The Town Crier

[PointGuard]

Penguins Butt Rams
By Steve Porter

Rhode Island came into last night’s game with a 3-2 record with one of the losses being a close one to Duke.

The Rams led by as much as 7 points in the first half, but a late rally by the Penguins put YSU on top 43-39 at the break. PG Tim Lostetter scored 11 and had 4 assists in the first half for Youngstown State.

The Penguins scored the first 9 points of the 2nd half to open a 13 point lead. The Rams roared back to cut the lead to 56-52 with 11-1/2 minutes to play. Four minutes later the Penguins had re-established their 13 point lead. YSU held on from there on to come away with a resounding 87-75 victory. The win was their 5th in a row.

PG Tim Lostetter fired in 17 points while dishing out 6 assists. SG B.J. Dennis scored 14, SG/SF Rick Martin had 12, SF Chad Delzell and C Kent Jones both scored 11, and C Jamal Grady added 10. Chad Delzell also pulled down 9 boards.

Coach K.D. Durst said, “That was a much tougher game than the score would indicate. The Rams continually threatened and had a couple good runs. We had a good team effort and Tim Lostetter has now had two very strong games in a row.”

After 6 games, Youngstown State is scoring 80.7 ppg (33rd best in the nation), but has given up 72.7 ppg. They’re averaging 34.7 rpg while their opponents are averaging just 27.7 rpg. Jamal Grady’s 16.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg lead the team.

In other Horizon League action, the Detroit Titans won a 90-87 thriller on the road over highly favored Illinois. Illinois was 7-0 prior to playing the Titans. Detroit now has a 4-1 season record and is led by last season’s Horizon League Freshman of the Year, William Rogers, who is averaging 16.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg thus far this season.

[PointGuard]

Penguins Comeback For Naught
By Steve Porter

The visiting UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1) presented a unique challenge with three players averaging over 15 ppg, making it difficult for the Penguins to focus on any one player.

The Ragin’ Cajuns started slowly hitting just 1 of 11 shots as YSU pulled away to a 12-2 lead in the first 7-1/2 minutes of play. The Penguins held a double digit lead for much of the first half but let UL-Lafayette get within 2 points late in the half. When the half time buzzer sounded, YSU led 34-28. C Jamal Grady scored 10 points in the half.

UL-Lafayette took a 36-34 lead two minutes into the 2nd half. With 14 minutes to go, the Penguins trailed 49-40 as the Ragin’ Cajuns bombed away from beyond the arc. With 7 minutes left, YSU was down by 13. The Penguins closed to within 2 points with 3:50 remaining. At the 2:10 mark, Rich Braswell was fouled. He sunk both free throws to tie the game at 70-70. UL-Lafayette stole a pass and scored on a breakaway to put them ahead by 2 with 36 seconds to go. YSU called a time out to set up a play freeing up Jamal Grady who received a pass inside and turned around the defender to kiss in a shot off the glass tying the game with 27 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession PF Chris Gross of UL-Lafayette hit a baseline jumper and was fouled on the shot. He made the foul shot to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 3 point lead with just 16 seconds to go. Following a time out by YSU, Rick Martin put up a 3 that bounced off the rim and the Penguins fell by a score of 75-72. Even though outshot by the Penguins 49% to 42%, UL-Lafayette dominated the boards 39-24 giving them 16 more FG attempts than YSU. The loss dropped the Penguins’ season record to 5-2.

Leading the scoring for Youngstown State was C Jamal Grady with 22 points. The only other Penguin in double figures was SG B. J. Dennis with 11 points. SG William Hyle led UL-Lafayette’s 2nd half charge and finished with 20 points.

“We were just out-hustled in the 2nd half and they completely cleaned our clocks on the boards,” said Coach KD Durst. He added, “We let them catch fire from outside and fell behind by too far. We then had to fight hard to tie the game, but simply ran out of gas in the last couple minutes of the game.”

