YSUsports.com - Men's Basketball: Penguins Hang On to Earn 68-64 Win Over Saint Peter's (N.J.)

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Feb. 25, 2009

Guins Visit Nationally-Ranked Butler in Search of First Round Home Game
    Winners of five of their last six games, the Youngstown State men’s basketball team (11-16, 7-9 Horizon League) visits Horizon League leader and No. 23/24 Butler in search of its first win at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Thursday, Feb. 26, in Indianapolis, Ind.
    Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will also be broadcast live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN AM.
    With a win in one of the next two games or a Loyola loss on Friday to UIC, the Penguins would clinch a first-round tournament home game on Tuesday, March 3, at the Beeghly Center.
    The Penguins are coming off a hard-fought 68-64 win over Saint Peter’s (N.J.) in the Seventh Annual ESPN BracketBuster on Feb. 21.
    Sophomore Vytas Sulskis led three players scoring in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Junior DeAndre Mays and sophomore Tom Parks each added 13 points.
    Junior Kelvin Bright leads the team with 11.8 points per game while Mays owns a scoring average of 11.1 points per game. Sulskis has reached double figures again averaging 10 points per contest. Junior Sirlester Martin, who averages 9.4 points per game, leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with 7.6 rebounds per game.
    Butler enters the game with a 23-4 over mark and a league-best 13-3 record. The Bulldogs, who are 12-1 at home this season, are coming off a 75-63 road win at Davidson in the BracketBuster on Feb. 21.
    Sophomore Matt Howard leads the Bulldogs with 14 points and seven rebounds per game while freshman Gordon Hayward is averaging 13.9 points per game and classmate Shelvin Mack averages 12 points per contest.
    This is the 18th meeting between Youngstown State and Butler in a series that dates back to 1983-84. Butler owns a 15-2 advantage in the all-time series, including a 78-71 victory on Dec. 6, 2008. The last time Youngstown State defeated Butler was a 64-62 victory on Jan. 21, 2006, at the Beeghly Center.

A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 12-16 overall and 8-9 in the Horizon League.
• Set a school mark for most Horizon League wins in a season - most is seven in 2006-07 and 2008-09.
• Clinch a first-round tournament game on Tuesday, March 3.
• Mark YSU’s third win over Butler and the first-ever win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Mark YSU’s first win over a ranked opponent since 1952.
• Mark YSU’s fifth road win of the season.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum’s 622nd career victory and his 42nd at Youngstown State.
• YSU’s 976th victory in the program’s history.

Slocum In Select Company
Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is in some pretty elite company. Slocum, who has 621 career wins, is one of eight active Division I head coaches with more than 600 career victories and ranks tied for sixth among that group.

Can Clinch Home Tournament Game
With a win in one of its last two Horizon League games or a loss by Loyola to UIC next Friday, Youngstown State will have earned the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Tournament and host a first round game on Tuesday, March 3. It would be the second time in three years the Penguins hosted a first round game. The last time was in 2007 when the Guins defeated Detroit, 82-80.

Up Next... Valparaiso
The Penguins close out the regular season against Valparaiso, Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 8:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on NewsRadio 570 AM WKBN.

Sulskis Steppin’ Up
Sophomore Vytas Sulskis has played an integral role in YSU’s recent success. Over the last seven games, the Penguins are 5-2 and Sulskis leads the team with 12.7 points per game and is shooting 47.1 percent. Sulskis has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games, including 18 points in a 68-64 win over Saint Peter’s (N.J.) on Feb. 21.

Fabulous February
The Penguins are really enjoying the month of February. The Penguins started the month 5-1 and have won five games in the month of February for the first time since 2007. The Penguins have not won six games in the month of February since 1999.

February Firsts
• Defeated Loyola for the first road win in the month of February since a 75-69 win at UMKC on Feb. 17, 2001.
• The Penguins won for the first time at the UIC Pavilion on Feb. 7.
• With the win over Milwaukee on Feb. 14, YSU won four straight games in the month of February for the first time since 1999.

Penguins and Nailbiters
The Penguins have been playing a lot of close game recently. Their last four games have been decided by no more than four points, and the Guins have won three. Over the last 10 games, eight of the Guins’ games have been decided by eight points or less. They have gone 6-4 in that span. This season, the Guins have played 11 games decided by four-points-or-less and have a record of 6-5 in those contests.

Newcomers Play Big Role
Youngstown State’s newcomers played a large role for the Penguins this season. Juniors Kelvin Bright and DeAndre Mays lead the team in scoring with 11.8 and 11.1 points per game, respectively. Mays also ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 3.4 assists per game. Junior Sirlester Martin leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with 7.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Tom Parks ranks seventh in the Horizon League with a .410 3-point percentage. Freshman Ashen Ward ranks second on the team with a 3-point percentage of .408.

Martin Picks Up Fourth Double-Double
After posting a career-high 20 points against Milwaukee on Feb. 14, junior Sirlester Martin notched his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds against Cleveland State on Feb. 18. Over the last two games, Martin is averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game. In the last three contests, Martin is averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Cooksey is Charitable
Over the course of his 55-game career, Vance Cooksey has been the Penguins’ best free-throw shooter. He leads the team with a .771 free-throw percentage (37-of-48) this season. Last year, Cooksey owned an impressive free-throw percentage of .797 (55-of-69). His current career free-throw percentage is .786 and ranks tied for eighth all-time.

Saturday In the Parks
Over the eight games, sophomore Tom Parks has been a menace to his opponents. During that time, Parks is shooting 53.3 percent from the field. More impressive is his accuracy from behind the 3-point line. Parks, who tied a career high with 15 points against UIC on Feb. 7, is shooting 55.9 percent (19-of-34) from behind the arc in the last eight games. He made four treys against Wright State (Jan. 29), three against Detroit (Jan. 31), one against Loyola (Feb. 5) and a career-best five against UIC (Feb. 7). He went 5-for-5 against the Flames. He scored 13 points and made three treys against Saint Peter’s on Feb. 21. Of his 25 3-pointers made this season, 19 have come in the last eight games.

Mays Comin’ To Play
Over the last two weeks, junior DeAndre Mays has been impressive. Mays is averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and three assists per game. He is also shooting 63.6 percent from behind the 3-point line. Against Green Bay on Feb. 12, Mays lit up the Phoenix for a game-high 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. He also made 10-of-14 shots from the free-throw line. The Dallas, Texas, native poured in 15 points in the 70-68 win over Milwaukee on Feb. 14. He scored 13 points against Saint Peter’s on Feb. 21.

Martin Hits For Career High
Junior Sirlester Martin posted a career-high 20 points to lead the Penguins past Milwaukee, 70-68, on Feb. 14. Martin connected on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Martin has scored in double figures 13 times this season and has led the Penguins in scoring three times. He has also led the Guins in rebounding 15 times.

Liles Still Streakin’; Now Second on Games Played Chart
Youngstown State senior Jack Liles has played in 109 consecutive games, dating back to the 2005-06 season. Liles, who has played in 115 career games, needs 167 points to become the first player in school history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career. Liles also ranks third all-time with 113 career blocked shots. He also has 551 career rebounds. Liles also moved into second-place on the career games played list with 115. He also ranks sixth all-time with 89 games started.