied the game. But then the Penguins hit two late buckets to achieve a 36-32 advantage at the break. The Penguins led in all statistical categories except 3’s where they were 0 for 7 compared to 7 for 13 for Oakland. C Jamal Grady again led the Penguins with 13 first half points.

The Penguins came out in the 2nd half ice cold allowing Oakland to take a 37-36 lead. YSU responded to pull back ahead by 5. The game tightened with the lead exchanging hands several times. With 3 minutes left on the clock, YSU led 64-61. With Kent Jones still on the injured list, Jamal Grady had had little relief, but after a short breather returned to the game. At the 2 minute mark, B.J. Dennis hit a long 3 pointer from the right side to give the Penguins a 6-point cushion. With fouls to give, the Penguins ran some time off the clock by fouling twice and keeping Oakland from putting up a shot. After a missed 3 point shot, Delzell ripped down the rebound, but his pass was off the mark and out of bounds giving the ball back to the Golden Grizzlies with 53 seconds remaining. Durst subbed in fresh legs as he attempted to defend against the expected 3. The strategy failed when Oakland’s Chris Alexander popped in a 3 off the glass and it became a one-possession game again. With the Penguins trying to run some time off the clock, Oakland fouled Levall Hart. With 41 seconds showing on the game clock, Hart made the first but missed the second. Oakland hurried the ball up court and Josh Angner drained a 3 to make the score 68-67 in favor of YSU. The Penguins got the ball back up court and Oakland went for the foul, but Levall Hart put up a 3 attempt as he was fouled and went to the line with 3 shots. He calmly sunk all 3 shots making it 71-67 with 26 seconds left. Durst again subbed to bring on his strongest defenders at all positions. Oakland worked the ball around then swung into the corner to Art Capel who knocked down yet another 3 making it 71-70 with 15 seconds remaining. Oakland fouled on the inbounds pass sending B.J. Dennis to the line with 12 seconds to go. His first shot rimmed around and fell through the basket to make it 72-70. His second shot was off the rim, but Jamal Grady outmuscled the Oakland players to pull down the rebound. He quickly flipped the ball outside to Linehan Murphy. He dribbled to the right and was fouled as he tried to pass the ball with 8 seconds left. Murphy’s first shot swished through the net. He toed the line and his 2nd shot was as clean as the first. The Penguins pressed and all Oakland could do was toss up a very long 3 hoping to make it and be fouled on the shot. It was not to be and Youngstown State escaped with a 74-70 win. Outplayed otherwise, Oakland made the game a squeaker by hitting 15 of 34 threes.

Leading scorer was C Jamal Grady with 21 points. SG B.J. Dennis and SF Aaron Tice both scored 13 with Tice also getting 8 boards. SF Chad Delzell pulled down 10 rebounds. PG Linehan Murphy scored 9, had 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks.

The win gave the Penguins a 2-2 league record, putting them in a 4-way tie for 3rd place. Both Detroit and Milwaukee have 4-0 records. Detroit now owns an 11 game win streak.

Jamal Grady was selected as the Horizon Leagues Player of the Week based on his scoring 41 points in the Penguins two games this past week.

[PointGuard]

Youngstown State Comes Up BIG
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State jumped out on top of the Valparaiso Crusaders and held a lead nearly the entire first half. Both teams shot extremely well but the Penguins were just a little better. At the end of the half, YSU led 45-39. C Jamal Grady dropped in 12 points.

Valparaiso came out blazing and took a 49-47 lead three minutes into the second half. Midway through the half, the Penguins went on a run led by SF Rick Martin’s scoring that gave them a 79-60 lead with 5-3/4 minutes remaining in the game. The Penguins went on to hand Valparaiso an 89-70 crushing. YSU hit 60% of their shots, forced the Crusaders to make 21 turnovers, and was +4 in rebounding.

C Jamal Grady poured in 22 points plus hauled in 9 rebounds. SF/SG Rick Martin hit for 14 points in the 15 minutes he was on the court. Aaron Tice scored 10 plus had 3 steals and a block. Tim Lostetter and Line han Murphy combined for 16 points and 8 assists at the PG position.