[PointGuard]

Penguins Efforts Scuttled by Officials
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State travelled to Bethlehem, PA to take on the 5-1 Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Lehigh’s SF Brandon Wilson entered last night’s game averaging 17.8 ppg.

The first half was a parade to the foul line for Lehigh as the refs repeatedly whistled the Penguins for fouls, sending the Mountain Hawks to the line 24 times in the half. That together with many travelling calls against YSU incensed Coach KD Durst who picked up a technical. The refs assistance to Lehigh resulted in a 47-29 halftime deficit for the Penguins. C Jamal Grady led the offense for YSU with 8 points.

Fouls and travelling calls continued to pile up against the Penguins in the 2nd half, stopping each run that YSU made. Youngstown State dropped the game 97-75.

For YSU, C Jamal Grady scored 19 and SG B.J. Dennis chipped in 12.

When asked about the officiating, Coach Durst’s terse reply was, “No comment.”

[PointGuard]

Youngstown State Pounced Upon by Panthers
By Steve Porter

The 6-3 Northern Iowa Panthers shot well in the first half and built a 44-34 halftime lead. C Jamal Grady was limited to just 8 minutes of play due to foul problems but scored 9 points in the half. But the Panthers’ SG Andre Brown hit 5 of 5 from 3-point distance to score 15 points.

Youngstown State gamely fought throughout the 2nd half and reduced the lead to as little as 5 points but could never get closer. The final score was 76-68 in favor of Northern Iowa, dropping the Penguins’ pre-conference record to 5-4.

The difference in the game was the Panthers shooting from beyond the arc where they hit 14 of 25 shots. SF Robert Jordan and SG Andre Brown hit 11 of 18 threes and combined to score 43 points.

For YSU, C Jamal Grady poured in 18 points with SG B.J. Dennis adding 11 points.

Coach KD Durst said, “The Panthers put on a 3-point shooting clinic. We tried double teaming and even that didn’t work.”

[PointGuard]

Horizon League Contenders
By Steve Porter

Horizon League teams completed their pre-conference schedules this week. What teams and players stand out thus far?

Starting with our hometown Youngstown State Penguins, it’s a tale of good and bad and boom and bust. After losing their opening game, the team went on a robust 5-game win streak. But what appeared rose buds instead turned out to be rose thorns as they then went into a 3-game tail spin to close out their pre-league schedule. Their 5-4 record is the result of a good offense and a bad defense. They’re averaging 77.7 ppg (67th best in the nation) but they’re giving up 76.0 ppg (284 teams are letting teams score fewer points than are the Penguins). In all of their wins the Penguins have scored 78 or more points. In all their losses their opponents have scored 75 points or more. Additionally while the team’s rebounding has been strong overall, it’s apparent they need to be aggressive on the boards. When they’ve won, they are a cumulative +37 in rebounding, but when they’ve lost their rebounding has been a cumulative -21. Jamal Grady, the team’s junior center, leads the team in both scoring (17.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg), but 7 other players have shown the ability to step up strongly offensively, albeit it sporadically. Of their primary players, only SF Chad Delzell has been weak offensively. Delzell’s lackluster play has been perplexing and his shooting slump needs to be remedied if the Penguins are to be a force in the Horizon League. Additionally, even though four players have had some excellent games at guard, none have stepped up to play consistently well at either of the guard positions. Coach Durst is still experimenting with different combinations at PG and SG to try to find players who can step up and take the reins. Prognosis: middle of the pack.

The team with the undeniable best results in pre-conference play has been the Detroit Titans. They’ve won 8 of their 9 games and are riding a 7 game win streak. They’ve done well both offensively (78.0 ppg) and defensively (67.9 ppg). C William Rogers tops their scoring averaging 15.1 ppg. He’s also averaging 9.1 rpg. PF Brian Bryant and SG Rufus Benton are both averaging 11.3 ppg and their other two starters, SF Garvin Moore and PG Chris Williams are averaging 9.4 and 8.3 ppg respectively. With their starting lineup locked in place and playing well together, the team enters Horizon League play as one of the favorites. Don’t forget that this is the team that had a so-so season last year, but came on strong to win the Horizon League conference tournament and gain experience in the NCAA Tournament. The Titans own the best RPI (49th best in the country) of any Horizon League team.

