Penguins look to stay hot against Flames

January 7, 2012 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State men’s basketball coach Jerry Slocum doesn’t like to look ahead, particularly after a victory.

On Thursday night, with a dangerous game against Illinois-Chicago looming, he made an exception.

“We’ve got a really tough game on Saturday,” he said following a 68-64 overtime win over Loyola. “I just told our kids, I don’t think since I’ve been here that I’ve talked about an opponent after a win like this.”

Like YSU the past two years, UIC’s record is deceptive. The Flames (5-10, 1-4 Horizon) have played eight games decided by five points or fewer, going 3-5 in those contests. They’ve lost two Horizon League games in overtime (Milwaukee, Wright State) and had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds of a three-point loss to Green Bay.

“They’re very good,” Slocum said. “Their record doesn’t show it but they’ve played everybody.”

UIC is led by senior center Darrin Williams, whose size (6-9, 269 pounds) and skill (he averages 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game) can give the guard-oriented Penguins fits.

The Flames tied YSU for last in the conference last season with a 2-16 record but they handed the Penguins one of their most disappointing losses of the season, an 83-61 defeat on Jan. 29.

That game, however, was in Chicago. The Flames have struggled away from home, going 0-8 this season. In fact, UIC has not won a regular season Horizon League road game since Feb. 27, 2009.

YSU, meanwhile, is 4-1 this season at Beeghly Center and with a 3-1 conference record, the Penguins are off to their best start since they were members of the Mid-Continent Conference in 2000-01.

“They’re really strong, really athletic and they play hard,” YSU senior Ashen Ward said of the Flames. “It should be another grind-out game where hopefully our toughness is better than theirs.”