Penguins, Purple Eagles Search for First Wins on Saturday
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Youngstown State and Niagara will both be
looking for their first win of the season when the Penguins and
Purple Eagles square off Saturday at the Beeghly Center. Tipoff is
set for 5:15 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the YSU
men's team.
YSU struggled shooting and committed 32
turnovers as it dropped its home opener on Wednesday to Buffalo,
66-42. The Penguins came out and played inspired defense after
halftime to cut an 18-point deficit down to seven, but they made
just one of their final 10 shots after starting the second half
7-of-14. Senior forward Tiara Scott scored 13 points against the
Bulls, and freshman guard Macey Nortey added eight.
Although the Penguins committed 32
turnovers, their defense forced 27. The Penguins have come up with
13 steals in each of their first two games. Last year, YSU had 10
steals or more only twice, and both came in the first four games.
The Guins had a season-high 16 steals against Niagara a year ago.
The last time the Penguins had at least 10 steals in back-to-back
games was January 2007.
Scouting Niagara
Niagara rallied from 19 points
down to get within two against Oakland on Monday before falling
74-64. The Purple Eagles also lost to Michigan State 116-50 in
their season opener. Junior Jennifer McNamee scored a career-high
26 points on six 3-pointers against Oakland and is averaging a
team-high 16 points per game.
Niagara is also coming off a loss in its
home opener, falling 74-64 to Oakland on Monday. The Purple Eagles
fell 116-50 at Michigan State in their season opener on Nov.
14.
Niagara shot 54.1 percent to defeat YSU
87-76 last season at the Gallagher Center.
Scott Bounces Back Versus Bulls
Senior forward Tiara Scott
bounced back from a one-point performance in the season opener to
score a team-high 13 points against Buffalo. She was 6-for-9 from
the floor and grabbed six rebounds in 26 minutes against the Bulls.
Scott, a preseason second-team All-Horizon League pick, was 0-for-5
from the floor and 1-for-2 from the free throw line in 11 minutes
at Kent State. Scott averaged 13.1 points last season.
Bulls Clamp Down on Others
While Scott upped her point total
by 10 from the previous game, Macey Nortey, Kaitlyn March and
Camisha Alexander were held in check by Buffalo. Nortey was held to
eight points after scoring 13 at Kent State, Alexander was held to
four points despite scoring 11 previously, and March was kept
scoreless after a 13-point outing against the Golden Flashes.
Nortey was 3-for-10 against the Bulls after going 5-for-10 against
Kent State, and Alexander shot 2-for-11 after making 3-of-5 against
the Golden Flashes.
Turnover Total A Rarity
Youngstown State (32) and Buffalo
(27) combined for 59 turnovers on Wednesday. That total was the
highest since YSU and UNLV combined to commit 66 on Dec. 5, 1997.
In that contest, the Penguins committed 27 and forced the Rebels
into 39. Over the last 10 years, the Penguins and their opponents
have combined to commit 50 or more turnovers 13 times. One of those
contests was against Niagara last season when the Purple Eagles
turned the ball over 30 times and YSU had 23 turnovers. The 32
turnovers for YSU against Buffalo were the most since 33 at Wright
State on Jan. 8, 2005.
Stealing The Spotlight
A big part of the high turnover
totals has been the number of steals YSU has accumulated. The
Penguins have had 13 steals in each of the past two games after
having only two double-digit steals contests in all of last season.
The last time the Penguins had at least 13 steals in back-to-back
contests was Jan. 2004 when they recorded 13 against both UIC and
Wright State. YSU had a season-high 16 at Niagara last season.
LaFleur Showing Improvement Early
Senior center Nikita LaFleur has
shown the potential to have much-improved season during the first
two games. She is averaging five points, seven rebounds and 3.5
steals through the first two contests. Last season she averaged 2.2
points and 3.3 rebounds. Her seven steals in 2008-09 are already
more than the total she had during her freshman (6) and junior
seasons (4). In fact, she had a career-high five steals against
Buffalo on Wednesday, which is more than she had in 26 games last
year.
Injuries Starting to Accumulate
Three out of Youngstown
State's 13 players did not suit up against Buffalo on
Wednesday. Senior guard Velissa Vaughn is projected to be out until
at least January with severe shin splints. Junior forward Rachael
Manuel, one of four posts on the team, could be out up to a month
with a pinched nerve in her back. Senior guard Monique Godfrey is
day-to-day as she continues to recover from a knee injury that kept
her out of all but two games last season.