Wisconsin-Green Bay was the pre-season favorite and continues to be seen as a contender for the league championship. The Phoenix’ 5-4 record may look to be unimpressive, but their four losses have all come while playing on the road and have been against much stronger competition: Southern Illinois, #9 North Carolina, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh. So they look to be game-ready for any and all foes in the Horizon League. SG Ross Lang carries this team. After averaging 15.8 ppg and 19.5 ppg in the two previous seasons, he is now averaging 20.2 ppg. SF Randy Kurtz is averaging 12.3 ppg while PG Andre Swan is the floor general, dishing out 5.8 apg while scoring 8.3 ppg and hitting well over 50% not only of his FG attempts but also his 3-point attempts. Their interior starters, Jamar Hayes and Olaf Plomin, are not prodigious scorers but both are strong rebounders.

The biggest surprise during pre-conference play has been the Northern Kentucky Norse. The team owns a 5-4 record, but that includes losses to Missouri and Vanderbilt, and a solid win over Wichita State. The Norse have good inside-outside scoring. C Troy Fingelton is averaging 18.7 ppg and the team gets good production from outside by SG Kevin Young (10.2 ppg) and PG Jon Robinson (10.1 ppg). Chris Correa is playing solidly at PF (6.2 ppg and 5.2 rpg) and Antoine Green (7.2 ppg) is adequate at SF. The question remains whether the Norse are going to be able to sustain their good play throughout the long league season, but their RPI is 69th best in the nation.

Wright State has a 5-5 pre-conference record. One of the Raiders’ wins was on the road over Miami (FL). Included in their losses were games against North Carolina State, Massachusetts, and Boston University. Their top scorer is SG John Blanchard who after two very good seasons, is continuing to produce with 16.6 ppg. C Ivoree Cameron is averaging 10.5 ppg. PG Arthur Dawson is averaging 9.5 ppg and 4.3 apg. Their other starters are Jonathon Bakken (7.2 ppg) and PF Mills Willis (5.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg). Brian Buller fills in at both C and PF and is averaging 9.6 ppg. While likely to be in the middle of the pack in the Horizon League, the preponderance of seniors and juniors on their roster gives them the experience and maturity to make a run.

Last season’s overall best Horizon League teams was the UIC Flames. The Flames have an unimpressive 4-6 record, but have played 7 of their 10 games on the road and have losses against Nebraska, VMI, #17 Iowa, and UCONN. Like the Penguins, thus far the Flames have had a potent offense (77.1 ppg) but an anemic defense (79.2 ppg). UIC has three players averaging in double figures: SG Tim Patterson (17.8 ppg), C Dan Davis (12.7 ppg) and PG Dan Rucker (11.2 ppg and 4.9 apg). SF DeWy Nielsen is averaging 9.3 ppg. PF B.J. Kemmpe is averaging only 4.8 ppg but is rebounding well (5.5 rpg). UIC showed they know how to win last season, so don’t count out the Flames.

Outside the Horizon League, Florida has a spotless 11-0 record and is ranked #1 in the polls followed by Syracuse, Louisville, Arizona, and Duke. Other teams without a loss include Temple (#10), Michigan State (#15), and Colorado (#23).

[PointGuard]

Penguins Review
By Steve Porter

Youngstown State begins Horizon League play tomorrow night with a very tough challenge. They travel to Chicago to take on the UIC Flames. The Flames came out on top of last season’s Horizon League standings.

The Penguins come into League Play with a strong interior but question marks elsewhere.

The team is anchored by junior center Jamal Grady with his 17.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg team leading statistics. When Grady has to go to the bench to rest, he is ably backed up by sophomore Kent Jones who is averaging 5.8 ppg but isn’t a strong rebounder.

