The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to improve
to 5-0 when it plays at Northern Kentucky in the Norse's first home
game at the Division-I level on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
at The Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Ky. The game
will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, 570wkbn.com and iHeartRadio
with Mike Pilch calling the play-by-play.
The Penguins are coming off an impressive 76-56 victory over
preseason Mid-American Conference East Division favorite and 2012
WNIT participant Miami on Sunday afternoon in Oxford, Ohio. YSU
shot a season-best 47.1 percent in the contest and had five players
reach double figures in scoring for the first time since the finale
of the 2010-11 regular season. In fact, four players scored in
double figures in the second half alone as the Penguins outscored
the RedHawks 51-31 in the period. Liz Hornberger
made four of her career-best six 3-pointers in the second half, and
Brandi Brown
was 3-for-3 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in
the period. Brown finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for her
fourth consecutive double-double.
YSU is 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season and is
looking for its first five-game winning streak in 12 years. The
Penguins are on their first four-game winning streak in five
seasons, and they've already beat a BCS opponent (Pittsburgh) for
the first time since 1997-98. The Penguins have held each of their
first four opponents under 60 points, and they are allowing 13.7
points per game fewer (53.8 vs. 67.5) than last season.
Northern Kentucky is 0-4 in its first season at the Division I
level. The members of the Atlantic Sun Conference won national
titles at Division II in 2008 and 2000.
The Penguins will conclude November at home on Friday against
Stony Brook at 7 p.m.
Game Recap vs. Miami (Ohio)
YSU scored 51 points on 63.6-percent shooting in the second half
to defeat Miami (Ohio) 76-56 on Sunday at Millett Hall.
Liz Hornberger scored 12 of her career-high 18 points in the
second half, and three other YSU players scored in double figures
in the period. Brandi Brown had 18 points and 12 rebounds for her
fourth straight double-double.
YSU led for about 15 minutes in the first half and started the
second half on an 18-7 run to break a 25-25 halftime tie.
Quick Notes
- YSU had five players score in double figures for the first time
since March 5, 2011. That was the regular-season finale of the
2010-11 campaign.
- The Penguins held a 40-27 edge in rebounding. That plus-13 in
rebounding was YSU's best since outrebounding Akron by 21 on Dec.
21, 2007.
- Liz Hornberger was 6-for-8 from 3-point range to set a new
career high with 18 points. Her previous career high was 12 points,
which she reached four times. Hornberger was 1-for-8 from 3-point
range in YSU's previous game.
- Brandi Brown scored the 1,500th point of her career on a free
throw with 35.3 seconds remaining. She also moved into third place
on YSU's career rebounding list with 931.
- Hornberger also posted five assists for the second consecutive
game. She has 14 assists in four games this season for an average
of 3.5 per game. She averaged 1.1 assists last season.
- Heidi
Schlegel scored all 12 of her points and grabbed four rebounds
in the second half. It was her first game of the season after
missing the first three with a concussion.
Scouting Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky is in its first season as a Division I program
and will be playing its first D-I home game on Tuesday. The Norse
are still looking for their first win of the season. They lost
77-65 to Loyola in their last game on Wednesday. Loyola led 27-10
early, but NKU battled back and led 44-42 in the second half. The
Ramblers went on a 15-0 run to gain separation. Tiara Hooper scored
22 points against Loyola and is averaging 12 points and 6.5
rebounds. Kayla Thacker is also averaging 12 points and has added
three steals per game. The Norse are 52-7 all-time in The Bank of
Kentucky Center and 25-2 in the building over the past two
seasons.
Series With Northern Kentucky
This is the first meeting between Youngstown State and Northern
Kentucky. YSU has played just one contest against a team currently
in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Penguins lost 79-67 at Stetson
on Dec. 20, 2010.
First 4-0 Start Since 1996-97
- Youngstown State is 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97
season with its wins over Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Bryant and Miami
(Ohio). The Penguins have gone on to start 5-0 five times in their
first 37 seasons.
- YSU has won its first three road games for the first time since
the 1997-98 season.
- The Penguins are on their first four-game winning streak since
the 2007-08 season. YSU has won four straight games by double
digits for the first time since 1997-98.
Five Score in Double Figures at Miami
(Ohio)
YSU had five different players reach double figures in scoring
in Sunday's win over Miami. Brandi Brown and Liz Hornberger both
tied for team highs with 18 points, Heidi Schlegel and Shar'Rae Davis had
12 points apiece, and Karen Flagg finished
with 10. It was the first time since March 5, 2011, that the
Penguins had five players reach double figures in scoring in the
same contest. Prior to that contest, YSU hadn't had five players in
double figures in the same game since the 2003-04 season. Melissa Thompson
and Monica
Touvelle both scored in double figures in the season opener,
giving the Penguins seven players who have scored at least 10
points in a game four contests into the season.
Half-Time Adjustments
With Sunday's game tied at halftime, Youngstown State shot 63.6
percent and outscored Miami (Ohio) 51-31 in the second half in the
win at Millett Hall. That's not the first time this season that YSU
has shown a big improvement in the second half. Despite being 4-0,
YSU has held the lead at halftime just once, a 30-20 advantage at
Buffalo on Nov. 13. The Penguins trailed Pittsburgh by 12 at
halftime in the season opener and was tied at the break against
Bryant and Miami (Ohio). The Penguins are averaging 25.75 points on
33.9 percent shooting in the first half and 43 points on 43.6
percent shooting in the second half.
