The Youngstown State women's basketball team (4-5) continues its three-game road swing through Ohio when it visits nationally-ranked Ohio State (7-2) on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
    The Penguins are coming off a 79-56 defeat at the hands of Big East member Cincinnati on Dec. 15 at Fifth Third Arena. Senior Heather Karner led the Penguins with 15 points while junior Kelsey Gurganus scored a career-high 14 points and junior Tiara Scott added 12 points.
 
 The Series
 This will be just the third meeting between Youngstown State and Ohio State in a series that dates back to 1979 and the first clash since 2002. The Buckeyes have won both previous meetings.
 
 Scouting The Buckeyes
 Ohio State is currently 7-2 and ranked 18th in the Dec. 17 Associated Press Top 25. The Buckeyes are coming off a 71-54 win over Washington on Dec. 16. Marscilla Packer led the Buckeyes with 18 points while freshman Jantel Lavander added 14 points. Lavender leads the Buckeyes averaging a double-dobule with 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while Packer boasts scoring average of 15.2 points per game.
 
 A Win Will
 • Mark YSU's fifth victory of the season.
 • Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 36th career victory.
 • Mark YSU's first-ever win over Ohio State.
 • Mark the 459th win in program history.
 
 Invitation to a Block Party
 The Youngstown State women's basketball team is making it difficult for teams to come inside. The Penguins lead the Horizon League with 4.33 blocks per game as a team. Junior Ashley Pendleton has become one of the top shot blockers in the Horizon League. The 6-foot forward tied a career high with four blocks against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 8. Pendleton also ranks second in the Horizon League with 1.78 blocks per game. Junior Nikita LaFleur ranks sixth with 1.00 blocks per game.
 
 Schloemp Streak at 82
 Senior Jessica Schloemp owns a games played streak of 82 straight. Schloemp has also played in 92 of 93 career games.
 
 Branson Takes Care of the Rock
 Senior Lauren Branson continues to prove her value as a point guard. This season, the 5-foot-6 guard has tallied 40 assists to just 17 turnovers in 33.1 minutes per game. She leads the Horizon League with 4.44 assists per game and second with a 2.35 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
 Scott Hot to Trot
 Junior Tiara Scott has been pretty hard to stop over the last four contests. The Denver, Colo., native leads the Penguins with 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is shooting at a .548 clip from the field. She posted a career-high 15 points against St. Francis (Dec. 1) and had back-to-back 12 point outings against Miami (Ohio) (Dec. 8) and Cincinnati (Dec. 15).
 
 Gurganus Hits Career High
 Junior Kelsey Gurganus turned in a career-best scoring performance against Cincinnati on Dec. 15. The 5-foot-10 guard scored a career-high 14 points on a career-best 7-of-12 shooting from the field.
 
 Branson Sets Career Highs
 Senior Lauren Branson set two new career highs in leading the Guins to a 66-58 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 5. Branson scored a career-high 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Branson, who also dished out six assists, made a career-best three 3-pointers against the Chippewas.
 
 Gurganus Misses Double-Double
 Junior Kelsey Gurganus was one basket and one rebound from recording her first career double-double in the loss to Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 8. Gurganus scored eight points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against the RedHawks.
 
 Scott Records Career High
 Junior forward Tiara Scott played a major role in the Penguins' 58-57 win over St. Francis (Pa.). Scott led the Penguins with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
 
 Roscoe Drains Em
 Junior guard Toni Roscoe sparked the Penguins and tied a career-high with 10 points off the bench in a 58-57 win over St. Francis (Pa.) Dec. 1. Roscoe connected on three 3-pointers, including one at the 1:50 mark of the second half which gave YSU a 57-55 lead.
 
 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 five of the first seven games and is averaging 2.2 3-pointers made per game, which ranks fifth in the Horizon League. She also leads the team with a 12.2 points per game scoring average.
 
 Schloemp Nets Second Double-Double
 Senior Jessica Schloemp recorded her second double-double of the season and the sixth of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo on Nov. 29.
 
 Pendleton Nets First Double-Double, All-Tourney Honors
 Junior Ashley Pendleton turned in two solid performances at the LIU Turkey Classic. 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 366 career assists and ranks seventh on the YSU all-time career assists list. She also needs 11 more assists to move into sixth place and 34 more to become the sixth player in school history to post 400 career assists.
 
 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.
 
 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.
 
 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
 The Guins conclude their three-game road swing and the non-league portion of their schedule against Akron, Friday, Dec. 21. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the J.A.R Arena in Akron, Ohio.