Fewer than 22 hours after its season opener concluded, Youngstown State continues its stay at the Elon Tip-Off Classic Saturday evening with a contest against High Point. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. On the first day of the Classic, YSU fell 86-66 to Elon, and High Point lost 70-67 in overtime to Navy.

Penguins Show Offensive Potential in Opener
For a team that averaged 50.2 points last season, the 66 points scored by YSU in the season opener was an encouraging sign. YSU's highest scoring total last season was 67, and the Penguins had 60 points-or-more six times. Five players had at least eight points against Elon, including 21 points from junior newcomer Bojana Dimitrov. Macey Nortey tied career highs with 14 points and six assists, and Kenya Middlebrooks matched her career high with eight points. YSU also got two 3-pointers from three different players, which only happened once in 30 games last season.

Plenty of Newcomers Arrive
Of the 12 players on YSU's roster, seven are newcomers. Bojana Dimitrov, Shea Johnson and Tieara Jones are JUCO transfers, and Maryum Jenkins, Melissa Thompson, Kaitlin Rohrs and Brandi Brown are freshmen. A maximum of five of the newcomers, though, will be able to make an impact on the floor. Jones will sit out the season while she meets academic requirements. Thompson is out for the year with a torn ACL that she suffered in open gym prior the start of practice. Johnson may miss the season with a back injury.

Last Game: L, 86-66 at Elon
YSU played strong through 25 minutes before the fatigue of playing with mainly seven players set in as Elon pulled away to win 86-66 on Friday in the season opener for both schools.

Bojana Dimitrov had two of her team-high 21 points to make the score 45-40 with just over 16 minutes remaining in the second half. From that point, Elon went on a 13-3 run and led by double digits the rest of the way.

Elon played up-tempo throughout the contest and got a game-high 23 points from freshman Ali Ford. Three other players scored in double figures, and freshman Kelsey Evans had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

YSU forced 28 turnovers and converted those into a 28-4 edge in points off turnovers. The Penguins shot 19 more times than the Phoenix but had six fewer field goals.

Scouting High Point
High Point is coming off a 70-67 loss in overtime to Navy on Friday at the Elon Tip-Off Classic. The Panthers led 67-66 in overtime before Navy scored the final four points of the game on free throws. High Point trailed by as many as eight in the first half and led by six with 8:47 left in the second half. High Point went 15-16 last season, but was picked to win the Big South this year. Jurica Hargraves is the conference Preseason Player of the Year.

Newcomers Have Solid Debut
Three Youngstown State newcomers made their debut against Elon on Friday, and all three made solid contributions. JUCO transfer Bojana Dimitrov scored a team-high 21 points, had two assists and grabbed two rebounds. Freshman Maryum Jenkins had eight points on 3-for-4 shooting and two steals. Freshman Brandi Brown grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and had three points.

Many Play Many Minutes
Of the eight YSU players who appeared against Elon, seven played at least 19 minutes nd six played at least 24. Macey Nortey played a game-high 37 minutes, Bojana Dimitrov played 35 and Brandi Brown played 31. Kaitlyn March was limited to two minutes as she works her way back from a sprained ankle. Kaitlin Rohrs was held out after experiencing pain in her shins the past few days.

Turnovers Down From Last Year's Pace
YSU had just 13 turnovers against Elon on Friday, which was a far cry from the 20.8 it averaged last season. The Penguins had 13-or-fewer turnovers three times in 30 games last season. YSU also forced Elon into 28 turnovers, which is more than any game from last season by an opponent. YSU committed fewer turnovers than its opponent six times last year.