Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team (4-13, 2-5 Horizon League) embarks on a critical three-game Horizon League home stand when it hosts in-state rival Cleveland State, Saturday, Jan. 27.

Tipoff is slated for 2:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

With a win and two Wright State losses this week, the Penguins could move into a tie for fifth place in the Horizon League standings with the Raiders.

Youngstown State is coming off an 83-49 defeat at the hands of Horizon League leader UW-Green Bay on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Sophomore Monique Godfrey was the only Penguin to reach double figures with 13 points against the Phoenix.

Scouting the Vikings
Cleveland State, which is currently tied with Youngstown State and Loyola for sixth place in the Horizon League, owns a 5-15 overall record and is 2-5 in the circuit. Leading the Vikings is freshman Jessica Roque with 9.2 points per game. Freshman Kailey Klein, who has an overall scoring average of 7.7 points per game, owns a team-best 14 points per game against Horizon League foes.

The Cleveland State Series
This will be the 45th meeting between Youngstown State and Cleveland State. The Penguins own a 29-15 advantage in the all-time series and have won three of the last four games. Last season, YSU swept the season series with a 68-56 win at the Beeghly Center and a 72-54 victory at the Wolstein Center.

Penguins Hold Foe Under 40
Giving up just 39 points to Detroit on Jan. 13, the Penguins held an opponent to under 40 points in a game for the first time since holding Malone to 25 points on Dec. 29, 1990. Detroit's eight points in the first half was also a new low for points allowed in a half.

Hill Completes Circuit
After defeating UIC, Youngstown State Head Coach Tisha Hill has defeated every school in the Horizon League at least once since becoming head coach prior to the 2003-04 season.

Karner in Top 10
Youngstown State junior Heather Karner remains one of the Horizon League top scorers this season. Karner ranks 10th in the league with a 12.8 points per game scoring average.

Penguin Block Party
Youngstown State currently leads the Horizon League in blocked shots per game with 3.59. Sophomore Nikita LaFleur is fourth in the league with 1.12, sophomore Ashley Pendleton is seventh with 0.69 blocks per game, and freshman Anjalia Lyons is 10th with 0.65.

Assist Me Please
Junior Lauren Branson continues her ascent up the YSU all-time assists chart. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native currently has 265 career assists and needs 46 more to move into 10th place on the career chart. Branson also ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 3.53 assists per game.

Schloemp Streak at 61
With an appearance against UW-Green Bay on Saturday, junior Jessica Schloemp extended her games played streak to 61 straight. Schloemp's consecutive games started streak ended at 34 after she did not start against Indiana State on Dec. 6.

Take Care of the Rock
Although the Penguins average 20.8 turnovers per game, junior guard Lauren Branson has been doing her job at the point guard position. Branson ranks third in the Horizon League with a 1.46 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Up Next
The Penguins continue their three-game home stand against UIC, Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7:05 p.m. and Loyola, Saturday, Feb. 3, at 5:15 p.m.

A Win Will
• Mark YSU's third Horizon League victory of the season.
• Mark YSU's fifth victory of the season.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 29th career victory.

Last Time Out
The Penguins dropped an 83-49 decision to UW-Green Bay last Saturday. Sophomore Monique Godfrey led the Penguins with 13 points.