The Jambar

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Sports

Feeling confident after its first playoff victory in 12 years, the Youngstown State University basketball team will look to advance another round with a win Friday against UW-Green Bay in Dayton.

The fifth-seeded Penguins (14-16) captured a victory over Detroit for two reasons: a career-high 31 points by senior guard Keston Roberts and reversing a season-long trend of first-half scoring droughts.

Roberts scored the first 10 points of the game and helped YSU jump out to a 14-point halftime lead, a pleasant surprise for a team that has often had to fight back from halftime deficits.

UW-Green Bay (17-14) won both meetings against the Penguins this season, but senior Dwight Holmes is confident that this game could be a different story.

"We know how to play against them now," Holmes said. "We know how to attack them offensively."

The Penguins struggled shooting the ball in each meeting with the Phoenix, with field goal percentages of 32.8 percent and 27.7 percent. Holmes said that the solution to this problem is simple - shoot more.

"We've just got to get more shots up," Holmes said. "In the previous games we shot bad. We've got to make shots eventually."

Defensively, the Penguins must contain Mike Schachtner, a versatile 6-9 forward with three-point range shooting abilities.

Schachtner reached the 20-point plateau in each game against the Penguins this season.

YSU will challenge the Phoenix with its high-scoring duo of Roberts and fellow senior Quin Humphrey. The pair has combined to average 35.3 points per game this season and will need to continue at that pace to extend their college careers.

One possible advantage for the Penguins is the location of the tournament game - Dayton, Ohio. Holmes said that he is glad the team will have a short trip to the Nutter Center, the home floor of Horizon League opponent Wright State.

"Being at Wright State, we don't have to travel as far as they [UW-Green Bay] do," Holmes said. "I would say that we have an advantage by getting to stay in Ohio."

The YSU Athletic Department hopes to increase fan support at the game by offering a bus trip to the game for Penguin fans.

The cost of the trip is $50 and game tickets must be purchased separately. Tickets for the contest are $20 for adults and $10 for students.

Regardless of where the game is played, the Penguins will have to continue the solid play that has lead to them winning four of their last five games. In Holmes' words, it is a simple strategy.

"Just keep playing hard and sticking to the game plan."

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