At PF, the team has two very strong players, sophomore Tim Tice and senior Rich Braswell. Tice is normally the starter and is averaging 8.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg, but Braswell is having a strong senior year, averagg 7.0 ppg (while hitting 57% of this shots) and 4.2 rpg in his 15.7 mpg on the court.

Chad Delzell is continuing to start at SF but the senior has been shooting poorly this season and is averaging just 3.9 ppg. He continues to be a strong rebounder though (4.6 rpg). He is backed up by senior Rick Martin who is shooting well (hitting 44% of his FG attempts including 47% of this 3’s) and averaging 8.1 ppg. Martin has been doing double duty recently, starting at SG but also backing up Delzell.

The SG position has been a morass. Junior Levall Hart began the season as the starter but while shooting well overall (55%), only hit 14% of his 3’s and has seen his on court minutes decrease precipitously and is averaging just 3.1 ppg. Rick Martin has been starting in recent games but has been inconsistent and thus has not been able to solidify his hold on the position. Redshirt freshman B.J. Dennis, while not yet starting, has been playing more minutes at SG than anyone else recently and has had some good scoring performances. Dennis is now averaging 7.8 ppg. Freshman William Swan and senior Lonnie Holt also have had limited exposure at SG

Confusion extends to the PG position where junior Tim Lostetter and sophomore Linehan Murphy have been sharing starts and minutes. Lostetter is the more aggressive shooter and scorer (8.1 ppg), but Murphy (6.2 ppg) tends to be the passer and has shown a keen shooting eye. Levall Hart could also play some at PG.

When asked about the team, Coach Durst replied, “I had certainly hoped to see the starting positions nailed down by now. But we have a bunch of very good players who compete hard both in games and in practice. There are a number of players who have very good performances on any given day. Those who gain a bit more consistency will ultimately become regular starters for us. It’s nice to have the depth we have this season. I’d like to see a couple of them begin having strong games so that teams will have to spread their defensive intensity around and take some pressure off Jamal.”

Regarding his team’s chances in league play, Durst responded, “I think it’s going to be a tough battle. There are so many teams that have the players to make a run. I think we’ll be in the mix. We’ve shown we have an offense that can compete, now we just have to amp up our defense some. With our inside game pretty much in place, if we can now get our outside game complimenting that, I think we could be a big factor in the Horizon League. To be league champs, though, a team has to play well on the road and carve out some away victories. We had a couple early this season but then lost our last two road games.”

When asked about the team’s recruiting efforts, Durst said, “We’ve got letters of intent from very good high school seniors for 2 of the 4 scholarships that will be available after this season. We’re continuing to actively work to build interest and hope to nail down some players who can step in and fill the big shoes of those who are graduating at the end of this season. There are a couple recruits we are pursuing who need to do well on their SAT’s to qualify to play for us, so January 28 when the SAT scores are announced is a big date for them and us.”

The Penguins take on UIC in Chicago in their Horizon League opener, and in response to what the team would do to win the game, Durst replied, “Tim Patterson is a big time scorer. He’s scored over 20 point in 6 of their 10 games this season. So we need to try to keep him from busting out. UIC had a great team last season and I expect them to be tough to handle this year as well. Going on the road to take them on in our first league contest is a huge challenge. We need to be clicking on all cylinders if we expect to have a chance.”

[PointGuard]

Penguins Blown Away in Windy City
By Steve Porter

Coach KD Durst started his top defenders, but the refs negated that strategy by calling 2 fouls in the first minute against B. J. Dennis who was covering high-scoring Tim Patterson. Trekking frequently to the line, the Flames scored the first 6 points of the game and it became a game of “catch up” for the Penguins. With both teams shooting poorly, YSU finally tied the game at 11-11 with 10:38 remaining in the first half. But stone-cold shooting by the Penguins allowed the Flames to pull ahead 20-13 with 6 minutes left in the half. Rick Martin came in at SG and scored 6 quick points cutting the UIC lead to 23-19. The half ended with the Penguins trailing by a slim 31-29 margin even though they hit just 37% of their shots. Rick Martin and Jamal Grady both scored 6 points to be the top scorers for YSU. Tim Patterson had 10 points for UIC but half of those came at the free throw line.

wheels came off the bus in the first 4-1/2 minutes of the 2nd half as YSU fell behind 47-32. The raucous Chicago crowd seemed to rattle the Penguins who turned the ball over repeatedly and continued to shoot poorly. 20 turnovers, 41% shooting, and 9 less trips to the foul line by the Penguins sealed their fate as they fell 72-62.

