The Youngstown State women's basketball team will attempt
to rebound from a loss to Loyola when it takes another opponent
from Chicago in UIC on Saturday. Tipoff against the Flames is set
for 2:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and
YSUsports.com. The Penguins made a late comeback attempt but lost
82-77 to the Ramblers on Thursday evening. The Flames also lost on
Thursday, suffering an 83-80 defeat at Cleveland State.
Top Storylines
- The Penguins have already surpassed their win total from all of
last season with their 8-7 start. The Penguins were 3-57 combined
in the two years prior to coach Bob Boldon's arrival. YSU
last had eight wins in its first 15 games in 1999-2000.
- YSU's next win will give it nine wins, matching its total
from the previous three seasons combined.
- The Penguins finished with 11 wins in 2011. They had three wins
combined in 2009 and 2010.
- Dating back to last season, YSU has won 11 of its last 22 games
and 10 of its last 18. Prior to 21 games ago, YSU had won just six
of its previous 83 games.
- YSU's scoring margin is plus-0.3 this year. That's
improved from minus-10.6 last year and minus-25.8 two years
ago.
- Through games completed on Jan. 12, YSU ranks eighth in the
country with 8.2 3-pointers per game.
- The Penguins averaged 9.3 more points and shoot 11.1 percent
higher in the second half than in the first half.
- Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Brandi Brown is
averaging 20.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in league play.
Series With UIC
UIC owns 14-9 advantage in the all-time series that dates back
to 1993 when the programs were both members of the Mid-Con. The
Penguins won five of the first six contests, but UIC won the next
eight. YSU beat the Flames 72-58 at Beeghly Center last March to
snap a five-game skid.
Scouting UIC
UIC has started Horizon League play 2-3 after going 7-4 in
non-conference games. The Flames lost to Cleveland State on
Thursday despite scoring a season-high 80 points. Shamiea Green had
31 points in the loss. Jasmine Bailey is a league
player-of-the-year candidate, ranking in the top three in scoring
(19.3/game), rebounding (10.0/game), steals (2.6/game) and assists
(4.4/game). Coach Regina Miller is in her first season.
Last Game: L, 82-77 vs. Loyola
Some late hot shooting by YSU made things interesting, but the
Guins ran out of time in an 82-77 setback to Loyola on Thursday
night.
Loyola, which held an 11-point edge at halftime, led
by as many as 18 early in the second half. The Ramblers were still
up by 13 with two-and-a-half minutes left when YSU hit four
consecutive 3-pointers and five straight field goals overall to get
within four with 11 seconds left.
Simone Law and Monica Albano combined for 33 of
Loyola's 47 points in the second half. Brandi Brown
scored 20 of her game-high 26 points in the second half.
The Penguins scored 53 points in the second half,
including 15 points in the final 2:26. They shot 50 percent in the
second half after shooting 25.8 percent in the first half.
- YSU had its highest scoring total in a loss since scoring
87 in a double-overtime setback vs. Milwaukee on Feb. 9, 2008. It
was the Guins' highest total in a regulation loss since
scoring 80 at Green Bay on Jan. 12, 2008.
- The Penguins' 53 points in the second half were its most
for a half since scoring 56 at Green Bay on Jan. 12.
- Brown scored a season-high 26 points and was 12-for-13 from the
free-throw line.
- YSU committed a season-low 10 turnovers and had 17 assists
– seven from Nortey
- The Penguins scored 24 points in the first half. They reached
24 points in the second half in 8:04.
- Kelsea Fickiesen had team highs with three offensive rebounds
and five defensive boards. She added eight points.
Last Time vs. UIC: W, 72-58
Brandi Brown scored a career-high 35 points and added 11
rebounds to lead YSU to a 72-58 win over UIC on March 3. Brown
connected on 11-of-18 from the field and tied a school record by
going 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. YSU was a school-record
17-for-17 from the stripe as a team. YSU led by as many as 20
before UIC whittled the deficit down to 60-51 with 7:22 to go. YSU
went on a 16-2 run in the first half to turn a 12-11 deficit into a
27-14 lead.
Guins Surpass 2010-11 Win Total
Youngstown State has already reached its win total from the
2010-11 season with its 8-7 start. The Penguins were 6-24 last year
and went a combined 3-57 the previous two seasons. YSU last won at
least eight of its first 15 games in 1999-2000, which was the last
time the Penguins won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
With its next win, the Penguins will match their win total from the
previous three seasons combined.
