YSU BASKETBALL Penguins play host to league's top team

Youngstown State men entertain UW-Milwaukee Thursday at Beeghly.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State men's basketball coach Jerry Slocum knows that every game in the Horizon League is an important one, but there's something about Thursday night's contest against league-leading UW-Milwaukee that even makes it more exciting.
The Penguins (6-11, 3-4 HL) close out their only four-game home stand of the season against the Panthers in a 7:35 p.m. tip-off at Beeghly Center.
Milwaukee leads the Horizon League with a 7-1 record and is 14-4 overall. The Panthers have won two straight games and 10 of their last 11.
YSU can take a big step up in the standings since its next three games are against the top three teams in the standings.
Following the Milwaukee game the Penguins go on the road for contests against Cleveland State Saturday and Wright State Jan. 30.
"This is an exciting time for YSU men's basketball," said Slocum. "The kids are anxious to play UW-Milwaukee because they are the top team in our league."
Big win over Butler
The Penguins are coming off a big conference victory over Butler on Saturday, 64-62. It was the first time YSU defeated the Bulldogs since joining the Horizon League.
"Our conference has been interesting all season long and a team like Milwaukee, which has loads of experience, is doing well as expected," Slocum said.
"Defense has been the premium in the conference and any team that scores over 70 points has a chance to win in this league," he added.
Slocum said for the Penguins to compete against Milwaukee they must play good defense, rebound well and they must make their shots.
"We can't afford to let them have a second and third shot at the basket and we have to do a better job at the free throw line," he said.
The majority of the Penguins' points this season have come from juniors Quin Humphrey (19.8 ppg) and Keston Roberts (16.0) and senior Domonique Crawford (9.8).
"We need guys like John Barber to step up and contribute more to the offense," Slocum added.
The Penguins dropped two 23-point losses to the Panthers a year ago, 65-42 and 90-67.
Women on the road
The YSU women's basketball team will play Loyola Thursday at 5:45 p.m. in Chicago.
The Penguins (5-13, 1-6) suffered a 69-62 loss at Detroit in their last outing and have dropped six of their last seven.
Loyola (2-16, 2-5 Horizon) beat Wright State in its last outing, 85-77, and its only other win came at home against Cleveland State 73-65.
The Penguins fell way behind Detroit in their last contest and coach Tisha Hill said it's important for the team to get off to a better start.
"We need to get re-focused because any win now is a momentum factor," she said.
"We need to shoot better like the second half last week," she said. "It was the same shots we had in the first half only they were going in. We also have to put together a complete 40-minute game."
The Penguins will complete a three-game road trip Saturday at Illinois-Chicago at 7 p.m.
mollica@vindy.com