Jan. 7, 2009

Penguins Host UIC In Tilt of Horizon League Top Two Scoring Teams
    The Youngstown State men’s basketball team (4-9, 1-3 Horizon League) looks to return to its winning ways when it hosts UIC, Thursday, Jan. 8, in the Penguins’ first Horizon League home game in more than a month.
    Tipoff is slated for 7:35 p.m. at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio, and is part of a women’s and men’s basketball doubleheader. The game will be broadcast live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN AM and tape-delayed on MyYTV at 10 p.m.
    The Penguins are coming off a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to Wright State last Saturday at the Nutter Center.
    Junior DeAndre Mays led three players scoring in double figures with 15 points while senior Jack Liles posted 12 points and junior Sirlester Martin added 10 points.
    Junior Kelvin Bright leads the Penguins and ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 14.2 points per game while sophomore Vytas Sulskis is second on the squad with 11.3 points per game. Junior DeAndre Mays is also averaging double figures with 10.2 points per contest. Junior Sirlester Martin leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with 7.5 rebounds per game.
    UIC enters tonight’s contest with an 8-5 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Horizon League. The Flames began the season 7-2 with wins at Vanderbilt (74-55) and at Georgia Tech (66-60) but have lost three of their last four games. The Flames are coming off a 66-61 home loss to Green Bay on Saturday.
Senior Josh Mayo leads the Horizon League with a 19.5 points per game scoring average. Senior Scott VanderMeer and sophomore Robo Kreps are also averaging in double figures with 13.4 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.
    The Penguins conclude their homestand against Loyola, Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7:05 p.m.

Scouting UIC
UIC enters tonight’s contest with an 8-5 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Horizon League. The Flames began the season 7-2 with wins at Vanderbilt (74-55) and at Georgia Tech (66-60) but have lost three of their last four games. The Flames are coming off a 66-61 home loss to Green Bay on Saturday and a 71-66 home loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 30.
 

Senior Josh Mayo leads the Horizon League and the Flames with a 19.5 points per game scoring average. Senior Scott VanderMeer and sophomore Robo Kreps are also averaging in double figures with 13.4 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.

Last Time Out
The Penguins are coming off a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to Wright State last Saturday at the Nutter Center.
Junior DeAndre Mays led three players scoring in double figures with 15 points while senior Jack Liles posted 12 points and junior Sirlester Martin added 10 points.

Up Next... Loyola
The Penguins close out their homestand against Loyola, Saturday, Jan. 10. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center and will be broadcast on NewsRadio 570 AM WKBN. The game is the second part of a women’s and men’s basketball doubleheader.

The UIC Series
This is the 21st meeting between Youngstown State and UIC with the Flames owning a commanding 18-2 advantage in the all-time series. UIC has won the last two contests - both in Chicago in 2008 - but the Penguins have won the last two games played in Youngstown. The Penguins defeated the Flames, 80-68, in 2008, and 92-87, in 2007 at the Beeghly Center.
 

Mays Has Great Week
Junior DeAndre Mays turned in three impressive performances last week. Mays averaged 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in a 2-1 week, tying his career high with 19 points at Detroit and adding a game-high 15 at Wright State

HL Top Scoring Teams Square Off
Thursday’s match up between Youngstown State and UIC pits the Horizon League’s top two scoring teams against each other. The Guins lead the league with 70 points per game while the Flames are a close second with 69.8 points per contest.

Ward Coming Up Big
Freshman Ashen Ward has been hitting some big shots for the Penguins as of late. The Cleveland, Ohio, native leads the Horizon League with a .500 (15-of-30) 3-point percentage and has made five of his last six 3-point attempts. Against Wright State, Ward nailed 3-of-4 3-pointers.

Mays Ties Career High
Junior DeAndre turned in one of the overall performances in his YSU career against Detroit on Jan.1. Mays tied a career high with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. The Dallas, Texas, native scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting.

Bright Continues to Shine
Over the last eight games, junior Kelvin Bright has been almost unstoppable. During that span, Bright is averaging 16.5 points per game while 43.9 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from behind the 3-point arc. The Silver Spring, Md., native scored 21 points against Kent State (Dec. 15) on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers. Bright also became the second YSU player this season to score 20-or-more points in consecutive games. He scored a career-high 27 points against Butler on Dec. 6.

Liles Posts Another Double-Double
Senior Jack Liles posted his second double-double in the last three games and picked up his third of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds in YSU’s 81-60 win over Lock Haven on Dec. 29. Over the last five games, Liles is averaging 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Bright Enjoying Horizon League Play
In the first four games in Horizon League play, junior Kelvin Bright has been impressive and ranks fourth in the Horizon League in scoring. Against Horizon League foes, the Silver Spring, Md., native is averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from the 3-point line. He has also made all 12 of his free-throw attempts. Bright scored 13 points against Valparaiso (Dec. 4), 27 against Butler (Dec. 6) and 17 against Detroit (Jan. 1).

Sulskis Nets Third 20-Point Performance
Sophomore Vytas Sulskis nabbed his third 20-point performance of the season when he scored a game-high 20 points against Charlotte on Dec. 21. Sulskis also hit a career-best five 3-pointers against the 49ers. Sulskis also scored at least 20 points against Robert Morris (24) on Nov. 25 and Saint Francis (Pa.) (22) on Dec. 1.

Liles Net Second Double-Double
Senior Jack Liles turned in his best performance of the season when posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 64-61 win over High Point on Dec. 19. Liles connected on 6-of-12 from the field and grabbed seven offensive rebounds. He also tallied a blocked shot and a steal.

Cooksey Impressive Against Kent State
Sophomore Vance Cooksey turned in the best performance of his career against Kent State on Dec. 15. The Chicago, Ill., native scored a career-high 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and 7-of-11 from the free-throw line. Cooksey’s eight made field goals also set a career high. He also dished out five assists.

Liles Still Streakin’
Youngstown State senior Jack Liles has played in 95 consecutive games, dating back to the 2005-06 season. Liles, who has played in 101 career games, needs 275 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks 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 95 career blocked shots.

Guins Third in Rebounding
As a team, Youngstown State ranks third in the league in rebounding with 36.3 rebounds per game. The Guins also lead the league in offensive rebounds with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game. The Penguins rank tied for fifth in the circuit in defensive rebounds with 22.5 defensive rebounds per game.

Guins Shine In Offensive Categories
Besides leading the league in scoring, Youngstown State is in the top half of the league in several other offensive statistical categories. The Penguins are second in field-goal percentage (.428), second in assists per game (14.4), fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.347) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0)