Youngstown -- Youngstown State
ends its Indiana road swing on Saturday with an afternoon contest
at Valparaiso that is set to tip-off at 2:35 Eastern. YSU's last
win came against Valpo in the 2008-09 regular-season finale, and
the Penguins led the Crusaders by 13 in the first half when the
teams met earlier this season. YSU lost 82-36 at Butler on
Thursday, and Valpo lost 82-59 against Cleveland State.
Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso is ninth in the Horizon League standings with a 3-8 mark
in conference play and a 6-16 overall record. Since defeating YSU
66-41 on Jan. 14, the Crusaders have lost six out of seven
contests, including four straight. Sophomore guard Betsy Adams
ranks 10th in the Horizon League in scoring at 12.7 points per
game, and senior post Lauren Kenney averages 12.2 points.
Posts Play Solidly on Offense vs. Butler
YSU posts Brandi Brown
and Rachael
Manuel played well against Butler on Thursday, but they didn't
get a lot of help. The pair combined to score half of YSU's points
(18 of 36) and shoot 44.4 percent (8-for-18). The other six players
combined to score 18 points and shoot 17.9 percent (7-for-39).
Brown and Manuel combined to play only 50 minutes, though, because
of early foul trouble. That matched the season low for minutes
played by the duo.
Brown Breaks Freshman Rebounding Record
With 14 rebounds against UIC on Feb. 6, Brandi Brown broke
YSU's freshman rebounding record. She now has 254 rebounds,
surpassing Jen Perugini's freshman record of 239 that was set in
2001-02. Brown also has a chance to break Caroline McCombs'
freshman scoring record of 346 points, but that will likely come
down to the final game or two of the season. Brown has 260 points
and, with at least seven games remaining, she is on pace for 339
points.
Middlebrooks Paces Scoring Last Week
Sophomore guard Kenya
Middlebrooks led the Penguins in scoring last week by averaging
14.5 points in the two games against Loyola and UIC. She went
13-for-18 from the free-throw line during the week, including
hitting on 11 of 14 attempts versus the Flames as she scored a
career-high 18 points. She was held to six points on Thursday at
Butler.
Brown Assembling Notable Year
Through the first two-thirds of the season, freshman
Brandi Brown has established herself as one of the best posts in
the Horizon League. She has recorded 11 double-doubles, eight of
which have come in league play. Brown leads the Horizon League with
11.0 rebounds per contest and ranks 16th in scoring. Her 11.3
points per game is the highest among league freshmen and second to
only teammate Bojana
Dimitrov among newcomers.
Nortey Passes Last Year's Assist Total
Sophomore point guard Macey Nortey
has already surpassed her 80 assists from last season and has 105
this year. Nortey is averaging 4.6 assists, which ranks third
Horizon League. Last year, Nortey averaged 2.7 assists.
March On A Solid Stretch
Senior guard Kaitlyn
March has stepped up her play over the past four games. She has
scored 23 of her 43 points in those four contests, including a
season-high eight points against UIC on Feb. 6. Five of her 10
3-poiters have also come in the past four games. March played a
career-high 32 minutes against Wright State on Jan. 30 when she
scored seven points.
Up Next
YSU will play its next three games at home, starting with a contest
against Cleveland State on Feb. 20. Tip-off against the Vikings is
set for 2:05 p.m.
