Toledo, Ohio -- After a nine-day layoff for the holidays, the Youngstown State women's basketball team travels to Toledo on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. affair with the Rockets. The game will be carried live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN.
     The game will be YSU's final non-conference bout of the season as the Guins open Horizon League play on Saturday at Valparaiso. YSU will look to win its second straight contest and earn a win in Toledo for the first time since Dec. 28, 1999.
     The game at Toledo is the first of three road contests for YSU in a seven-day span, which also includes games at Valparaiso on Jan. 3 and at Butler on Jan. 5.
     YSU picked up its first home win of the year when it beat Akron 58-52 on Saturday, Dec. 20. The Penguins had a season-high 17 assists on 22 baskets against the Zips and shot 44.9 percent, which was their second-highest percentage of the season. YSU has made at least 40 percent from the field in three of the last four games after shooting under the plateau in each of its first six contests. The 52 points scored by Akron were also the fewest allowed by YSU this season.
     Tiara Scott scored her 500th career point at YSU in the contest as she posted a game-high 16 points. Kelsey Gurganus matched her season high with 12 points. The win was also head coach Cindy Martin's first at Beeghly Center.
 
 Scouting Toledo
     Toledo has lost two of its last three, including a 73-65 setback to Bradley in its last contest on Dec. 22. The Rockets previously lost 68-63 at Cleveland State on Nov. 26 in the middle of a six-game skid. Tuesday's game against YSU is the third of four straight home games for UT. Six players are averaging at least 7.5 points for the Rockets, including freshman guard Naama Shafir's team-high 12.7.
 
 Penguins Back on the Road After Holiday Break
     Tuesday's game against Toledo will be the first contest for YSU since Dec. 20. The Penguins actually took five full days away from basketball during the holiday break. The team was excused immediately after the game against Akron and did not have practice until Dec. 26.
     The Guins certainly needed the break, having played three games in seven days leading up to the layoff. They are faced with the same busy scenario as they play three road games in seven days starting with the game at Toledo. YSU also plays at Valparaiso on Jan. 3 and at Butler on Jan. 5.
     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).
 
 Scott Scores 500th Point in Solid Outing Against Akron
     Senior forward Tiara Scott scored her 500th point on Dec. 20 as part of an all-around solid performance. She scored a game-high 16 points behind 7-of-9 shooting from the floor in a season-high 36 minutes. She was also 2-for-2 from the free-throw line to extend her consecutive makes streak to 17 free throws dating back to Nov. 29 at Pittsburgh. The senior forward hit 25 straight last season.
     Scott, who played her first two collegiate seasons at Western Nebraska CC, has poured in 510 points in 41 games for YSU for an average of 12.4 per game. She scored 405 points last season as she earned second-team all-Horizon League honors. Scott also just eclipsed 250 rebounds at Canisius.
 
 Shooting Picking Up as December Ends
     The Penguins have shot at least 40 percent in three of the last four games after shooting under 40 percent in each of its first six games. In fact, the Guins shot better than 33.3 percent only once in their first six games - 38.3 percent in a win against Weber State on Nov. 28. YSU shot 44.9 percent in its last game against Akron on Dec. 20, which was its second-best performance of the season. All three 40-percent efforts, which also includes a season-high 49 percent at Bowling Green and 40.4 percent at Central Michigan - have come against MAC teams.
 
 Defense Also Stiffening
     YSU's defense has also shown improvement. The Penguins have held each of their last three opponents under 40-percent shooting from the field, which is something they couldn't do in the first seven contests. Akron shot 37.5 percent on Dec. 20, which was the second lowest of YSU's opponents. On Dec. 17, YSU held Canisius, the nation's best 3-point shooting team coming into the game at 47.1 percent, to 29 percent overall and 13.6 percent (3-for-22) from behind the arc. Both of YSU's last two opponents also scored less than 60 points after each of the first eight scored more than 60.
 
 Guins Embrace Giving Season with Basketball Generosity
     The Penguins had a season-high 17 assists on 22 baskets on Dec. 20 against Akron. Their previous high was 14, which they posted against Weber State and Saint Francis (Pa.). Freshman point guard Macey Nortey matched her career-high with six assists, and senior Kelsey Gurganus added four. YSU also trimmed its turnovers by 12 from Canisius (33) to Akron (21).
 
 Guins, Rockets Both Under First-Year Coaches
     Two first-year coaches will square off Tuesday when the Penguins play at Toledo. Cindy Martin is 2-8 in her first season at YSU, and Tricia Cullop is 4-7 in her first year at the helm of the Rockets. Martin, formerly of Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania was hired exactly one week early than Cullop on April 11, 2008. Cullop was the head coach at Evansville for eight years before going to Toledo.
 
 Up Next: Horizon Play Begins
     Youngstown State opens its eighth season in the Horizon League at Valparaiso on Saturday. The Penguins are 2-5 in their previous Horizon League openers, which includes a 73-62 victory in the 2007-08 league opener against UIC. YSU also defeated Cleveland State 74-52 to open the league slate in 2004-05. YSU has not won a Horizon League opener on the road in three tries. If YSU wins at Valpo, Cindy Martin will be the second coach to win his or her first conference contest.
 
 All-Time Against Toledo
     The Penguins own a slim 9-8 advantage in the all-time series against Toledo. YSU has won the last two contests, including a 55-48 triumph last season on Nov. 29. The Penguins have not won in Toledo since Dec. 28, 1999.
 
 Last Time vs. Toledo: YSU Holds Off Rally in 55-48 Win
     YSU built a 19-point second-half lead and held on to beat Toledo 55-48 in the Penguins' home opener last season on Nov. 29, 2007.
     Kelsey Gurganus and Ashley Pendleton sparked the victory scoring 13 points each, and Jessica Schloemp had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
     YSU led 36-17 early in the second half, but Toledo scored 19 of the next 21 points. The Rockets got as close as two on five different occasions but could never tie or take the lead. Toledo missed its last seven free throw attempts and converted only 7-of-19 for the game.
 
 Coach Bernard Scott Returns to Toledo
     YSU top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Bernard Scott is having a homecoming this week when the Penguins travel to Toledo. Scott graduated from Toledo in 2001 and coached there from 2001-05. He was a point guard for the Rockets from 1997-99.
     Although head coach Cindy Martin had never coached in Ohio or the Horizon League, she assembled a coaching staff that was very familiar with both. Meredith Baugher coached the past three seasons at Valparaiso and played there from 2001-05. Shannon Sword played at Cleveland State from 2000-04 and coached two seasons as a graduate assistant at Division II Ashland in Ohio. Scott coached in Ohio for six years total at Dayton and Toledo before spending last season at Arizona.