The Youngstown State women's basketball team goes back on the road for two contests this week, beginning with Thursday evening's game at Wright State. Tipoff against the Raiders at the Nutter Center is set for 5:30 p.m.
    The Penguins also play at Detroit's Calihan Hall on Saturday at 5 p.m. YSU swept both teams during the regular season last year, but Wright State got revenge with a 69-60 victory in the Horizon League Tournament.
    YSU is coming off a disappointing 81-50 loss against Cleveland State last Saturday. Although the Guins committed just 15 turnovers and had 64 field goal attempts, they shot 31.3 percent and allowed the Vikings to hit on 56.1 percent. YSU's 15 turnovers were eight below its average entering the game, and the 64 attempts were the second-most all season.
    The Guins had dry spells in both halves that contributed to the low shooting percentage. Cleveland State went on a 19-1 run in the second half, and YSU made one field goal in a 13-minute span in the first half.
    Kelsey Gurganus scored a season-high and team-high 13 points against the Vikings. Nikita LaFleur grabbed at least 10 rebounds for the third straight game and leads the Horizon League in rebounding.

Scouting Wright State
    Wright State has lost two of its last three games and stands at an even 3-3 mark in league games. The Raiders have defeated Loyola, Valparaiso and Milwaukee and lost to UIC, Butler and Green Bay. Neither of last weekend's games were close. The Raiders won 61-41 at Milwaukee but lost 70-39 at Green Bay. LaShawna Thomas is averaging 13.4 points overall and 14.7 points in league games. Preseason all-league pick Shey Peddy ranks second with 12.5 points overall and 14.0 in league play.

Gurganus Goes For Season-High Against Cleveland State
    Senior guard Kelsey Gurganus scored a season-high 13 points against Cleveland State last Saturday. She was 2-for-4 from behind the arc, tying her season-high with two 3-pointers. All three of Gurganus' double-digit scoring games have come at Beeghly Center. She's scored nine twice on the road, including at Butler in the Guins' last road contest. Gurganus had seven double-digit scoring games last year as a junior.

Alexander Makes Welcome Contribution in Scoring Column
    Freshman guard Camisha Alexander came off the bench to score nine points in 17 minutes for the Guins against Cleveland State. It was her highest point total since scoring 11 at Canisius on Dec. 17. Alexander was 4-for-7 from the field and 1-for-3 from 3-point range. She had scored 11 points in the last six games combined prior to Saturday. Alexander also scored 11 points at Kent State in the season opener. She has scored 31 of her 65 points in her three best games.

Guins' Bench Better vs. Vikings
    Youngstown State outscored Cleveland State 18-16 off the bench on Saturday. It was the best bench output for the Penguins since scoring 19 at Canisius on Dec. 17. YSU had scored 21 points off the bench in the last four games prior to Saturday. The Penguins had 36 bench points at Kent State and 32 against Weber State.

March Plays Significant Time
    Junior guard Kaitlyn March played 19 minutes against Cleveland State, which was the most out of YSU's substitutes. She hadn't played more than seven minutes in a game since Dec. 3 against Saint Francis. March scored three points, grabbed two rebounds and had an assist against the Vikings. She was the Penguins' top 3-point shooter early in the season when she had nine through the first seven games.

Concluding Tough Start to Horizon League Slate
    Thursday's game at Wright State wraps up a tough start to Horizon League play for the Penguins. Their first six league games are against the top six teams based on the preseason coaches poll. Half of the six contests are on the road. Wright State, which finished second last season, was picked to finish as the runner-up again.

Vaughn's Season Officially Over
    Senior guard Velissa Vaughn officially announced Tuesday that her severe and nagging shin splints will keep her from playing this season. Vaughn has not practiced at full speed since the end of last season, and she did not dress for any of YSU's games this season. Vaughn has the option to return for a fifth year, and she remains a team captain.
    Vaughn, who started 36 games in her first three seasons, was particularly helpful in Horizon League contests over the past two seasons. She averaged 11.4 points against league opponents last year and scored in double figures 10 times against the circuit. She also averaged 8.3 in league games as a sophomore.

Vaughn's Injury Furthers Unplanned Inexperience at Guard
    When Cindy Martin was named YSU's head coach on April 11, 2008, she planned on having four senior guards to lean on for major minutes. Only one - Kelsey Gurganus - has provided that. Monique Godfrey has played in five games as she continues to return to full speed from a knee injury that allowed her to play in just two games last year. Vaughn has not even practiced since Martin was hired, and Toni Roscoe decided to focus on academics after spring practice.

Trying to Put Low Turnovers, High Shooting Games Together
    The Penguins have showed signs of taking care of the basketball and shooting well, but they haven't been able to do it at the same time for the most part. In the six games that YSU has shot at least 38 percent, the Guins have committed fewer than 20 turnovers just twice and are averaging 22. In the six games the Guins have had fewer than 20 turnovers, they are shooting 33.1 percent.

LaFleur, Scott Form One of League's Best Tandems
    Senior posts Nikita LaFleur and Tiara Scott have combined to be one of the Horizon League's best inside tandems. Together, the pair is averaging 19.8 points and 13.8 rebounds. Only Butler's posts are averaging higher in both categories (24 ppg, 14.8 rpg), and Milwaukee's are scoring more (26.1 ppg). Scott and LaFleur are both shooting better than 50 percent, and no other team has both of its posts shooting at least 46 percent.

Playing Better Offensively in Second Half
    Youngstown State was held to 18 first-half points and shot 23.3 percent in its last game against Cleveland State. It was the 10th time this season that YSU has scored 25 points or fewer in the first half. The Guins have scored 25 or fewer in the second half only five times. YSU is also averaging 4.8 more points (28.1-23.3) and shooting 1.7 percent higher (36.2-34.5) in the second half.