Schlegel Returns to Line-Up
Redshirt sophomore forward Heidi Schlegel returned to the YSU
rotation on Sunday and promptly posted 12 points, six rebounds and
three steals in 23 minutes off the bench. All 12 of her points came
in the second half. Schlegel missed the first three games of the
season with a concussion that she suffered in a preseason
scrimmage. She was YSU's second-ranked returning scorer and
rebounder heading into this season. Schlegel averaged 9.7 points
and 4.6 rebounds in 27 games last season.
Hornberger Growing into Role
Junior guard Liz Hornberger made 6-of-8 attempts from 3-point
range for a career-best 18 points on Sunday at Miami (Ohio).
Hornberger has scored at least five points in each game this season
and reached double figures twice. She had reached double digits in
scoring just three times in her first two seasons. Hornberger, who
coach Bob Boldon praises for her basketball
knowledge and leadership on the court, has also improved her
distribution. Her career high for assists in a game entering this
season was three. She's surpassed that three times in four games,
and she's registered five in each of the past two games.
Focusing on Defense
YSU made a conscientious effort to improve its defense and
rebounding through recruiting and placing a higher priority on it
during preseason practices, and it is paying off in the early part
of the season. Last season, YSU ranked last in the Horizon League
last season in rebounding margin (minus-5.1) and field-goal
percentage defense (43.0 percent) while ranking second-to-last in
scoring defense (67.5 points per game). This season, the Penguins
lead the league in scoring defense (53.8 points per game) and rank
fourth in field-goal percentage defense (39.8 percent) and
rebounding margin (plus-1.2). The Penguins have held their first
three opponents to an average of 53 points per game. That is a
14.5-point improvement from last season.
- The Penguins have held four straight opponents under 60 points
for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
- YSU has held its first four opponents under 60 points for the
first time since 1978-79.
- The 29 turnovers that YSU forced against Bryant were the most
since Niagara had 30 on Nov. 13, 2007.
Davis, Brown Receive Accolades
YSU players Shar'Rae Davis and Brandi Brown have both received
several awards in the first three weeks of the season.
Brown's Honors
- Horizon League Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 19
- CollegeSportsMadness.com Horizon League Player of the Week on
Nov. 12.
- CollegeSportsMandess.com High-Major Player of the Week on Nov.
19.
- CollegeSportsMadness.com Horizon League Player of the Week on
Nov. 26.
Davis' Honors
- Horizon League Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 12
Brown and Davis Scoring in Bunches
Brandi Brown and Shar'Rae Davis have scored in bunches at times
during the early part of this season. Brown and Davis combined for
38 of YSU's 48 points in the second half against Bryant, including
12 points during a 14-0 run in the period. The pair combined to
score YSU's first 25 points against Buffalo, and YSU had 30 in the
period.
Brown and Davis are combining for 35.5 of YSU's 68.8 points per
game, which equates to just over 51 percent. The last duo to
combine for more than 50 percent of YSU's points were Breanne
Kenneally and Alyson Vogrin with 53.8 percent in 2000-01.
Davis Impressing Early
Freshman Shar'Rae Davis has had a strong start to her collegiate
career. In her first four games, she's averaged 14.5 points, 5.3
rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.5 steals. She's posted highs of 23
points, nine rebounds, nine assists and five steals. Brandi Brown
was the last freshman to score at least 23 points on Dec. 5, 2009.
The last freshman to record at least nine assists in a game was
Lauren Branson, who had 13 at IPFW on Jan. 18, 2005.
Growth Evidenced by Turnarounds
YSU's continual growth over the last three seasons has been
demonstrated so far in wins over Pittsburgh and Buffalo. YSU lost
by 20 to the Panthers two years ago in head coach Bob Boldon's
debut, and the Penguins lost 89-37 to Pitt in the 2009-10 season.
YSU's victory 64-50 win on Nov. 9 was a 66-point turnaround from
that loss in 2009-10. Further, the Guins beat Pitt and defeated a
current Big East team for the first time since 1991. YSU also
earned its first win over a team currently in a BCS conference
since 1997. YSU's 60-50 victory over Buffalo on Nov. 13 was a
64-point turnaround from when the Bulls beat the Penguins 92-38 in
2009-10.
Brown Surpasses 1,500 Points, 900 Rebounds
Youngstown State senior Brandi Brown became the seventh player
in school history to score 1,500 career points on a free throw with
35.3 seconds left against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday. Earlier this
season, she became the fifth player in school history to surpass
900 career rebounds against Buffalo. She is one of only three
players in school history to score 1,500 points and grab 900
rebounds (Dorothy Bowers, Wanda Grant). Brown currently ranks third
in school history with 931 career rebounds. She needs to average
just under 10 rebounds per game the rest of the season to pass
Grant for the career record. Brown would have to average about 13
points the rest of the year to pass Grant's 1,829 points for second
on the career list.
Lots of 3-Pointers
Youngstown State ranked fifth in the country last season with
9.2 3-pointers per game, and the Penguins have upped their average
to 9.3 per game so far this year. They set school and Horizon
League records for 3-pointers made in a season last year with 275.
In fact, YSU has re-set the school record for 3-pointers made and
attempted in Coach Bob Boldon's first two seasons. The Penguins
have made at least eight 3-pointers 26 times in the last 34 games
dating back to the start of last season.
