After spending the week to focus on finals, the Youngstown State
women's basketball team will face arguably its toughest test of the
season when it plays at nationally-ranked West Virginia on Sunday.
Tip-off at the WVU Coliseum is set for 2 p.m., and live audio will
be available on 570wkbn.com. WVUsports.com will offer live video
and stats.
The Penguins have seven wins in their first nine games for the
first time since the 1997-98 season after defeating Division-III
Wilmington 83-52 on Sunday. YSU scored 11 straight points in
two-and-a-half minutes to go up 11-2 in the contest, and the
Penguins led by double digits for the final 31 minutes. Senior
forward Brandi
Brown registered 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals
before resting after 22 minutes, and junior guard Monica Touvelle
scored a career-high 20 points behind six 3-pointers. Freshman
point guard Shar'Rae Davis
contributed 10 assists.
YSU held its fourth straight opponent under 60 points last
Sunday, and the Penguins have allowed more than 60 points just once
in their first nine games. The Guins are allowing 54.4 points per
game, which is a significant improvement from the 67.5 points they
allowed on average last season. YSU has also improved by 8.0 in
rebounding margin compared to last season. On the offensive end,
the Penguins continue to be among the nation's top 3-point shooting
teams. On the Dec. 10 statistical rankings, YSU was second in the
country with 9.2 3-pointers per game.
The Mountaineers are ranked 22nd in the USA Today Coaches Poll
and 25th in the Associated Press Poll this week. They earned
double-digit wins over Marshall and Saint Bonaventure last week to
improve to 6-2. The Mountaineers beat YSU 69-37 in the 2011-12
season opener in Morgantown.
YSU will host nearby rival Akron on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. in its
final game before the holiday break.
Game Recap vs. Wilmington
Monica Touvelle scored a game-high 20 points and made six
3-pointers to lead YSU to an 83-52 win over Wilmington on Sunday at
the Beeghly Center.
After the Quakers scored the first points of the game, YSU
scored the next 11 points to go up 11-2. The Guins never led by
fewer than seven and led by double digits for the final 31
minutes.
All nine players who appeared scored for YSU. Brandi Brown had
17 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double, and Taylor Hvisdak
scored a career-best 11 points. Shar'Rae Davis tied a career-high
with 10 assists.
- Monica Touvelle was 6-for-9 from 3-point range and scored a
career-high 20 points.
- Brandi Brown and Heidi Schlegel
both had five steals in the contest, and YSU had a season-high 16
as a team. The last time the Penguins had more than 16 steals in a
game was Jan. 22, 2010.
- Taylor Hvisdak scored the first 11 points of her career and
added three rebounds and a steal. She was 3-for-7 from the
field.
- Redshirt freshman Ashley Lawson
played in the first game of her career. She missed the first 38
games with various injuries. Lawson scored two points in 15 minutes
of action.
- Brown's 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals came in just
22 minutes.
- Shar'Rae Davis had 10 assists for the second time this season.
The last Penguin to have at least 10 assists twice in a season was
Lauren Branson in 2004-05.
- The Penguins held their fourth straight opponent under 60
points.
- YSU made at least 12 3-pointers for the third time in the first
nine games.
Scouting West Virginia
West Virginia has been ranked as high as 12th by the Associated
Press this season and is currently 25th in the AP Poll and 22nd in
the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Mountaineers are 6-2 overall and
have won three straight games over Virginia, Marshall and Saint
Bonaventure. WVU dresses six players who are at least 6-feet tall,
and 6-3 senior center Ayana Dunning averages team highs with 11
points and 6.8 rebounds. The Mountaineers are plus-3.9 in
rebounding and plus-7.1 in turnover margin.
Last Time vs. West Virginia
West Virginia held YSU to 19.6 percent shooting and outscored
the Penguins by 21 in the second half in a 69-37 win in the 2011-12
opener.
The Mountaineers shot 30 percent in the first half in building a
26-15 halftime lead then shot 59.3 percent in the second half. WVU
blocked 12 shots in the game.
WVU's Taylor Palmer made eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points
in the win. Brandi Brown had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead
YSU. The Penguins did not score until the 12:50 mark.
Series With West Virginia
West Virginia defeated YSU 69-37 in last season's opener, which
was the first game between the programs since 1997-98. YSU won four
straight contests from 1979 to 1981, and West Virginia had a
three-game winning streak from 1993-95. The teams played each year
from 1992 to 1997. Of the 17 games in the series, only five of the
final margins have been single digits. West Virginia is the only
current Big 12 team that YSU has played in its history.
7-2: Best Start in 15 Years
Youngstown State has seven wins in its first nine games for the
first time since the 1997-98 season. The victories at Pittsburgh
(by 14) and Miami (by 20) are among the best wins by the program in
at least a decade.
- YSU won its first three road games for the first time since the
1997-98 season.
- The Penguins had their first four-game winning streak since the
2007-08 season. They won four straight games by double digits for
the first time since 1997-98.
- YSU won five games in November for just the second time in
school history, matching the 1997-98 team.
- The Penguins beat Pitt and 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.
- At 7-2 through nine games, YSU has already matched or surpassed
the win totals from six of its previous 10 seasons.
1,600 Points/1,000 Rebounds Watch for Brown
YSU's Brandi Brown has moved into the top five in school history
for career points. The senior from Pomona, Calif., has 1,597 points
in her career, 33 shy of Ann Marie Martin's 1,630 points for fourth
place.
