Chicago -- The Youngstown State women's
basketball team will look to split its Chicago trip when it takes
on Loyola on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern. The Penguins are coming
off a 78-59 loss to UIC on Thursday in which they got off to slow
starts in both halves. Loyola picked up its first Horizon League
win Thursday against Cleveland State, winning 66-63.
Scouting Loyola
Loyola has played to an even 7-7 record in its first season under
head coach Eric Simpson. The Ramblers dropped their first two
Horizon League contests at Butler and at Valparaiso last week, but
they rebounded to defeat Cleveland State on Thursday, 66-63. The
Ramblers have scored under 40 points twice, including at Valpo, but
they've also scored 80 or more three times. No player for Loyola
averages double figures, but six average at least 6.7 points.
Senior guard Keisha Collins leads the way with 9.6 points to go
along with team highs in rebounding and assists. Loyola leads the
Horizon League with 100 3-pointers and is tied with Green Bay for
the league lead in 3-point field goal percentage at 36.5 percent.
Two Big Runs Cost Penguins vs. UIC
Youngstown State was hurt by two big runs that UIC went on during
the early part of both halves on Thursday. The Flames scored 14
straight points in just over four minutes in the first half to turn
a 5-4 lead into a 19-4 advantage. They also scored 13 consecutive
points in three-and-a-half minutes early in the second half to up
its lead to 29 points. The Penguins had gotten off to good starts
in each of its first two Horizon League contests, leading by at
least five 15 minutes into each game. YSU led Milwaukee 23-18 and
Green Bay 28-22.
Penguins Make Season-High 10 3-pointers
YSU had its best 3-point shooting night in nearly two years against
UIC on Thursday. The Penguins were 10-for-22 from behind the arc,
which was the first time they had at least 10 treys since knocking
down 14 at Valparaiso on Jan. 31, 2008. The previous high for this
season was seven, which YSU accomplished against ULM on Nov. 27 and
Pittsburgh on Dec. 2. Kenya Middlebrooks hit a career-high four
treys, and Bojana Dimitrov also had four against the Flames on
Thursday. Macey Nortey and Kaitlyn March had one apiece. YSU shot
45.5 percent from 3-point range but made just 11-for-44 (25
percent) from inside the arc.
Brown Gets Fifth Double-Double vs. UIC
Freshman Brandi Brown notched the fifth double-double of her young
collegiate career on Thursday with the Flames, registering 14
points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. Brown has established herself
as one of the top players in the Horizon League in just 14 games.
She ranks 14th in the league in scoring (11.4 points per game), and
she leads the circuit in rebounding (10.4 rebounds per game). Her
scoring total is the highest among Horizon League freshmen and
second to only teammate Bojana Dimitrov among newcomers. Brown is
one of only one of five league players averaging more than 6.7
caroms, and she has led the Penguins in rebounding 13 times in 14
games.
Career Highs Set Despite Loss at UIC
Despite losing 78-59 at UIC on Thursday, the Penguins had some
solid individual performances that resulted in career highs. Senior
center Rachael Manuel grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and grabbed
at least 10 boards for the second time in her career. Sophomore
Macey Nortey, the Horizon League leader in assists, dished out a
career-high nine assists. That surpassed the eight she posted twice
earlier this year. Sophomore guard Kenya Middlebrooks scored a
career-high 16 points, surpassing the 14 she scored at Akron.
Middlebrooks was -for-13 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point
range.
Up Next
Youngstown State returns home to face Valparaiso on Thursday at
7:05 p.m.
