Winners of three of the last five games and two straight home contests, the Youngstown State women's basketball team (5-13, 3-5 Horizon League) goes for a season sweep of UIC (11-9, 5-3 Horizon League) when it hosts the Flames, Thursday, Feb. 1.

Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.

A win would mark the first season sweep of the Flames since the Penguins joined the Horizon League during the 2001-02 season.

Youngstown State is coming off a 65-55 win over in-state foe Cleveland State on Jan. 27.

Junior Jessica Schloemp scored a season-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor to lead the Penguins. Sophomore Monique Godfrey added 16 points and six assists.

Scouting the Flames
UIC, which has won its last four Horizon League games, is currently tied for third place with a 5-3 league mark and has not lost since the Penguins defeated them, 67-62, on Jan. 6. The 11-9 Flames are led by LaShonda Grant with 15.1 points per game while Jacquay Holmes and Krystal Hugelier average 11.8 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.

The UIC Series
This will be the 16th meeting between Youngstown State and UIC with the Flames owning a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series. The Penguins snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Flames with a 67-62 win at the UIC Pavilion on Jan. 6. The Penguins are looking for their first season sweep of UIC since the 2001-02 campaign. UIC has won the last four games at the Beeghly Center.

Schloemp-ilicious
Junior Jessica Schloemp turned in her best outing of the season with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field in YSU's 65-55 win over Cleveland State on Jan. 27. She also grabbed seven rebounds against the Vikings. In her last two games against Cleveland State played at the Beeghly Center, Schloemp is averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds. In 2006, Schloemp posted career highs with 20 points and 19 boards against the Vikes.

Three Out of Five Ain't Bad
Over the last five games, the Penguins have been pretty successful. Winning three of the last five games, the Penguins' 3-5 mark in league play marks the second-best start since YSU went 4-4 against Horizon League foes to start the 2001-02 season. YSU finished that season with an 8-8 league record and tied for fourth place.

Godfrey Key to Penguins Success
Over the last two home games, sophomore Monique Godfrey has been a critical part of the Penguins wins. The 5-foot-8 guard is averaging 16.5 points per game in the Penguins last two wins.

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 12.3 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 271 career assists and needs 46 more to move into 10th place on the career chart. Branson also ranks fifth in the Horizon League with 3.67 assists per game.

Schloemp Streak at 62
With an appearance against Cleveland State on Saturday, junior Jessica Schloemp extended her games played streak to 62 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 1.50 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Up Next
The Penguins conclude their three-game home stand against Loyola, Saturday, Feb. 3, at 5:15 p.m.

A Win Will
• Mark YSU's fourth Horizon League victory of the season.
• Mark YSU's sixth victory of the season.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 30th career victory.
• Move the Penguins into sole possession of fifth place combined with a Loyola loss to Cleveland State.

Last Time Out
The Penguins picked up their second straight home win with a 65-55 win over Cleveland State on Jan. 27. Junior Jessica Schloemp scored a season-high 18 points while sophomore Monique Godfrey added 16 points.