The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to put two
solid halves together when it hosts Butler on Saturday at 2:05
p.m.. The Penguins are coming off a disappointing 66-41 loss to
Valparaiso on Thursday after leading by 13 points in the first
half. Butler lost 81-68 at Cleveland State on Thursday. This is
YSU's last home game this month.
Scouting Butler
Butler is one of the most veteran teams in the Horizon League with
four juniors and a senior in the starting line-up. Senior Susan
Lester, a preseason first-team all-league pick, comes off the
bench. The Bulldogs won six out of seven games before losing two of
their last three. They are 6-1 at home but 3-5 away from Hinkle
Fieldhouse. Senior Melanie Thornton leads Butler with 15.5 points
and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Middlebrooks Steps Up
Sophomore Kenya
Middlebrooks did her best to step up against Valparaiso with
the absence of leading scorer Bojana
Dimitrov. Middlebrooks scored 15 points, which was the highest
total in her career at Beeghly Center, and she grabbed a
season-best eight rebounds. Her four steals were also a season
high. Middlebrooks is averaging 11.8 points over the last four
games, which includes a career-high 16 points at UIC on Jan. 7.
YSU Playing Without Top Scorer
Youngstown State was without leading scorer Bojana
Dimitrov against Valparaiso as she continues to recover from a
sprained posterior cruciate ligament. Dimitrov, who averages 12.8
points and has hit a team-best 28 3-pointers, will miss today's
game as well.
Brown Moving Up on Freshman Records Lists
Forward Brandi Brown
has a chance to have one of the best seasons for a freshman in YSU
history. Through 16 games and with at least 14 remaining, Brown has
grabbed 172 rebounds, which ranks seventh among freshman in school
history. If she keeps up her average of 10.8, she'll pass Jen
Perugini's record of 239 caroms seven games from today. If she
maintains her scoring average of 11.6 points, she'll edge Caroline
McCombs' total of 346 by two.
Up Next
The Guins will play their next three contests on the road over the
next two weeks. YSU plays at Cleveland State on Friday, Jan. 22, at
5 p.m.
