Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team (1-4) plays its third out of four consecutive away contests when it takes on Mid-American Conference member Miami (Ohio) for the first time in 27 years, Thursday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio.

The Penguins dropped two games at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Classic last weekend with a 56-52 loss to UNC-Wilmington on Friday and a 96-49 defeat at the hands of Duquesne on Saturday.

Heather Karner was named to the all-tournament team at the UNCW-hosted tournament averaging 14.5 points per game during the weekend, including a 23-point performance against UNC-Wilmington.

Scouting the RedHawks
The RedHawks of Miami (Ohio) are 3-3 overall but have won two of their last three games, including a 90-63 win over Horizon League member Wright State on Nov. 21 and an 85-83 victory over Saint Louis on Sunday, Nov. 26. Amanda Jackson, the reigning MAC East Player of the Week, leads the RedHawks with 18.3 points per game while Jenna Schone and Eve Pyle are also averaging double figures with 10.5 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.

The Miami (Ohio) Series
This will be just the fifth meeting between Youngstown State and Miami (Ohio) with the all-time series tied at two games apiece. The last time these schools met was during the 1978-79 season when YSU came away with two victories, 86-68 and 69-50.

A Win Will
• Give YSU its second victory of the season over an opponent from the Mid-American Conference.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 26th career victory.
• Give the YSU women's basketball program its 449th victory since the 1975-76 season.

Last Time Out
The Penguins dropped a 47-point decision to Duquesne, 96-49, on Saturday in the consolation game of the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Classic. Monique Godfrey was the only player to reach double figures with 10 points against the Dukes. The Penguins also lost to UNC-Wilmington, 56-52, on Friday. Junior Heather Karner scored a game-high 23 points in the loss to the Seahawks.

Home vs. Road
The evidence is quite clear. The Youngstown State women's basketball team prefers playing in the Beeghly Center. YSU is averaging 78 points at home and 47.7 points on the road - a difference of 30.3 points per game. Also, the Penguins are shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from the 3-point line at home while just 33.3 percent on the road.

Karner Nabs All-Tournament Laurels
Junior Heather Karner picked up some hardware at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Classic even though the Penguins went 0-2 at the tournament. Karner averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from the 3-point arc. She also posted a game-high 23 points against UNC-Wilmington on 7-of-11 shooting with five 3-pointers.

Davis Hits Career Highs
Freshman Ta-myra Davis turned in the best performance of her young career against Duquesne last Saturday. The 6-foot-1 forward grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and scored five points against the Dukes.

Lyons Misses Double-Double
In just her second college game, Anjalia Lyons just missed pulling off a tremendous feat. With eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Coppin State, Lyons was just two points from becoming the first freshman since Jen Perugini (2001-02) to record a double-double so early in her career. Perugini recorded five straight double-doubles to begin her college career.

Branson Moving Up
Senior Lauren Branson continues her climb up the YSU all-time assists chart. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native currently has 225 career assists and needs 86 more to move into 10th place on the career chart.

Up Next
The Penguins close out the road swing against Indiana State, Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. in Terre Haute, Ind.

Karner Likin' Beeghly
Junior Heather Karner has show she enjoys playing in the Beeghly Center. The 5-foot-10 guard is averaging 25 points per game while shooting 60.7 percent for the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. She poured in 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting against Cincinnati on 11/10 and 16 points against Buffalo on 11/21.

Brianne Kenneally is the last YSU player to open the season with at least 30 points and to score at least 30 points in more than one game in a season. Kenneally scored 33 against Bowling Green (11/18/00), 43 against Georgia State (11/24/00) and 31 (11/29/00) against Akron during the 2000-01 season.

Vaughn Nets Career High Again
After posting a then-career scoring high of 14 points in the season opener against Cincinnati, sophomore Velissa Vaughn posted career highs with 17 points and seven assists in YSU's 78-44 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.

Dime Dropper
Junior point guard Lauren Branson continues to prove her worth to the women's basketball team. In three games this season, Branson has dished out 20 assists for an average of 4.0 assists per game. She is also averaging just 24.2 minutes per game.

Back-to-Back 78's - Most Points Since 1999-2000
Youngstown State's 78 points in back-to-back home games (156 points) is the highest two-game total to open the season since 1999-2000 when the Penguins scored 168 points in their first two home games against Bowling Green (W, 83-68) on Nov. 20 and Kent State (W, 85-74) on Nov. 23.

Schloemp Streak Reaches at 49
With an appearance against Miami on Thursday, junior Jessica Schloemp will extend her games played streak to 50 straight games. If she starts against Miami (Ohio), Schloemp will extend her games started streak to 34.