After playing its first four games on the road, the Youngstown State women's basketball team (1-3) hosts Mid-American Conference member Toledo, Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7:05 p.m. in the Penguins' home opener at the Beeghly Center.

The Penguins picked up their first victory of the season with a 54-52 win over Albany in the consolation game of the Long Island Turkey Classic.

Senior Heather Karner led the Penguins with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including four 3-pointers, while junior Ashley Pendleton posted her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Pendleton, who was named to the LIU Turkey Classic All-Tournament Team, also scored a team-high 18 points in a 68-54 loss to Long Island.

For the week, Pendleton averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting .632 (12-of-19) from the field.

The Toledo Series
This will be the 17th meeting in the all-time series between Youngstown State and Toledo, but the two have not played since the 2004-05 season. The series is tied 8-8. The Penguins snapped a four-game losing streak to the Rockets after a 54-42 victory in the Beeghly Center in 2004.

Scouting Toledo
Toledo enters Thursday's matchup with an overall record of 2-2. The Rockets are coming off a 72-66 home win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 24. Leading the Rockets is Allie Clifton with 17 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Tamesha Scotton is second on the squad averaging 11.5 points and leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game. Toledo has struggled away from home losing twice and averaging 63.3 points per game compared to a 2-0 record and 79.5 points per game at Savage Hall. Toledo has also defeated IPFW, 87-75, and lost to San Diego, 82-62, and George Mason, 66-65.

Karner Off to Great Start
Senior Heather Karner is off to another great start in 2007-08. The St. Louis, Mo., native has scored in double figures in three of the first four games and is averaging 2.5 3-pointers made per game. She also leads the team with a 14.5 points per game scoring average.

Penguins In Home Openers
Youngstown State has enjoyed a tremendous amouth of success in its 32 previous home openers. The Penguins own a home-opener record of 23-9 for a winning percentage of 71.9. YSU is 2-2 in home openers under Tisha Hill. The last home opener the Penguins won was an 80-71 win over Saint Louis in the 2005-06 season. Last year, the Penguins dropped an 85-78 decision to Cincinnati.

Pendleton Nets First Double-Double, All-Tourney Honors
Junior Ashley Pendleton turned in two solid performances last weekend. The 6-foot forward averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds per game in two games at the LIU Turkey Classic to nab all-tournament honors. Pendleton scored a career-high 18 points in a 68-54 loss to Long Island and posted her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Albany.

Branson Continues Climb
Senior Lauren Branson continues her ascent up the YSU all-time assists chart. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native currently has 341 career assists and ranks seventh on the YSU all-time career assists list. She also needs 36 more assists to move into sixth place and 59 more to become the sixth player in school history to post 400 career assists.

Schloemp Streak at 77
Senior Jessica Schloemp owns a games played streak of 77 straight. Schloemp has also played in 87 of 88 career games.

Pendleton Leads Block Party
Not only did junior Ashley Pendleton have a career week at the Long Island Turkey Classic but she moved to the head of the line for most blocks per game in the Horizon League. Pendleton, who swatted four shots against Albany, leads the league with eight and two blocks per game.

Branson Takes Care of the Rock
Senior Lauren Branson continues to prove her value as a point guard. In just two games, the 5-foot-6 guard has tallied 15 assists to just nine turnovers in 32 minutes per game. She ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 3.75 assists per game and a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Gurganus Comes Alive
After being held scoreless in the season opener against Buffalo, junior guard Kelsey Gurganus poured in 11 points in a 87-76 loss to Niagara on Nov. 13. Gurganus connected on 5-of-10 from the floor and collected four rebounds and two steals.

Schloemp Double Dips
Senior Jessica Schloemp posted the fifth double-double of her career with 15 points and 14 rebounds against Buffalo on Nov. 11. Schloemp connected on 6-of-14 from the floor and 10 of her 14 boards came on the defensive glass.

Scott Impresses in D-I Debut
Junior college transfer Tiara Scott played well in her Division I debut with 10 points and five rebounds against Buffalo. Scott went 3-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Road Warriors
The Penguins have a tough grind throughout the first month of the season. YSU plays eight of its first 11 games on the road, including its first four in the State of New York. Besides taking part in the LIU Turkey Classic on Nov. 23-24, the 'Guins played at Buffalo (Nov. 11) and Niagara (Nov. 13). YSU also faces St. Francis (Pa.) (Dec. 1), Cincinnati (Dec. 15), No. 16 Ohio State (Dec. 19) and Akron (Dec. 21) on the road.

Upperclass Society
The 2007-08 Youngstown State will be the most veteran squad in Tisha Hill's tenure. The Penguins return four seniors, six juniors and two sophomores. Also newcomers junior Kelsey Gurganus, a Southern Miss transfer who is eligible this season, and junior college transfer Tiara Scott each have two years of collegiate playing experience.

Seniors Tabbed Team Captains
Guards Lauren Branson, Heather Karner and Kira Mowen and senior forward Jessica Schloemp have been named team captains for the 2007-08 basketball season.

A Win Will
• Mark YSU's second victory of the season.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 33rd career victory.
• Mark YSU second straight and ninth overall victory over Toledo.
• Mark the 456th win in program history.

Penguins Picked Sixth
Youngstown State was predicted to finish sixth in the Horizon League standings with 118 points in a poll of the League's head coaches, sports information directors and select media, the Horizon League announced.

Milwaukee was picked to win the league with 253 points and 13 first-place votes while Green Bay was second with 244 points and nine first-place votes.

Butler ranked third while UIC and Valparaiso placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Wright State was picked seventh and Cleveland State, Detroit and Loyola placed eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Karner Nabs Preseason Laurels
Senior Heather Karner was named to the Horizon League Preseason All-League Second-Team in a vote of the circuit's head coaches, sports information directors and select media. Karner led the Penguins with 10.9 points per game and was named to the all-newcomer team last season.

Up Next
YSU travels to Loretto, Pa., to take on St. Francis (Pa.), Saturday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m.