Youngstown -- Youngstown State will try to add
a solid offensive showing to the impressive defense it showed last
game when the Penguins play at Detroit on Thursday at 5 p.m. YSU is
coming off its best defensive game of the season in which it held
Cleveland State to 57 points and 28.3 percent shooting, both of
which were season lows by opponents. The Titans, winners of six of
their last eight games, will aim to stay tied for first in the
Horizon League standings.
Scouting Detroit
Detroit has had a big turnaround this season, going from losing
nine straight games to being tied for first in the Horizon League
with a 5-2 conference record. Four of the Titans' five league wins
have been by three points or fewer. Senior Brigid Mulroy ranks
sixth in the league in scoring (14.3 points per game), and
sophomore Yar Shayok averages 11.2 points and nine rebounds.
Penguins Had Best Defensive Showing at Cleveland
State
Youngstown State had, by far, its best defensive outing of the
season at Cleveland State on Jan. 22. The Penguins limited the
Vikings to 57 points and 28.3 percent shooting, both of which were
season lows by opponents. The previous lows were 66 points by
Valparaiso and 36.1 percent shooting by ULM. The Horizon League's
leading scorer, Kailey Klein, was held to five points in the
contest. YSU also had 18 steals, which was the most by the Penguins
since having 18 against Wright State on Jan. 24, 2002.
Big Runs Have Been Costly
In each of its last five games, Youngstown State has allowed its
opponents to go on runs of at least 10-0 at some point during the
game. Cleveland State scored 12 straight points in the first half
on Jan. 22 to turn an 8-6 lead into a 20-6 advantage. Butler scored
10 straight points twice against YSU on Jan. 16, the first of which
was over the final 6:33 of the first half to make the halftime
score 28-14. On Jan. 14 against Valpo, the Crusaders scored the
final five points of the first half and the first 12 of the second
half to turn a nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead. At
Loyola on Jan. 9, Loyola went on three different 11-0 runs, two of
which were in the second half. On Jan. 7, UIC scored 14 straight
points in four minutes to turn a 5-4 lead into a 19-4 advantage.
The Flames also scored 13 consecutive points early in the second
half to up its lead to 29 points.
Steals Increasing in League Play
Fresh off a season-high 18 steals against Cleveland State,
Youngstown State is averaging 10.7 steals in its seven Horizon
League games. That rate ranks second in the conference. Overall,
YSU is averaging 8.4 steals, which is up from 7.1 last season. In
fact, the 8.4 steals per game is the highest since the Penguins
averaged 9.6 steals in 2001-02.
Succeeding in the Classroom
The YSU women's basketball team had a very successful fall in the
classroom as 10 members posted at least a 3.0 grade-point average.
As a group, the team had a 3.29 GPA for the semester, which ranked
fourth out of YSU's 14 teams. Out of the 12 players on the squad,
11 have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Freshman Kaitlin Rohrs
earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall, and Rohrs, Bojana Dimitrov,
Makala Gasparek, Tieara Jones and Kaitlyn March all have cumulative
GPA's above 3.5.
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 18 games and with at least
12 remaining, Brown has grabbed 195 rebounds, which ranks fourth
among freshman in school history. If she keeps up her average of
10.8, she'll pass Jen Perugini's record of 239 caroms in five
games. If she maintains her scoring average of 11.8 points, she'll
edge Caroline McCombs' record total of 346 by eight.
Middlebrooks Money from Stripe
Sophomore guard Kenya Middlebrooks has made 21 consecutive free
throws dating back to the game at Akron on Dec. 5, 2009. That is
the ninth-longest streak in school history. Middlebrooks is a
perfect 16-for-16 in Horizon League games. She started the season
7-for-15 before her streak.
Brown Assembling Notable Year
Through the first half of the season, freshman Brandi Brown has
established herself as one of the best posts in the Horizon League.
She has posted eight double-doubles, five of which have come in
league play. Brown leads the Horizon League with 10.8 rebounds per
contest and ranks 12th in scoring. Her 11.8 points per game is the
highest among league freshmen and second to only teammate Bojana
Dimitrov among newcomers. Brown has been even better in league
games, averaging 14 points and 12.1 rebounds. Her 2.1 steals
average in league games ranks second in the conference.
Up Next
Youngstown State concludes its three-game road swing at Wright
State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
