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YSU men look to rebound from back-to-back losses
By Joe Catullo Jr.
YOUNGSTOWN
A week ago, the Youngstown State men’s basketball team had a shot for a first-round bye in the Horizon League tournament, which begins on March 5.
Now, if the Penguins can find their winning ways again, they are just focused on a first-round home game.
The Penguins’ lone win last week came against Loyola, 60-59, on Blake Allen’s game-winning 3-pointer on Thursday. They fell at Cleveland State on Tuesday, 66-60, and UIC on Sunday, 88-83, in three overtimes. The biggest difference in the losses was free throws.
“Missing free throws is like the plague,” said coach Jerry Slocum. “Once it starts, it’s disappointing.”
In the two losses combined, YSU went 33-55 (60 percent) from the charity stripe. The Penguins made 13 free throws on 16 attempts (81.2 percent) against Loyola.
“I thought we played with some character and some heart this past week, but did not shoot the ball from the foul line very well in two games, and it cost us both games,” Slocum said.
Slocum added that free throws were not the only factor in Sunday’s triple-overtime thriller.
“It’s not rocket science, but that’s not the only thing that lost us that game on Sunday,” Slocum said. “There were some very poor executions that I’m very, very disappointed with. There were some failed executions that cost us a great game.”
The Penguins are 1-3 in February with four games left this month. They are 6-6 against the Horizon League and are in sixth place. The Penguins would be tied for second place had they beaten CSU and UIC.
“It is what it is, guys,” Slocum said. “I told our kids it’s that February drag that everybody in the country gets at times. You just got to keep your focus on the things that you can do well and keep on working hard to get better.”
YSU’s next opponent is last-place Milwaukee on Friday at Beeghly Center. YSU defeated the Panthers, 75-72, on Jan. 19. Slocum has been scouting the Panthers since 6 a.m. Monday, and said their 5-20 record (1-10 in the conference) does not reflect what they are capable of doing.
“We’re going to have to guard the perimeter line,” Slocum said. “They’re very, very gifted offensively, and when they’re on, they’ve had opportunities to win.
“They have some quality wins out of the conference.”
The Penguins then face fourth-place Green Bay at home on Sunday.
Along with finding their free throws, the Penguins are looking to play a complete game offensively and defensively, something that hasn’t happened in a while.
“I would say a handful of games this year so far were what I would call a complete where our offense played along with our defense,” Slocum said. “And when we do that, we’re capable of beating the Wright States and the Valpos. And when you don’t, you’re capable of losing to anybody in our league.”