No. 6 Penguins Host No. 7 UIC in First Round Horizon League Tournament Game

HALL OF FAME PENGUIN NICKNAME FOOTBALL MEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY

ALUMNI CHEERLEADERS MARCHING PRIDE MAJORETTES PETE & PENNY PENGUIN

ACADEMIC SUPPORT COMPLIANCE SPORTS INFORMATION SPORTS MEDICINE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAAC)

WELCOME LETTER QUESTIONNAIRE BOOSTERS INFORMATION NCAA GUIDE LETTERS OF INTENET CAMPUS OVERVIEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS UNIVERSITY HOUSING FINANCIAL AID APPLY TO YSU

STAMBAUGH STADIUM BEEGHLY CENTER CENE PARK EASTWOOD FIELD McCUNE PARK BEEGHLY NATATORIUM YSU TENNIS COURTS BOARDMAN TENNIS CENTER MILL CREEK PARK

DIRECTORY MISSION STATEMENT SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES JOB OPPORTUNITIES NCAA CERTIFICATION COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT VISITORS GUIDE DIRECTIONS TO YSU

BASEBALL MEN'S BASKETBALL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL GOLF SOCCER SOFTBALL SWIMMING & DIVING TENNIS TRACK & FIELD VOLLEYBALL

March 2, 2009
No. 6 Penguins Host No. 7 UIC in First Round Horizon League Tournament Game
For the second time in three seasons the Youngstown State men’s basketball team (11-18, 7-11 Horizon League) will play host to a first-round Horizon League Tournament game when the UIC Flames visit the Beeghly Center, Tuesday, March 3.
Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. and the game will also be broadcast live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN AM and the Horizon League Network, and tape-delayed on MyYTV.

2009 Speedway Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship

Tuesday, March 3/First Round/at campus sites
Game 1 - #10 Detroit at #3 Cleveland State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 2 - #7 UIC at #6 Youngstown State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 3 - #9 Valparaiso at #4 Wright State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 4 - #8 Loyola at #5 Milwaukee, 8 p.m. ET (HLN)

Friday, March 6/Second Round/at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Game 5 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 6 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m. ET (HLN)

Saturday, March 7 / Semifinals / at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Game 7 - Game 5 winner at #1 Butler, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Game 8 - Game 6 winner vs. #2 Green Bay, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Tuesday, March 10 / Championship / at higher remaining seed
Game 9 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 12-18 overall.
• Advance the Penguins to the Horizon League Quarterfinals for the second time in three years.
• Mark YSU’s third tournament win since joining the Horizon League.
• Mark YSU’s third win over UIC this season.
• Be the first time YSU has defeated an opponent three times in a season since 1998 (UMKC).
• Mark YSU’s fifth win over UIC.
• Mark YSU’s eighth home 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.

Guins In the Horizon League Tournament
Youngstown State owns a 2-7 record in Horizon League Tournament play. The Penguins’ victories came against Detroit (82-80) in 2007 and at Green Bay (65-61) in 2003.

UIC Familiar Tourney Foe
This is the third time the Penguins and Flames will meet in the Horizon League Tournament. Last season, UIC defeated the Penguins, 70-59, at the UIC Pavilion. In 2003, the Flames were victorious, 79-59, in the quarterfinals held in Milwaukee, Wis.

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.

Mays Named to All-Newcomer Team
Junior DeAndre Mays became the third Youngstown State player in four years to be named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team. Mays, a native of Dallas, Texas, is averaging 10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. His 3.4 assists per game rank sixth in the Horizon League while 10.9 points per game rank 20th. He also averaged 11.4 points per game against Horizon League opponents. The other two Penguins named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team under Head Coach Jerry Slocum were Vytas Sulskis (2007-08) and Keston Roberts (2005-06).

Last Time Out
Youngstown State built an eight-point second-half lead, but nine second-half turnovers proved costly as the Penguins dropped their regular-season finale to Valparaiso, 67-59, on Feb. 28 at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Junior Sirlester Martin led the Penguins with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and junior DeAndre Mays added 11 points.

About UIC
UIC earned the seventh seed in the tournament after posting a 7-11 Horizon League record. The Flames tied the Penguins in the standings, but since the Penguins swept the season series the Flames fall to the seventh seed. The Flames are led by All-Horizon League First-Team selection Josh Mayo, who ranked second in league with 16.9 points per game. Robo Kreps and Scott VanderMeer also average double figures with 12.1 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.

Guins vs. Flames - ‘09
The Penguins swept the season series from the Flames in 2009. The Guins defeated the Flames, 80-70, on Jan. 8 at the Beeghly Center, and 68-60, on Feb. 7 at the UIC Pavilion. Junior Kelvin Bright averaged 16 points per game against UIC, including a 23-point performance on Jan. 8. Sophomore Tom Parks scored 15 points in the win at the UIC Pavilion and sophomore Vytas Sulskis averaged 11 points per game against the Flames this year.

Martin Makin’ His Mark
Over the last five games, junior Sirlester Martin has been showing his potential. Martin is averaging 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in four of those games and is shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. Against Butler on Feb. 26, Martin led the team with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. He also led the team with 13 points against Valparaiso on Feb. 28.

Ides of March
The month of March has not been too friendly to the Penguins since joining the Horizon League. The Guins own a record of 1-8 in the month of March since joining the league in 2001-02. The last time the Penguins won more than one game in the month of March was in 1998 when they advanced to the championship game of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament.

Sulskis Steppin’ Up
Sophomore Vytas Sulskis has played an integral role in YSU’s recent success. Over the last nine games, the Penguins are 5-4 and Sulskis is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting 46.9 percent. Sulskis has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games, including 18 points in a 68-64 win over Saint Peter’s (N.J.) on Feb. 21. He also posted 12 points in a 78-57 loss to Butler on Feb. 26.

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.
• The Penguins won five games in the month of February for the first time since 2007.

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 11.6 and 10.9 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 ninth in the Horizon League with a .388 3-point percentage. Parks’ .457 3-point percentage against League foes ranks third in the circuit.

Cooksey is Charitable
Over the course of his 57-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.

Mays Comin’ To Play
Over the last two weeks, junior DeAndre Mays has been impressive. Mays is averaging 11.8 points, four rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He is also shooting 57.1 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.

Liles Still Streakin’; Now Second on Games Played Chart
Youngstown State senior Jack Liles has played in 111 consecutive games, dating back to the 2005-06 season. Liles, who has played in 117 career games, needs 154 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 114 career blocked shots. He also has 561 career rebounds. Liles also moved into second-place on the career games played list with 117. He also ranks fifth all-time with 91 games started.