Men's Basketball Goes For Fifth-Straight Home Win Against UIC Sunday
2/9/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Youngstown State men's basketball team goes for its fifth-straight home win when it hosts UIC, Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m., and the game can be heard on 570 WKBN-AM and iHeartRadio. The game can be viewed on the Horizon League Network.
Last Time Out
• Senior Blake Allen hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to lift the Penguins to a 60-59 win over Loyola on Feb. 7.
• Junior Kendrick Perry led the Penguins with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Junior Kamren Belin scored 11 points and Allen added 10 points.
Up Next
• The Penguins host Milwaukee, Friday, Feb. 15, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
• The game can be heard on 570 WKBN-AM and iHeartRadio.
• Fans can also watch the contest on the Horizon League Network.
The UIC Series
• This is the 31st meeting between Youngstown State and UIC in a series that dates back to 1993.
• The Flames own a 23-7 advantage in the all-time series but the Penguins have won the last three meetings at the Beeghly Center.
• UIC won the most recent game, a 65-60, victory at the UIC Pavilion on Jan. 2.
Scouting UIC
• UIC is 14-10 overall and 5-6 in the Horizon League.
• The Flames have four players averaging in double figures led by Gary Talton's 13 points per game.
• Daniel Barnes is averaging 11 points per contest while Hayden Humes and Josh Crittle are at 10.3 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
• UIC is just 1-4 in Horizon League road games.
A Win Will
• Improve YSU to 15-10 overall on the year.
• Improve YSU to 7-5 in the Horizon League.
• Mark the second straight season YSU has won at least 15 games.
• Mark YSU's eighth win over UIC.
• Mark YSU's fourth consecutive home win over the Flames.
• Mark YSU's ninth home win of the season.
• Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 670th career victory and his 89th at Youngstown State.
• Mark YSU's 1,023rd victory in the program's history.
Seasons of Change
• As proof of improvement in the Youngstown State men's basketball program, just look at the last 110 games.
• In the last 55 games, Youngstown State has a record of 30-25 for a winning percentage of .545.
• In the previous 55 game, the Penguins owned a record of 15-40 for a winning percentage of .273.
• That is a 15-win improvement for the Penguins.
Down to the Wire
• The 60-59 win over Loyola on Feb. 7 was the second time this season the Penguins won a game in the waning seconds.
• Coincidentally, the other time was also against the Ramblers on Jan. 5.
• The Penguins trailed by 14 points in the second half and Kendrick Perry's fade-away jumper with four seconds left lifted the Penguins to a 68-66 win.
• The 60-59 win over the Ramblers marked the first time since 2011 the Penguins had a one-point victory.
• That score was also 60-59 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 26, 2011.
Allen Nearing 3's Mark
• With a 3-pointer against Loyola on Feb. 5, senior Blake Allen is within one of tying the YSU career 3-point record.
• Allen has made 197 career 3's in three years and needs two more to break the record of 198.
• The record of 198 was set by Craig Haese from 1997-2001, in four seasons.
• Allen ranks second in the Horizon League with 59 3-pointers and 2.5 3-pointers made per game.
Eargle Nearing 1,000 at YSU
• The 1,000-point countdown for senior Damian Eargle has officially started.
• Eargle needs just 26 more points to become the 34th player in school history to score 1,000 points.
• Eargle has scored 974 points, including 286 this season, in his three-year career at Youngstown State.
• Including his 268 points at UNCG in 2008-09, Eargle has scored 1,242 points in his collegiate career.
• He would become the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 250 blocks.
KP Nearing Top 20
• With 1,177 career points, junior Kendrick Perry ranks 21st all-time and is approaching the top 20.
• Perry needs just 11 more points to move into 20th place on the list.
• He also needs just 23 more points to become the 19th player in score 1,200 career points.
• In his 85-game career, Perry has a scoring average of 13.8 points per game.
Belin Newcomer of the Week, Again
• For the second straight week, junior Kamren Belin has been named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Week.
• Belin set a career high with six 3-pointers en route to a 19-point effort against Detroit on Feb. 1.
• He also added seven rebounds in a losing cause.
• Belin helped the Penguins topple Valparaiso, finishing with an efficient 16 points on Jan. 30.
• For the week, Belin was 9-for-15 from 3-point range.
• In conference play, Belin is averaging 13.1 points per game, hitting 44 percent of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
"ARC"-hitects
• Youngstown State made a season-high 11 3-pointers against Detroit on Feb. 1.
• It also marks the first time this season the Penguins made at least 10 3-pointers in game.
• Last season, the Penguins made 10-or-more 3's in a game on 10 occasions.
KP - 20/20 Vision
• With 22 points against Detroit on Feb. 1, junior Kendrick Perry recorded his sixth 20-point performance this season.
• Perry, who has 18 career 20-point games, also had 28 against Valparaiso (1/30) and averaged 25 points per game last week.
• Youngstown State is 2-4 when Perry has scored at least 20 points this year.
• Over the last seven games, Perry is averaging 15.7 points per game.
Belin is Booming
• Over the last seven games, no one has been more consistent than junior forward Kamren Belin.
• Belin has averaged 16 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
• He has connected on 45 percent from the floor, 46 percent from the 3-point line and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
• He is also averaging 2.7 3-pointers made per game during that span.
Eargle Approaching 300 Blocks
• Senior Damian Eargle has the chance to become the only player in YSU and Horizon League history to record 300 blocks.
• Eargle has 289 blocked shots, which are the YSU and Horizon League career records.
• Counting his 57 blocks at UNC-Greensboro, Eargle has reached 346 blocked shots for his entire college career.
Kam Craves League Play
• Junior Kamren Belin is making a case for an All-Newcomer Team selection.
• Belin is averaging 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and shooting 44 percent from the field and the 3-point line in league play.
• Against league opponents, Belin ranks second in 3-point percentage (.448), second in 3-pointers made (26) and 3-pointers made per game (2.4) and 12th in scoring.
• Belin ranks second among league newcomers in scoring with 13.1 points per game in league-only games.
• Belin has scored in double figures in seven straight and has at least 16 points in four of the last seven games.
