The Youngstown State women's basketball team will attempt to even its record and snap a 12-game losing streak against Butler on Saturday at Beeghly Center. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and YSUsports.com. The Penguins beat Valparaiso 64-58 at Beeghly Center on Thursday while Butler won 68-62 at Cleveland State. The Bulldogs beat YSU 73-64 earlier this season in Indianapolis.
Top Storylines
- With its win over Valparaiso on Thursday, YSU matched its Horizon League win total from last season at four. Two of YSU's six league losses have come in overtime to second-place Wright State and third-place UIC.
- A win against Butler would give YSU a winning percentage of at least .500 through 22 games for the first time since 1999-2000.
- Last week, YSU tied a school record with 15 3-pointers against Detroit. It then attempted 47 treys – one shy of the school record and matching the HL record – versus Wright State.
- With their 10-11 start, the Penguins have surpassed their win total from the previous three years combined. YSU was 3-57 combined in the two years prior to coach Bob Boldon's arrival.
- YSU ranks fifth in the country with 8.9 3-pointers per game.
- The Guins average 10.7 more points and shoot 11 percent higher in the second half than the first. YSU is 7-0 when leading at halftime.
- Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Brandi Brown is averaging 18.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in league play.
- Kenya Middlebrooks leads the Horizon League with 2.7 3-pointers per game.
Series With Butler
Butler has won 18 of the 23 games against YSU in the series that started when the Penguins joined the Horizon League in 2002. YSU won the first four meetings, but Butler has won 18 of the past 19. The Penguins' last win was 71-63 at Beeghly Center in 2006. Butler beat YSU 73-64 earlier this year and topped the Penguins by an average of 26.8 points the previous three years.
Scouting Butler
Butler has won three of its last four games to improve to 9-12 overall and 5-5 in Horizon League play. The Bulldogs started the season just 1-7 before winning their final three non-conference games. Butler ranks ninth in the league in scoring offense and field goal percentage. Sophomore center Sarah Hamm averages team highs of 11.2 points and 5.4 boards. Head Coach Beth Couture is in her 10th year. Butler assistant Tisha Hill was Youngstown State's head coach from 2003-08. Although she was the Penguins' head coach four seasons ago, nobody on YSU's current roster was recruited by her.
Last Game: W, 64-58 vs. Valparaiso
Brandi Brown made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:54 remaining, and Kenya Middlebrooks knocked down six free throws in the final 17 seconds as YSU held on to beat Valparaiso 64-58 on Thursday at Beeghly Center.
Brown's trey broked a 55-55 tie, and Macey Nortey came up with a big steal off an offensive rebound to set up Middlebrooks' run of free throws. Valpo got within two with 12 seconds remaining, but Middlebrooks made four charity tosses to close out the game.
Brown finished with a game-high 20 points and hauled in 10 rebounds for the double-double. Middlebrooks and Monica Touvelle each finished with 11 points. Touvelle's first 3-pointer gave YSU its largest lead at 38-28 with 12:15 remaining.
- YSU was just 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half but rebounded to go 8-for-19 in the second half. The Penguins were 8-for-11 inside the arc in the opening half.
- The Penguins matched the Crusaders with 33 rebounds. YSU had been out-rebounded by an average of 13.7 over the previous three games.
- Brandi Brown scored 14 of her 20 points in the second half, going 6-for-13 from the field. She also set a new career high with three assists.
- Brown moved into 10th place on YSU's all-time scoring list. She now has 1,293 points through 81 games.
- Kenya Middlebrooks continued her solid free-throw shooting late in games. She was 6-for-6 in the final 17 seconds and improved to 15-for-16 (93.8 percent) from the stripe in the final minute this season.
- Macey Nortey, although not scoring, was a big contributor off the bench with five assists and five steals. Over the last four games, she has 22 assists and eight turnovers.
- Kelsea Fickiesen was 4-for-6 from the field and scored nine points. She's scored at least eight points in six of the last seven games.
Last Time vs. Butler • L, 73-64
Butler used a 19-5 run in the second half and got 14 second-half points from Devin Brierly in a 73-64 win over YSU in Indianapolis on Jan. 5.
YSU grabbed its first lead of the second half at 49-48 with 10:08 remaining, but the Penguins did not make another field goal for almost four minutes. By that time, Butler had gone on a 12-2 spurt as part of its 19-5 stretch. The Bulldogs had one 3-pointer in the first 30 minutes and five in the final 10 minutes.
YSU's Brandi Brown had 23 points and 12 rebounds, both of which were game highs. Heidi Schlegel and Monica Touvelle had 11 points.
Brown is 10th in Scoring
With her 20-point effort on Thursday against Valparaiso, junior forward Brandi Brown moved into 10th place on YSU's all-time scorers list. She needs just two more points to move into ninth. Brown has scored 1,293 points in her 81 career games for an average of 16 per game, which is the fifth-best in YSU history. Brown also ranks sixth in school history in career rebounds.
A Second-Half Team
Thursday's win against Valparaiso once again showed that YSU is a second-half team. The Penguins scored 43 points in the second half, more than double their 21 in the first half. YSU averages 10.7 more points and shoots 11 percent better in the second half. The Guins have scored more points in the first half than the second half just once this year.
Up Next
YSU will make its annual trip to Chicago next week. The Guins will play at UIC on Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern, and they'll be at Loyola on Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern. Both games can be heard on 1390 WNIO.