Top scorers for YSU were SG/SF Rick Martin and C Jamal Grady who both scored 11 points. SG Tim Patterson scored 20, dished out 4 assists, pulled down 6 boards, and had 2 steals for UIC.

“We came out flat and pretty much stayed that way the entire game. And we let the crowd take us out of the game early in the 2nd half. We then didn’t have the energy to pull ourselves out of that hole,” said Coach KD Durst.

In other games Milwaukee’s PF Ryan Watson had a monster game scoring 30 and grabbing 18 rebounds in the Panthers’ 85-83 overtime win at Oakland.

[PointGuard]

Penguins and Phoenix Engage In Donnybrook
By Steve Porter

Wisconsin-Green Bay came to town on a high after drubbing Northern Kentucky 65-40 in their league opener. For a second straight game, the Penguins faced a team with a hot-shooting SG, this time by the name of Ross Lang who is averaging 20.4 ppg.

The Phoenix came out firing with Ross Lang hitting 3 of his first 3 shots to score 8 and put the Penguins in an 11-7 hole. With 11 minutes to play in the half, YSU trailed 25-16. With 3 minutes left in the half, the Penguins tied the game at 40-40. But the hot shooting of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s guard, Tim Patterson and Andre Swan, who combined for 24 points put the Phoenix on top 47-42 at the intermission. The half was punctuated frequently by a lot of jostling and pushing be each team. C Jamal Grady scored 13 to lead Youngstown State.

YSU fell behind 58-47 after 5 minutes of play in the 2nd half as the play on both sides became very physical and the refs warned both coaches. The Penguins struggled to pick away at the lead, but they slowly came back and took a 66-65 lead when Levall Hart knocked down a 3 with 6:51 to go. The Phoenix scored to retake the lead but the Penguins then went on a 8-0 run. With a minute to play the Phoenix cut the margin to 4 points. With 22 seconds on the clock, the Phoenix hit a 3 that made the score 77-75. They immediately fouled. Coach Durst argued that it should have been a flagrant foul, but the refs didn't agree. Linehan Murphy sunk both free throws and Youngstown State evened their league record at 1-1 with a 79-75 victory.

C Jamal Grady scored 21 points and pulled down 7 boards. PF Aaron Tice added 12. For Wisconsin-Green Bay, SG Ross Lang rang up 20 points plus had 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

C Kent Jones sprained his ankle in the 2nd half when he came down on another player's foot while trying to rebound and is likely to be out of action for a week.

“The Phoenix are a tough team and we were fortunate to be able to come back after falling behind by 11 points in the 2nd half. I don't often compliment the refs, but they did a good job and controlling things to keep the players from letting the physicality of play get out of hand,” said Coach KD Durst.

[Wayne23]

At the post game press conference the YSU head coach, Lance Boyle, said, "Them Penguins play dirty!"

[PointGuard]

At the post game press conference the W-GB head coach, Lance Boyle, said, "Them Penguins play dirty!"

In the locker room before the next day's practice, Linehan Murphy read the above quote to the team. Amidst the cries of "boo hoo hoo" and "Boyle's a boil on the ass of humanity", Chad Delzell stated, "No one comes into our home gym and tries to cut our legs out from under us and doesn't get some payback!" Tim Lostetter added, "Let's make Boyle pay for that comment, guys. We visit the Phoenix in 5-6 weeks. Let's resolve right now to put another "L" on their record that night. Home losses always hurt more." Their was unanimous consent to Lostetter's plan.