Penguins' road woes continue
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State men's and women's basketball teams are off to a struggling start this season and, as expected, the losses are coming on the road.
The men are 1-2 with two road losses while the women, who played their first four games away from home, are 1-3.
The men have continued to get better every game under first-year head coach Jerry Slocum, but they still haven't learned how to win on the road.
This isn't a new trend. The Penguins were just 2-59 on the road in the last four years under previous head coach John Robic.
If they want to be a good team, that has to change.
Coming closeagainst Akron
The Penguins nearly snapped their long non-conference road losing streak on Saturday when they took a 17-point first half lead against the University of Akron. They were still ahead by 15 near the midway point of the second half.
But, once again, the Penguins went through a dry spell when they just couldn't find the basket and let the Zips back into the game.
"There are still a lot of things this team needs to learn," said Slocum. "Getting over the hump in a close road game is only one of them."
Losing isn't easy for the new Penguins coach. He's had successful teams for most of his 31 years as a collegiate head coach.
The Penguins played an outstanding first 20 minutes against the Zips, who were making their season debut.
They battled the much stronger Zips on the boards and won easily. They shot the ball well (48.4 percent), which they have to do to compete against the better teams.
But the second half was another example of the problems the Penguins have had over the years on the road: the shooting went cold and the turnovers started piling up.
It added up to another road loss.
YSU is now 0-for-26 on the road in non-conference games dating back to Jan. 2, 2001 when it defeated Robert Morris 69-56.
The Penguins are just 2-61 overall on the road over the stretch.
A welcome returnto Beeghly Center
Both the men and women welcome a return to Beeghly Center on Wednesday night. It will be the home opener for the women, who were roughed up pretty good over the weekend playing in a tournament at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Third-year head coach Tisha Hill has a pretty inexperienced starting lineup, but the young Penguins have a lot of potential.
With seven new faces on this year's roster, Hill knows it will take a little time for these players to start to feel comfortable.
Wednesday night the women will meet Saint Louis University in the opening game of a doubleheader at 5:15 p.m., while the men will play another Mid-American Conference opponent, Kent State, in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m.
This will be the first of six scheduled doubleheaders at Beeghly Center this season. Five of them will be at night, with one slated to begin at 1:05 p.m. on Dec. 17 when the women meet Indiana State and the men play Duquesne at 3:25.
Changes madeto YSU's court
Anyone who attended last week's men's home opener against Slippery Rock was aware of some of the changes made to the Dom Rosselli court.
The bleacher seats behind the one basket have been pulled back and a huge "Youngstown State" banner has been spread over them. That area has been now opened up for the cheerleaders and dance team.
The Penguins have also turned down the lights and used a new spotlight for the introductions of the YSU starting lineup before the game. Last week it still wasn't working to perfection, but once they get it perfected it will add a new dimension to the festivities.
For the two Penguin teams, just getting back to Beeghly Center will be welcome addition.
XPete Mollica is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.