Youngstown -- Youngstown State will play its
final home game of the 2009-10 season against Detroit. Seniors
Kaitlyn March and Rachael Manuel will be honored prior to the game
for their contributions to the program. YSU is coming off a 57-38
loss to Wright State on Thursday, and Detroit lost 70-60 in
overtime at Cleveland State.
Scouting Detroit
Detroit had the best record in the Horizon League until a loss at
Cleveland State on Thursday dropped it to third. The Titans were
1-9 through their first 10 games, but they've gone 13-4 since,
which includes a 12-4 mark in league play. Brigid Mulroy ranks
fifth in the league in scoring (14.2 ppg), and Jalesa Jones is
second in assists (4.9 apg).
Looking for Repeat of Senior Day Magic
Youngstown State will hope that Senior Day will bring success for
the second straight season. Last year, the Penguins defeated
Valparaiso 54-38 at Beeghly Center in the final home game for five
seniors. That win snapped an 18-game losing streak. The Penguins
shot 47.9 percent and held the Crusaders to 23.2 percent.
Manuel, March Wrapping Up Careers
Seniors Rachael Manuel and Kaitlyn March are playing the final home
games of their Youngstown State careers today.
Manuel is having the best year of her career by far, averaging
career highs in virtually every offensive category. She has more
than doubled her career scoring total from her first three seasons
combined with 182 points, and her 139 rebounds are nearly double
her career total entering this year. She is in her second year at
YSU after transferring from the University of Southern
Mississippi.
March is a fourth-year senior, but she's accrued most of her
statistics in her last two seasons. She scored 59 points in 23
games last year after having nine points in 14 games combined in
her first two seasons. This year she has 45 points in 24 games.
Brown vs. Shayok in Battle of Elite Posts
Youngstown State forward Brandi Brown is the only Horizon League
player averaging a double-double, but Detroit's Yar Shayok is the
closest player to equaling that. Brown is averaging 11.3 points and
10.7 rebounds overall and 11.9 points and 11.2 rebounds in league
games. Shayok is averaging 11.6 points and 9.9 rebounds overall and
11.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in league play.
Middlebrooks Scoring Well at Home
Sophomore guard Kenya Middlebrooks has an impressive scoring streak
at Beeghly Center entering the final home game. Middlebrooks has
scored at least 11 points in six straight home games dating back to
Jan. 14. In fact, eight of her 11 double-digit scoring games have
come at Beeghly Center. She averages a team-high 10.2 points at
home and 6.5 points on the road. Middlebrooks scored 12 points and
grabbed a career-high-tying nine rebounds against Wright State.
Brown Assembling Notable Year
Through the first 26 games of the season, freshman Brandi Brown has
established herself as one of the best posts in the Horizon League.
She has recorded 12 double-doubles, nine of which have come in
league play. Brown leads the Horizon League with 10.7 rebounds per
contest and ranks 16th in scoring. Her 11.3 points per game is the
highest among league newcomers.
Brown also has a chance to be the first Penguin in school history
to ever lead the team in scoring, rebounding and steals in the same
season. She is averaging 5.4 more rebounds more than her closest
teammate, but the other two categories are much closer. She has
four more steals than Macey Nortey and Kenya Middlebrooks, and she
is averaging 0.5 points more than Bojana Dimitrov.
Only six players have averaged a double-double in school history:
Linda Fredericks (1976-77), Wanda Grant (four times), Holly Seimetz
(twice), Dorothy Bowers (twice), Donna Djorovic (1992-93) and Jen
Perugini (2004-05).
Nortey Ranking Among League Leaders
Sophomore point guard Macey Nortey has posted 113 assists through
26 games for an average of 4.3 assists. That rate ranks her fourth
in the Horizon League. Nortey has the seventh-most assists by a
sophomore in school history. Assuming she keeps up her average of
4.3, she'll get to at least 130 depending on YSU's finish in the
Speedway Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. That would
rank her fourth on the class chart.
Up Next
The Penguins wrap up the regular season with road games at Green
Bay and Milwaukee.
