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GAME NOTES: The Youngstown State Penguins try to close out the regular season on a positive note this afternoon, as they take on fellow Horizon League member Detroit at the Beeghly Center.

YSU has been absolutely dismal in conference this season with a mere two wins in 17 chances. The last time the squad posted a league victory was a 71-67 triumph over Loyola-Chicago on January 9th. Since then, the only win for the Penguins was a 70-57 decision against NC Central on January 27th, which means YSU has dropped eight straight games to this point. Two nights ago, the league's last-place program bowed to Wright State in a 76-73 final at home on a three-point shot in the final second of regulation.

As for the Titans, they have an overall record of 17-13, but in conference they are still a game under .500 at 8-9. Depending on the outcomes of other games this weekend, Detroit could grab the fifth seed in the upcoming league tournament, but everything would have to go right for the seventh-place team at the moment. Detroit is riding a brief two-game win streak thanks to a 65-54 victory over Cleveland State on Thursday night.

The Titans won the first meeting of the season with YSU way back on December 3rd by a score of 82-71 at home. As a result, Detroit now leads the all-time series by a count of 19-7.

Detroit shot only 13-of-25 at the free-throw line in Cleveland on Thursday night, but the squad made up for it with 10-of-14 behind the three-point line and a 33-20 rebounding advantage over the Vikings on the road. Eli Holman recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Xavier Keeling led all scorers with his 21 points on 5-of-6 beyond the arc. Fellow starters Thomas Kennedy and Chase Simon chipped in 15 and 11 points, respectively. Simon, who has made more three-pointers (45) than anyone else on the roster leads the team with his 14.5 ppg and is also one of the better rebounders with more than five per game. Keeling (12.5 ppg), Kennedy (11.5 ppg) and Holman (11.4 ppg) are also crucial parts to an offense that is scoring just slightly under 70 ppg at the moment, even though the Titans are converting a collective 64.3 percent at the charity stripe.

YSU fumbled the ball away 16 times and shot only 3-of-12 behind the three- point line two nights ago, more than enough to keep the Penguins out of the win column yet again. Vytas Sulskis registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to help give the home team a 37-21 edge on the glass, while Sirlester Martin dropped in 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench. DeAndre Mays accounted for 14 points and eight assists and Ashen Ward 12 points in the setback as well. While he may be shooting just 35.6 percent from the field at this stage of the season, his exact percentage from beyond the arc coincidentally, Mays leads the team with his 14.3 ppg and is also tops in passing with 94 dishes over 28 starts. Martin (10.3 ppg) paces the group on the glass with 5.3 rpg, but by no means does that excuse his mere 57.9 percent effort at the free-throw line and just 18 assists thus far.

Not much has gone right for the Penguins this season and there's no reason to think anything is going to change this weekend.