Coach KD Durst said, “After enduring 3 straight razor close finishes, it sure was nice to have our guys come on so strongly tonight. Rick Martin ignited the team in the 2nd half, but we got great performances from the entire team. I felt like I could sub freely and not have to worry about a letdown. A big win like this on the road was important for our team.”

The win gives the Penguins a 3-2 record in the Horizon League. They’re in a tie with UIC for 3rd place. Milwaukee won again to go to 5-0, but Detroit finally lost and now is in 2nd place with a 4-1 record. In other Horizon League games tonight, Troy Fingelton scored 32 for Northern Kentucky, Ryan Watson scored 30 for Milwaukee, and Tim Patterson scored 27 plus pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out 6 assists for UIC.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Defense Awakens
By Steve Porter

Before last night’s game against the Northern Kentucky Norse, Coach KD Durst commented, “We have to keep Troy Fingelton from busting out.” Fingelton had his 2nd 32 point game this season in the Norse’ last game and he’s scored 58 points in his last two games.

Fingelton scored the first 4 points for the Norse, but then Jamal Grady neutralized him and he scored just 2 more points in the half. Meanwhile the two teams simply battled hard with the lead shifting back and forth throughout the half. The Penguins were able to eke out a 38-34 lead at the end of the half. C Jamal Grady scored 13 plus had 5 rebounds.

The Penguins came back onto the court in the 2nd half with a purpose, and led by Jamal Grady and B.J. Dennis, the team pulled ahead 54-40 in the first 6 minutes of the half. YSU kept the pressure on the rest of the way and bludgeoned the Norse by a final score of 77-57. Youngstown State’s defense predominated, holding the shooting of Northern Kentucky to just 36%.

Troy Fingelton scored better in the second half and finished with 16 points plus he grabbed 14 rebounds. But he was outshown by C Jamal Grady who scored 27 and picked off 10 rebounds. SG B.J. Dennis scored 13 and PF Aaron Tice added 10.

“Getting that big lead allowed to give a couple of our younger players, William Swan and William Worley. It was good to have the team put together a solid defensive effort. Jamal continues to impress. He’s been on a real roll the past several games. But B.J. Dennis is begging to lock in at SG. Not only did he score well, but he really shut down Jon Robinson, who typically scores well for the Norse,” said Coach KD Durst.

The win moved the Penguins into a 3-way tie for 2nd place with UIC and Detroit. Detroit lost at home and now has lost 2 straight. Milwaukee continued to win, running their record to 6-0 in the Horizon League. For their next game Youngstown State travels to Milwaukee to take on the hot Panthers.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Pound the Boards
By Steve Porter

Milwaukee has been on fire against Horizon League competition. After winning their league opener in overtime, they have beaten their last five foes by margins ranging from 10-29 points. They have 3 players averaging in double figures. PF Ryan Watson is their team leader, averaging 13.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg, but has scored 30 points in two separate games this season so has the potential to break out for a big game. While they won only 2 of their 9 pre-conference games, 6 of those losses were against strong teams. Obviously that tough schedule prepared them to handle Horizon League competition.

The Panthers were hitting shots from all over the court early in the first half and opened an 11 point lead. But midway through the half, Youngstown State completely dominated the boards and clamped down defensively as well. The Penguins quickly erased the lead and went on to take a 42-34 lead to the locker room. C Jamal Grady and PF Aaron Tice both scored 10 points in the half.

The Penguins continued to out-rebound Milwaukee throughout the 2nd half. They steadily increased their lead as they worked the ball around to get clear shots. Midway through the half, the Penguins were on top by 17 points. They continued to roll all the way up to the end of the game and finished by stomping Milwaukee 89-67. The Penguins hit 60% of their shots and held a 35-16 rebounding advantage.

C Jamal Grady finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds and had 3 steals. PF Aaron Tice scored 19 and had 6 steals, SF Chad Delzell hit for 12, and SG B. J. Dennis added 11.