Brown is 15 rebounds away from becoming the third player in YSU
history to record 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Brown has 1,597 points and 985 rebounds in the first 99 games of
her career, which equates to averages of 16.1 points and 9.9
rebounds. If she corrals her 1,000th rebound, not only would she
join Wanda Grant and Dorothy Bowers as the only Penguins to reach
1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds, she'd be just the fourth player in
Horizon League / MCC history to reach those milestones. Brown
currently ranks fifth in school history in points and third in
rebounds.
Penguins in the National, Horizon League
Rankings
In the most-recent NCAA stats release (Dec. 10), the Penguins
rank second in the nation with 9.2 3-pointers per game. They also
rank in the top 60 in 3-point percentage (41st), winning percentage
(48th), 3-point field goal defense (52nd), scoring margin (54th)
and scoring defense (55th). Through Thursday, YSU led the Horizon
League in scoring margin, free-throw percentage and 3-point
field-goal percentage defense.
Individually at the NCAA level, Brandi Brown ranks third in the
nation in double-doubles (7), eighth in rebounds per game (12.3)
and 25th in points per game (20.0). Liz Hornberger is
13th nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.13) and 28th in 3-point
percentage (45.8). Shar'Rae Davis is 44th in assists per game
(5.2), and only Celina Rodrigo of Texas averages assists more among
freshmen. In the Horizon League, Brown leads the conference in
double-doubles and rebounding, Davis owns the top spots in assists
per game, and Hornberger is first in 3-pointers per game.
Focusing on Defense
YSU made an effort to improve its defense in the preseason, and
it is paying off. Last season, YSU ranked last in the Horizon
League in rebounding margin (minus-5.1) and field goal percentage
defense (43.0 percent) and second-to-last in scoring defense (67.5
points per game). This season, the Guins rank second in the league
in scoring defense (54.4 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.382)
and rebounding margin (plus-2.9). YSU has held opponents to an
average of 54.4 points per game. That is a 13.1-point improvement
from last season.
Half-Time Adjustments
Youngstown State is outscoring its opponents 345-251 after
halftime this season, an average of 10.4 points per game. So far,
the Penguins outscored Pittsburgh by 26, Bryant by 16, Stony Brook
by 24 and Wilmington by 17 after halftime. The Penguins are
averaging 28.6 points on 37.1 percent shooting in the first half
and 38.3 points on 42.9 percent shooting in the second half.
Penguins Strong on the Boards
YSU has out-rebounded opponents by an average of 2.9 this
season. That ranks second-best in the Horizon League. More
impressively, it is a significant improvement from the previous two
seasons when YSU was edged by 5.1 in 2011-12 and 9.0 in 2010-11.
YSU's biggest win on the glass this season came on Dec. 3 when it
out-rebounded IUPUI 47-22. That plus-25 edge was YSU's best since
2006.
YSU's Early-Season Revenge Tour
YSU's continual growth over the last three seasons has been
demonstrated so far in large turnarounds from losses. The Penguins
beat Pittsburgh 64-50 in the season opener, which was a 66-point
turnaround from an 89-37 loss at Pittsburgh in 2009-10. YSU then
beat Buffalo 60-50 for a 64-point turnaround from when the Bulls
beat the Penguins 92-38 in 2009-10. On Friday, YSU beat Stony Brook
by 33 after losing to the Seawolves by seven last year.
Road Warriors Early
Youngstown State is in a stretch were it plays seven of its
first 10 games on the road. The Penguins won at Pittsburgh and
Buffalo to start the season, and they also have road wins at Miami
(Ohio) and IUPUI for a 4-2 record away from Beeghly Center. YSU was
6-11 on the road last season after being 1-45 combined on the road
over the previous three seasons.
B.B.'s Double-Doubles
YSU senior Brandi Brown has posted a Horizon League leading
seven double-doubles in nine games this season. She has 43 over 99
games in her career, which equates to just over 43 percent. She had
14 in 30 games as a freshman, 13 in 30 games as a sophomore and
nine in 30 games last season as a junior. She began this season
with five straight double-doubles, which was the best streak of her
career.
Hornberger Helper
Junior Liz Hornberger is enjoying the best stretch in her career
so far this season. Hornberger is averaging 10.5 points and 2.4
assists while leading the Horizon League with 25 3-pointers. Her
44.6-percent shooting from behind the arc ranks fourth in the
conference. She has scored in double figures five times in eight
games (she sat out the Wilmington game as a precaution) after
scoring at least 10 points 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.
Among D-I Leaders in 3's Per Game
Through games completed on Dec. 9, Youngstown State ranked
second in Division I with 9.2 3-pointers per game. The Penguins
trailed only Missouri's 9.8 treys per game. The Penguins ranked
fifth in the country last season with 9.2 3-pointers per game and
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
29 times in the last 39 games dating back to the start of last
season.
Davis Impressing Early
Freshman Shar'Rae Davis has had a strong start to her career. In
her first nine games, she's averaged 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2
assists and 1.8 steals. She's posted highs of 23 points, nine
rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. Davis has recorded 10 assists
in two different games this season, becoming the first freshman to
post at least 10 assists twice in a season since Lauren Branson in
2004-05. Davis leads the Horizon League in assists, and only Celina
Rodrigo of Texas averages more assists among freshmen
nationally.
