Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team returns to Beeghly Center for its first of just two home games in December on Wednesday against Saint Francis (Pa.). Tipoff between the Penguins and Red Flash is set for 7:05 p.m.
     The Penguins enter Wednesday's contest coming off a confidence-building weekend at the Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Tournament. YSU came from behind to defeat Weber State 67-60 and earn its first win of the season in the opening round of the tournament. The Penguins also hung with 24th-ranked Pittsburgh for the first 16 minutes before a large run turned a nine-point lead into an eventual 99-42 win for the Panthers.
     YSU's frontcourt was strong in both contests in Pittsburgh. Senior Nikita LaFleur had the best game of her career against Weber State with 24 points and 17 rebounds, both of which were career-highs. She then scored seven points and was 3-for-3 from the floor against Pitt in the first 11 minutes before being shut down. Fellow senior post Tiara Scott scored a season-high 14 points against WSU, 12 of which came in the second half.
     Following Wednesday's game, the Penguins will open up a long road swing in which six of the next seven games will be away from Beeghly Center. YSU plays at WNIT participant Bowling Green on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
 Scouting Saint Francis (Pa.)
     Saint Francis (Pa.) enters Wednesday's contest looking for its first win of the season. The Red Flash have not won since Jan. 26 of last season and has dropped 15 straight overall. SFU is coming off a 10-point setback at Navy on Friday, which is their narrowest margin of defeat this year. The Red Flash are allowing 86.6 points per game, but six players are averaging at least eight points. Sophomore guard Samantha Leach is averaging a team-best 13.6 points.
 
 LaFleur Has Career Day vs. Weber
     Senior center Nikita LaFleur had the best game of her career against Weber State on Friday. She posted career-high totals in points (24), rebounds (17), field goals (8), free throws (8) and minutes (35). It was also LaFleur's second career double-double and her first since having 10 points and 10 rebounds against Clarion as a sophomore. The senior from Scarborough, Ontario, was named to the Pittsburgh all-tournament team for her efforts.
     LaFleur is averaging 8.8 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds. She also needs just 13 points to surpass her junior-season total of 56 points. Last season she scored averaged just 2.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Her nine steals so far this season are already higher than her yearly totals from her junior and freshman seasons.
     LaFleur leads the Horizon League in shooting percentage (.640) and ranks second in rebounds (8.6 per game).
 
 Scott Starting to Find Stroke
     Senior forward Tiara Scott has bounced back from a one-point performance in the season opener to score 44 points in the past four games. She scored a season-high 14 points against Weber State, 12 of which came in the second half. Scott was 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed a key offensive rebound with under a minute to go that forced Weber State to start fouling. She then scored nine points against Pitt on Saturday. Since going 0-for-5 in the opener at Kent State, Scott has gone 15-of-28 from the floor.
     Last season, Scott was named Second-Team All-Horizon League after averaging 13.1 points. She has scored in double figures 23 times at YSU, and she's eclipsed the 20-point mark five times.
 
 Penguins Showing Ability to Rally
     The Penguins rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Weber State 67-60 on Friday. Although the rally resulted in YSU's first win, the Penguins were not in an unfamiliar situation. Last Saturday, the Penguins cut a 13-point second-half deficit to three with six minutes to go against Niagara before falling 65-51. YSU also trimmed an 18-point halftime deficit down to seven against Buffalo before losing 66-42 on Nov. 19.
 
 More Assists, Fewer Turnovers Result in Win
     The Penguins had more assists than turnovers for the first time this season on Friday in their win over Weber State. The Penguins had a season-high 14 assists and turned the ball over a season-low 10 times. Macey Nortey and Jaquetta Westley both set career-highs with four assists apiece. No YSU player committed more than two turnovers.
     After turning the ball over 29 times in the season opener at Kent State and 32 times against Buffalo, YSU had 19 turnovers against Niagara and 10 against Weber State. Only seven turnovers occurred after halftime against Niagara, which means YSU had only 17 turnovers in 60 minutes after having 73 in the season's first 100 minutes. The Guins had 26 against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
 
 Martin's Success Resumes in Keystone State
     Cindy Martin's first win as the head coach at Youngstown State came in the same state that earned her national recognition as a Division II head coach. Martin went 70-23 in three seasons at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, leading the Crimson Hawks to two straight PSAC championships.
 
 Martin Closing In on 100th Game as Head Coach
     Head coach Cindy Martin will coach her 100th career game as a collegiate head coach on Saturday at Bowling Green. Martin coached the Indiana University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team in 93 games over the three previous seasons, compiling a record of 70-23. Saturday's contest against the Falcons will be her seventh game at YSU.
 
 Westley Comes Up Big in Clutch
     Jaquetta Westley made two big jumpers down the stretch in Friday's win against Weber State. Her first bucket with 2:46 remaining put YSU up 58-55 and ended a five-minute shooting drought for the Penguins. She then hit a long jumper on YSU's next possession that put the Guins up by five. Westley had been 1-of-10 from the floor and hadn't made a field goal since the 14:33 mark of the first half before those two makes.
 
 Highs and Lows from the Line
     The Penguins have been very "hit-or-miss" from the free throw line in their first five games. They have converted on 80 percent from the free throw line in two games but just 67.7 percent or worse in the three others. YSU shot 85 percent (17-for-20) in its win over Weber State and 70 percent (12-for-15) against Buffalo on Nov. 19. The Penguins shot 62.5 percent at Kent State, 44.4 percent against Niagara and 66.7 percent at Pittsburgh.
 
 March Posts Second Double-Digit Scoring Game
     Junior Kaitlyn March scored a team-high 10 points against Pittsburgh on Saturday. It was the second time this season she reached double figures and the second contest she was YSU's top scorer. The other game was the season opener at Kent State when she scored a career-high 13 points. March had nine points combined in her first two years.
     March has also been held scoreless in two games - against Weber State and Buffalo. She's averaged 10.3 points in the three games she's been in the scoring column. March currently ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 1.4 3-pointers per game.
 
 Nortey Becoming Bigger Helper
     Freshman point guard Macey Nortey tripled her assist total in the two games at Pittsburgh over the weekend. She dished out four assists on Friday against Weber State and a career-high six versus Pittsburgh on Saturday. Nortey had just five in the first three games combined. In addition to leading the team in assists (15), she heads the group in field goals (16), steals (10) and minutes (32 per game).
 
 Long Road Stretch Lies Ahead
     Following Wednesday's game against Saint Francis (Pa.), the Penguins will play six of their next seven contests on the road. Saturday's game at Bowling Green starts a three-game road swing. Dating back to the two games at Pittsburgh, YSU is in the middle of playing eight out of 10 games on the road. The Penguins are also in a stretch where they play at Beeghly Center only twice in a 46-day span (Nov. 23 - Jan. 7)