YOUNGSTOWN - In "Hoosiers," Gene Hackman's Norman Dale demanded four passes before a shot by his Hickory Huskers.

Youngstown State redshirt freshman Eddie D'Haiti tries to follow a similar credo.

YSU (1-1) struggled early against Hiram's zone prior to running away with an 81-41 victory on Sunday. Then, D'Haiti and the Penguins combined for 19 assists.

"I knew we were over the hump when we got seven passes in," D'Haiti said. "The more we get passes in, the more we regroup as a team. We just dominated.

"As soon as we got five to seven passes rolling, we're going to be pretty good."

However, the proficient passing hasn't translated into consistent 3-point shooting. In fact, it has been quite paltry. The Penguins have shot 4-of-31 beyond the arc.

YSU hopes to change that at 7:35 tonight when it hosts Kent State (2-1).

A doubleheader at Beeghly Center opens at 5:15 with a women's game between the Penguins (0-2) and the Golden Flashes (1-0).

YSU men's coach Jerry Slocum prefers his team to take 14 to 16 3-pointers per game.

"Ashen (Ward), Tommy (Parks), Vytas (Sulskis) and DeAndre (Mays) - I think all those guys are good 3-point shooters," he said.

"We obviously haven't made it through two games. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a concern."

But the Penguins shot 45 percent against Hiram and drove to basket often in the second half. Vance Cooksey paced YSU with 18 points, but D'Haiti came off the bench with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

It begs the question, is D'Haiti more of an offensive threat or prefers distributing the ball?

"I think I'm a better shooter than I am a passer, but people have their own opinions," D'Haiti said.

Yet, Slocum hasn't coached a versatile player such as D'Haiti.

"In his early career, I've never coached a big kid who passes the ball like he can," Slocum said. "We see it every day in practice. He's going to find you. I tell our guys all the time, 'Get your hand up because the pill is coming.' He'll find you if you're open. He does a good job with it."

D'Haiti would be a welcome addition to the Hickory Huskers.

NOTES: Both games can be heard on 570-AM WKBN and ysusports.com. WKBN Sports Director Jim Campbell is the play-by-play voice for the YSU women, while Warren G. Harding graduate Robb Schmidt is the voice for the Penguin men. ... Magnet schedules will be given away this evening. ... MyYTV is planning to show the game on tape delay, beginning at 10 p.m.

jvargo@tribtoday.com