Penguins Close Out Regular Season Against Old Mid-Con Nemesis Valpo

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Feb. 27, 2009

Penguins Close Out Regular Season Against Old Mid-Con Nemesis Valpo
    The Youngstown State men’s basketball team (11-17, 7-10 Horizon League) closes out the regular season when it visits old Mid-Continent Conference nemesis Valparaiso, Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.
    Tipoff is slated for 8:05 p.m. and the game will also be broadcast live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN AM.
    With a win over the Crusaders 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 78-57 loss to nationally-ranked Butler on Thursday, Feb. 26, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
    Junior Sirlester Martin led three players scoring in double figures with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. Sophomore Vytas Sulskis and junior Kelvin Bright scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
    Bright leads the team with 11.7 points per game while Mays owns a scoring average of 10.9 points per game. Sulskis has reached double figures again averaging 10.1 points per contest. Martin, who averages 9.6 points per game, leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with 7.6 rebounds per game.
    Valparaiso enters the contest with an overall record of 8-21 and a league mark of 4-13. The Crusaders are coming off a 71-64 home loss to Cleveland State on Feb. 26.
    Urule Igbavboa leads the Crusaders with 12.1 points per game while Michael Rogers is second on the squad with 9.7 points per game.
    This is the 27th meeting between Youngstown State and Vaparaiso that dates back to 1989. The Crusaders own a 19-7 advantage in the all-time series, including winning the last seven contests. Valparaiso defeated the Penguins, 68-57, on Dec. 4. The Penguins have not defeated the Crusaders since a 55-49 victory on Jan. 15, 2000, at the Beeghly Center. The last time YSU won at the ARC was a 69-66 victory on Jan. 24, 1998.

A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 12-17 overall and 8-10 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 eighth win over Valparaiso and the first win over the Crusaders since 2000.
• 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 against Valparaiso or a loss by Loyola to UIC 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... The Horizon League Tournament
The Penguins will play in the Horizon League Tournament, Tuesday, March 3. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the local site and will be broadcast on NewsRadio 570 AM WKBN.

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 .4 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in four of those games and is shooting 50.9 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.

Sulskis Steppin’ Up
Sophomore Vytas Sulskis has played an integral role in YSU’s recent success. Over the last eight games, the Penguins are 5-3 and Sulskis leads the team with 12.6 points per game and is shooting 48.7 percent. Sulskis has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games, including 18 points in a 68-64 win over Saint Peter’s (N.J.) on Feb. 21.

Last Time Against Valparaiso
In the first meeting this season, the Penguins squandered a 14-point first half lead and eventually fell to the Crusaders, 68-57, on Dec. 4. Junior Kelvin Bright led the Penguins with 13 points and junior Sirlester Martin added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Junior DeAndre Mays also reached double figures with 10 points.

Fabulous February
The Penguins are really enjoying the month of February. The Penguins started the month 5-2 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. Four of their last five games have been decided by no more than four points, and the Guins have won three. Over the last 11 games, eight of the Guins’ games have been decided by eight points or less. They have gone 6-5 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 11.7 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.

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.

Cooksey is Charitable
Over the course of his 56-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.

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 16 times.

Liles Still Streakin’; Now Second on Games Played Chart
Youngstown State senior Jack Liles has played in 110 consecutive games, dating back to the 2005-06 season. Liles, who has played in 116 career games, needs 158 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 557 career rebounds. Liles also moved into second-place on the career games played list with 116. He also ranks sixth all-time with 90 games started.