Youngstown -- Youngstown State welcomes No. 19 Pittsburgh to the Beeghly Center for the first time in 18 years this evening. YSU enters the game looking for its first win while Pitt will look to extend its unbeaten mark to 6-0. The Guins' last win over the Panthers came on Dec. 5, 1991, which was the last time Pitt played at YSU.

A Quick Look at the Penguins
Youngstown State has opened the season with six straight losses, due partly to playing shorthanded. YSU dressed only eight players in each game, and one of those eight is averaging only seven minutes per contest. All five of YSU's returners are playing, but only three of the seven newcomers are. Newcomer Bojana Dimitrov is averaging a team-best 14.7 points, which is highlighted by a 27-point performance against ULM on Friday. Freshman Brandi Brown leads YSU with 9.8 rebounds per game and has two double-doubles. Four of YSU's five returners are averaging career highs in points.

Scouting Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has started 5-0 and has won four of those games by at least 22 points. The top two scorers are gone from last year's squad that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, but four players are averaging in double figures. Taneisha Harrison leads the way with 17 points per contest, and Chelsea Cole is averaging 10 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Last Season vs. Pittsburgh
A taller Pitt team shot 67.2 percent and held YSU to 30.6 percent in a 99-42 victory in the championship game of the Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 29, 2008.
    Playing against a team that started five was a combined 21 inches taller, the Penguins led early and were within 31-22 with 3:59 remaining in the first half.
    From that point, Pitt scored 32 straight points that spanned from the 3:22 mark of the first half to the 15:24 mark of the second half.
    Kaitlyn March scored 10 points to lead YSU, and Tiara Scott added nine. Five players scored in double figures for the Panthers, who held a 40-19 rebounding advantage.

Pitt Assistant Caroline McCombs is YSU Alumnus
Pittsburgh assistant coach Caroline McCombs was a standout player for YSU from 1994-98. A member of the Athletics Hall of Fame, her 1,577 career points rank as the sixth-most in school history, and her 112 career starts are a school record. She was a senior on the 1997-98 squad that defeated Memphis for YSU's first win in the NCAA tournament.

Non-Conference Home Schedule Tough
YSU has a very rugged non-conference home schedule this season. The four non-conference teams the Penguins will play at Beeghly Center - Kent State, Canisius, Pittsburgh and Bowling Green - combined for 97 wins last year. Kent State was 19-10, Canisius went 24-9, Pittsburgh was 25-8 and Bowling Green went 29-5.

Opponents Shoot Better in Second-Half
Opponents are shooting 50.3 percent against YSU in the second half. Four of YSU's six opponents have shot at least 44 percent in the final 20 minutes, but the percentage is really elevated because of games against Elon and Weber State. Elon shot 63 percent (17-for-27) in the second half in the season opener, and Weber State shot 72 percent (18-for-25) on Saturday. In first halves, YSU's opponents are shooting a combined 43.1 percent. Three opponents have shot above 51 percent, but the other three have all shot under 37 percent.

Penguins Nearly Pulled Off Big Rally
Youngstown State nearly overcame a 17-point second-half deficit against ULM on Friday. The Penguins allowed the Warhawks to go up 56-39 with 12:01 remaining in regulation after an 18-4 run. YSU then scored 12 straight points, eight of which came from Bojana Dimitrov, to get the margin down to 56-51 at the 9:36 mark. YSU, however, was never able to get the score closer than five. The Penguins also trimmed a 17-point deficit to 10 against Weber State before succumbing to a 70-51 defeat.

Shooting Better From 3-Point Range
Through the first six games, YSU has shot better from 3-point range than inside it. The Penguins are shooting 37.3 percent (28-for-75) from beyond the 3-point arc and 32.8 percent (95-for-290) from inside. Kenya Middlebrooks is shooting a team-best 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from 3-point range, and Bojana Dimitrov is shooting 45.5 percent (15-for-33). Last year, YSU shot 26.7 percent from 3-point range and 37.3 percent inside.

Penguins Nearing 250th Beeghly Win
The Penguins have won 247 games at Beeghly Center since the program began in 1975-76. They need three more wins at home to reach 250. YSU owns a 247-129 record in 376 home games for a .657 winning percentage. YSU won 13 games in a season three times - in 1987-88, 1990-91 and 1991-92. The Penguins had more than 10 wins at Beeghly Center nine times in a 12-year span from 1987 to 1999.

Why Only Eight?
A series of unfortunate events have led to YSU being short in numbers in the early part of this season. After signing day in April, the Penguins had a full roster of 15, but two players who would have been the top returning scorers opted to leave the university in May. Two JUCO transfers in the original eight signees did not qualify academically, and an incoming freshman got homesick after the first day of fall classes and left YSU. Two other freshmen, Melissa Thompson (out for the year) and Kaitlin Rohrs (unknown timetable), hurt their knees during open gym the first week of classes and have not played yet. Shea Johnson, a late signee who replaced one of the academically ineligible JUCOs, is out with an injured back.

Many Playing Many Minutes
Of the eight YSU players who have played in the first five games, seven are averaging at least 18 minutes. The starters are all averaging at least 26.7 minutes, and each has played at least 35 minutes in a game. Kenya Middlebrooks is averaging a team-high 32.3 minutes after playing 39 against ULM, and Macey Nortey is second with 32.0.

Brown Gets Second Double-Double at UTEP
Freshman forward Brandi Brown had a very strong outing at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic. She posted the second double-double of her young career against ULM with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Brown then had eight points and nine rebounds against Weber State. Brown ranks second in the Horizon League with 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Nortey's Assists, Points Up
Sophomore point guard Macey Nortey has shown a big improvement in her ball distribution through the first six games of her sophomore year. Nortey now has 31 assists in six games for an average of 5.2 per contest. Last season, Nortey had 80 in 30 games for an average of 2.7. The sophomore is also averaging 10.8 points through six games, which is up from 5.6 points as a freshman.

Brown Rebounding Machine
Through the first six games of her collegiate career, freshman Brandi Brown has lived up to her reputation as a top-caliber rebounder. Brown has led YSU or tied for the team lead in rebounding in every game. Her 9.8 rebounding average ranks second in the Horizon League. Brown averaged 24 points and 19 rebounds as a senior at Claremont High in Pomona, Calif.

Gasparek, Manuel Already Approaching Last Season's Point Totals
Senior post Rachael Manuel and sophomore guard Makala Gasparek are close to surpassing their point totals from the 2008-09 season in this year's first seven games. Manuel has scored 43 points (7.2 per game), which is just eight behind the 51 she scored in 27 games last year. She scored a career-best 53 points in 28 games as a freshman at Southern Miss. Gasparek has scored 14 points, which is one point shy of the 15 she scored in 28 games last year.

Brown, Dimitrov a Solid Tag Team
Brandi Brown and Bojana Dimitrov combined to form a solid tag team against ULM on Friday. Brown was dominant in the first half, posting 13 points and 11 rebounds in 13 minutes before halftime. Dimitrov then took over in the second half as she scored 18 of her game-high 27 points. Brown was 6-for-10 in the first half, and Dimitrov was 7-for-10 in the second half.

Dimitrov Named to All-Tournament Team at UTEP
Junior guard Bojana Dimitrov was named to the all-tournament team at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic. She scored 35 points in the two games, including a career-high 27 points against ULM. Dimitrov was 13-for-27 from the field, and she was an impressive 8-for-12 from behind the 3-point arc. She added 10 rebounds, three steals and three assists in 61 minutes. Dimitrov is averaging a team-best 14.7 points this season, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League. She was also named to the all-tournament team at the Elon Tipoff Classic.