Benefit of Balanced Scoring
For the first time in nine seasons, Youngstown State has at
least three players averaging double figures in points. Brandi
Brown leads the Guins with 16.5 points per game, and she's
gotten help in the scoring column from Heidi Schlegel's 10.8
points and Kenya Middlebrooks' 10.7 points. Brown was the
only player that averaged more than 10 points last year with 19.9
per game.
Getting Contribution From All
A deeper and more talented bench has allowed YSU to share
minutes more evenly in 2011-12 than last season. All four returning
starters from last year have seen their minutes drop by at least
three minutes, and three of the four are averaging more than four
minutes fewer per contest. No Penguins are averaging at least 30
minutes after three did last year.
Needing First Half Offense
YSU trailed 35-24 at halftime and shot 25.8 percent in the first
half against Loyola on Thursday night. The Guins then outscored the
Ramblers 53-47 and shot 50 percent in the second half. That's
not a new trend this season. YSU is shooting 11 percent better and
averaging 9.3 more points in the second half. Brandi Brown averages
11.9 points in the second half and 4.5 in the first half.
Responding to Losses
YSU has done a good job of responding from losses this season.
The Guins are 6-0 after losses and have outscored their opponents
by an average of 14.3 points in those games. Their two
biggest wins – 25 over Western Michigan and 22 over Cleveland
State – both followed losses. Heidi Schlegel averages 15.5
points following losses and 7.7 points in all other
contests.
Starting Line-Up Shuffle
Youngstown State has employed three different starting line-ups
in the past three games. Macey Nortey, Liz Hornberger, Kenya
Middlebrooks, Heidi Schlegel and Brandi Brown started at Butler on
Jan. 5, and that group has been the starting five 12 times. Kelsea
Fickiesen and Tieara Jones joined Brown, Middlebrooks and Schlegel
at Valpo on Jan. 7, and Jones started for Schlegel against Loyola
on Thursday.
- Macey Nortey had started 42 consecutive games prior to
Saturday, dating back to the second game of last season. She has
started 98 games in her career and has a chance to break Caroline
McCombs' career record of 112. Brandi Brown is YSU's
current leader with 75 consecutive starts, which accounts for every
game of her collegiate career.
Guins Have Come Far in 22 Games
Dating back to last season, YSU has won 11 of its last 22 games.
Prior to that point, YSU had just six wins in its previous 83 games
(the start of the 2008-09 season). Over the last 22 games, YSU has
averaged 64.2 points, which is 13 points higher than the previous
83. It is also holding opponents to 63.3 points, a decrease of 8.5
points. The average difference in scoring margin is 21.5 points.
The Penguins have shot at least 40 percent in 13 of those 22 games
after shooting at least 40 percent just 16 times in the previous 83
contests.
Road Success Has Been Key
YSU has been particularly successful on the road with six wins
in nine tries this season. With at least seven road games left, YSU
has already matched its highest number of road wins in the last 12
seasons. The Penguins were 6-11 on the road in 2007-08, and they
have not had more than six road wins since going 9-7 in 1999-2000.
The Penguins had one road win combined over the past three seasons.
YSU won five straight games on the road earlier this season from
Nov. 13 to Dec. 18. The last time YSU won five straight road games
was in 1997-98.
Shooting/Making 3s at Record Pace
YSU set school records for 3-pointers made and attempted last
year, and it is on pace to break those records in 2011-12. This
year, YSU is averaging 8.2 3-pointers made and 26.5 attempts. On
average, they made 6.8 per game and attempted 24.8 last year. The
Penguins' 744 attempts last year set the school record by
more than 180. Their shooting percentage is .309 this season, up
from .276 last season.
Guins Among NCAA's Best at 3s
Through games completed on Jan. 8, YSU ranks eighth in the
country with 8.2 3-pointers made per game. Florida Gulf Coast, led
by YSU head coach Bob Boldon's mentor Karl Smesko, leads the
nation with 12.2 treys per game.
- YSU is one of only two Division I schools in the country whose
men's and women's basketball teams rank in the top 10
nationally in 3-pointers per game. YSU's men's team
ranks seventh in the country with 9.3 treys per game. Santa Clara
(women ninth, men 10th) is the only other school.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play at nationally-ranked Green Bay on
Thursday at 8 p.m.
