YSU BASKETBALL Penguins take on Niagara Saturday

It will be the final tune-up for Youngstown State before opening Horizon League play.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team will get its final tune-up for the Horizon League season on Saturday when the Penguins play host to Niagara University at Beeghly Center.
The contest, which begins at 7 p.m., is part of a "Take a Kid to a Game" promotion by the NCAA and sponsored by Armstrong. Any youngster age 12 and under can get a ticket for $1 if accompanied by a paying adult.
The Penguins are 4-4 and are coming off two straight road losses. YSU is 4-0 at Beeghly Center this year and 0-4 on the road. In fact, the Penguins have now dropped 19 straight games on the road dating back to the 2000-2001 season.
Horizon opener Dec. 31
Following Saturday's contest against the Purple Eagles (3-5), the Penguins play two more games on the road, including the Horizon League opener on Dec. 31 at Loyola of Chicago. They follow that with a non-league matchup at Oakland (Mich.) on Jan 6.
The Penguins have been off since last Saturday when they dropped a 71-59 decision to previously winless UMKC in Kansas City. It was a game in which the Penguins did not play well.
"We played well in losing at Duquesne," said coach John Robic. "In fact, it might have been the best complete effort we made other than our game with Toledo."
The main problem facing the Penguins is shooting, or their lack of it.
Robic has said from the beginning of the year that this is not a good shooting team and that it had to win with good, solid defensive efforts.
In the Penguins' four wins they have done just that, but lately teams are using zone defenses, collapsing on the YSU inside game and forcing the Penguins to shoot from the outside, something they do not do well.
Not a good shooting team
YSU shot just 35 percent from the field against UMKC; sophomore guard Doug Underwood led the Penguins with 13 points. The 6-3 starter needs to score more if the Penguins are to be successful.
The same goes for 6-6 junior forward TeJay Anderson, who is averaging 10 points a game.
While Underwood leads the team with a 12.5 average, 6-8 junior center Adam Baumann is next with an 11.8 mark and tops the team in rebounding, averaging eight per game.
The Penguins played without junior 6-7 forward Jamel Porter against UMKC and the junior college transfer is still questionable for Saturday. If he's not ready, 6-7 sophomore Brian Radakovich will start in his place. Senior Marlon Williamson rounds out the starting rotation.
Niagara, which lost five of its first six games, is currently on a two-game winning streak with back-to-back wins over Akron (77-71) and Drexel (88-72).
Leading Niagara
The Purple Eagles are led by 6-7 sophomore forward Juan Mendez, who averages 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. In their last win, Mendez scored 33 points and had 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double (24 points and 11 rebounds against Akron) and third of the season.
The Eagles have three starters in double figures. Behind Mendez is 6-4 junior guard Darden Tremmel with a 16.3 average, while 6-8 junior James Reaves averages 10.1 per game.
The teams last met in 1999, with the Purple Eagles posting an 82-77 victory at Beeghly Center.
mollica@vindy.com