With the win, Youngstown State took sole possession of 2nd place in the Horizon League and cut Milwaukee’s lead to just 1 game.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Cut Down Titans
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State played their second straight road game this week when they travelled to Detroit. The Titans who won 11 straight (including 4 in the league), had now dropped their last 3 games.

Detroit scored on their first possession, but YSU brought the ball down court to tie it and then began pulling away. By the end of the half, the Penguins were on top 43-36. C Jamal Grady scored 16 points.

The Penguins continued to shoot well while using a strangulating defense and with 6 minutes to go led by 20. They coasted from there and won convincingly 83-66 to gain their 5th consecutive victory and hold onto sole possession of 2nd place in the Horizon League. In the game, they outshot Detroit 53% to 41% and held a 39-33 rebounding advantage.

C Jamal Grady again led the team by scoring 26 points. PF Aaron Tice had 14 points and 8 rebounds. For Detroit, C William Rogers scored 21 and pulled down 8 rebounds plus had 4 steals and a block.

Coach KD Durst said, “Our starters played well as a unit and our bench players came in and played well also. We had just 10 turnovers so that was a big positive.”

[PointGuard]

Penguins Win Big Again
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State was in control throughout the first half against visiting Cleveland State. But the Vikings kept things close. The Penguins held a slim 38-34 lead at the break. PF Aaron Tice had 11 points for YSU in the first half.

Youngstown State caught fire in the 2nd half,hitting shots from all over the court, and left the Vikings behind. And the Penguins defense sparkled as well, making the Vikings earn any baskets they were able to convert. YSU's lead rapidly grew throughout the half, and they won going away, 84-61.

C Jamal Grady scored 19 with PF’s Rich Braswell and Aaron Tice adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Win Steak Now Six
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State welcomed the UIC Flames to Beeghly Center last night. UIC came in with a 5-4 league record.

UIC took control early and with 7 minutes left in the half led 27-14. At that point the Penguins turned things around and went on a run that took them to a 33-31 halftime lead. C Jamal Grady scored 11 points in the half.

The Penguins again came out in the 2nd half with a stingy defense and a potent offense. They steamrolled the Flames opening as much as a 37 point lead and finishing with a 85-53 punch-down of UIC. YSU outshot the Flames 56% to 34%, dominated the boards 38-23, and held a 25-14 turnover advantage.

PF Aaron Tice topped the scoring for YSU with 17 points and had 8 rebounds. C Jamal Grady took a hard shot to his arm and was sidelined for the last 8 minutes of the game, but scored 15 and had 7 boards. PF Rich Braswell scored 13 and C Kent Jones and SG B.J. Dennis both scored 11.

“Aaron Tice has had two really strong games this week. It looks like Jamal sustained a bad bruise to his arm, but I expect he’ll be ready to play for our next game,” said Coach KD Durst.

Milwaukee continues to win and possesses a league-leading 9-1 record. So Youngstown State with its 8-2 record remains 1 game behind the Panthers. Wisconsin-Green Bay’s SG Ross Lang tossed in 30 points in the Phoenix’ losing effort to Northern Kentucky.

Freshman SG William Swan is reportedly experiencing severe back spasms and is likely to miss the next couple games.

[Wayne23]

6 wins in a row? KD Durst has 6 wins in a row????? I take back half the bad things I said about him.

[PointGuard]

Youngstown State’s Recruiting Efforts Stymied
By Steve Porter

Steve Simmons, the Penguins’ first assistant coach in charge of recruiting, said today that SAT score results came out and there was little good news for the Penguins. Simmons advised, “We’ve been actively recruiting a number of high school seniors from around the nation who are very talented players but who’ve had academic problems, hoping to snag a couple excellent players who because of their grades have been overlooked by other programs. Of the 7 we were watching, only one had SAT scores that are high enough to qualify to play for us. And neither of the two recruits who were ranked in the top 50 nationally qualified. We realized we were grasping at straws but still it’s a big letdown.” Simmons added that they are adding some new recruits to their watch and call lists. They now are focusing their efforts on increasing interest in the recruits they would most like to land with the aim of signing two more recruits this spring.