PREVIEW YSU basketball

MEN
Who: YSU (1-5) vs. St. Bonaventure (4-2).When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Where: Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure, N.Y.Radio: WNIO-AM (1390).Coaches: Jerry Slocum is in his first season at YSU (1-5) with a career record of 581-330 in 31 seasons; Anthony Solomon is in his third season with a 13-49 record.
Series: This is the seventh meeting between the teams, with the Bonnies holding a 5-1 advantage. The teams haven't met since the 1951-52 season when the Bonnies posted a 76-50 record. YSU's only win in the series came in 1946-47, 58-50. The series began in 1939-40.
Game notes: The Penguins have lost four straight games on the road this season and 27 straight non-conference games dating to the 2001 season. YSU is on the third game of a three-game road trip having lost at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night, 77-71. The Penguins played very well in the first half against the Eagles, but very poorly the first 15 minutes of the second half. Junior Keston Roberts led the Penguins with 25 points, 18 of them in the first half. St. Bonaventure has won two straight, beating St. Francis, 69-65, and Central Connecticut State, 85-86. The Bonnies are 4-0 at home and their two losses were on the road to Niagara (101-88) and West Virginia (66-61). Senior Ahmad Smith leads the Bonnies with a 20-point average and 9.3 rebounds. The Bonnies are averaging 40 rebounds a game and 76.6 points.
Next up: The Penguins return home on Dec. 17 to take on Duquesne in a 3:25 p.m. tip-off at Beeghly Center. The YSU women will meet Indiana State in the first game of a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
WOMEN
Who: YSU (2-5) vs. Eastern Michigan (2-4).When: Saturday, 4 p.m. Where: Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Radio/TV: None.
Coaches: Tisha Hill is in her third season with the Penguins, with an overall record of 18-45. Suzy Merchant is in her eighth season with the Eagles and has a record of 124-87.
The series: This is the sixth meeting between the two teams. Eastern Michigan holds a 3-2 advantage. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Penguins, 87-62, in Youngstown. YSU's last win in the series was 1989-90 when they topped the Eagles, 97-90, also in Youngstown. The Eagles are 2-0 against the Penguins in Ypsilanti.
Game notes: The Penguins have not played well in their last two games, losing to Oakland (Mich.) at home last Monday and then fell 53-40 at Buffalo on Wednesday night. The Penguins are 1-4 on the road this year and 1-1 at home. Junior guard Kristy Gaudiose of Poland led the Penguins against Buffalo with 13 points. Eastern Michigan also has struggled this year and has a four-game losing streak. The Eagles opened the season with wins over Central Connecticut State and Massachusetts, before dropping four straight, three of them in the Hawaii Tournament to DePaul, Cal State Northridge and Idaho State. Most recently, the Eagles were beaten by the University of Indiana 70-64 on Wednesday. Senior Ryan Coleman leads the Eagles with a 20-point-per-game average while senior Nikki Knapp averages 11.5 and junior Sarah Vanmetre has an 11-point average and also 7.5 rebounds per game.
Next up: The Penguins return home on Dec. 17 to play Indiana State in a 1 p.m. tip-off at Beeghly Center. The YSU men will play Duquesne is the second game of a doubleheader at 3:25 p.m.
Pete Mollica