The Youngstown State women's basketball team begins a three-game road streak on Saturday when it faces a red-hot Bowling Green squad. Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m. at Anderson Arena. The game will be carried live on NewsRadio 570 WKBN.
    The Penguins enter the contest coming off a 61-54 overtime loss to Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday. YSU rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half and led by five in the final minute in the loss. The Penguins missed two free throws in the final 53 seconds, and SFU tied the score on a fast-break jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining. The Red Flash scored the first six points of overtime and made 4-of-5 from the floor en route to its first victory since Jan. 26 of last season.
    YSU got strong post play for the third straight contest on Wednesday. Tiara Scott notched her seventh career double-double, scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds. Nikita LaFleur added nine points and 10 rebounds to just miss her second double-double in the past three games. Kelsey Gurganus also scored a season-high 12 points. The Guins shot 44.8 percent in the second half as it climbed back into the game, but they hit 21.2 percent in the first half and 11.1 in overtime for a 29.6 percent total in the game. It was the second time the Penguins shot below 30 percent for a game this season.

Scouting Bowling Green
    Bowling Green enters the game as winners of five straight contests, including a 72-42 victory over Horizon League foe Detroit on Wednesday. Bowling Green defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) 98-74 on Nov. 25, and its last loss came against Valparaiso, 69-58, on Nov. 19. Defending MAC Player of the Week Lauren Prochaska is averaging 16 points, and two other players are averaging double figures. BG made it to the second round of the WNIT last season and has won four straight MAC regular-season titles.

LaFleur Showing Signs of Career Year Through First Six Games
    Senior center Nikita LaFleur had the best game of her career against Weber State on Nov. 28. 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 8.8 rebounds. She also needs just four points to surpass her junior-season total of 56 points. Last season she 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.

Scott Starting to Find Stroke
    Senior forward Tiara Scott collected her first double-double of the season and has averaged 12 points over the past five games. She registered season-highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Francis on Wednesday for her seventh career double-double at YSU. Scott was 6-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
    Since going 0-for-5 with one point in the season opener at Kent State, Scott has shown glimpses of the play that earned her second-team all-Horizon League honors as a junior.
    She has scored 60 points and gone 21-for-42 in the past five contests. She also played a big role in YSU's win over Weber State, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the second half as YSU rallied.
    Last season, Scott was named Second-Team All-Horizon League after averaging 13.1 points. She has scored in double figures 24 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 last Friday. Although the rally resulted in YSU's first win, the Penguins were not in an unfamiliar situation. YSU also trailed by nine in 8:24 remaining in the second half against Saint Francis on Wednesday before rallying and eventually taking a five-point lead.
    On Nov. 22, 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.

Five Play Season-High in Minutes Against Saint Francis (Pa.)
    An injury to freshman guard Camisha Alexander and Nikita LaFleur's two first-half fouls forced five players to play season-high totals in minutes. Macey Nortey (38), Tiara Scott (31), Kenya Middlebrooks (25), Makala Gasparek (19) and Ashley Pendleton (11) all set season highs. Kelsey Gurganus also played 36 minutes in the game. Nortey played at least 30 minutes for the fifth time in six games.

Seeing Double-Doubles
    Youngstown State has had a post player record a double-double in two of the last three games. Tiara Scott had her first of the season and seventh of her career against Saint Francis on Wednesday, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Both of those totals were season highs. Two games earlier, Nikita LaFleur had season highs with 24 points and 17 rebounds to corral her second career double-double. LaFleur was one point away from also having double-double against the Red Flash. If she would have joined Scott, the pair would have been the first duo to have a double-double in the same game since Jen Perugini and Jessica Forsythe against Wright State in 2003.

Blocking Making A Return?
    Youngstown State recorded five blocks against Saint Francis on Wednesday after having just five total through the first five games. Last season YSU ranked second in the Horizon League in blocks with 109. The Penguins had at least five blocks 12 times. However, YSU is averaging 2.2 more steals per game so far this season.

Gurganus Nearly Doubles Points With Season High vs. Red Flash
    Senior guard Kelsey Gurganus scored a season-high 12 points against Saint Francis on Wednesday. Prior to that contest, she had scored 16 through the first five games. Last season Gurganus scored in double figures seven times, including scoring a career-high 16 at Green Bay. Gurganus also had a season-high five assists against the Red Flash and has 11 in her last three contests.