The Youngstown State women's basketball team will enter the Horizon League Tournament as the No. 10 seed and play at No. 7 Cleveland State on Monday, two days after it lost to the Vikings to end the regular season. Tipoff at the Wolstein Center is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and the Horizon League Network. YSU's 79-69 loss at Cleveland State on Saturday ruined any chance of hosting a home tournament game. The winner of Monday's game will play at No. 2 Detroit on Wednesday.
Top Storylines
- YSU is 1-10 all-time in the Horizon League Tournament. Its win came over Detroit as the No. 7 seed in 2007-08. The Penguins have not played Cleveland State in the Horizon League postseason, but they beat the Vikings 89-74 in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament in 1992-93.
- Although YSU finished 4-14 in Horizon League play, it either won or had a one-possession game with under a minute left against every team in the league.
- Six of YSU's last nine losses have been by five points or fewer. Two were in overtime to third-place Wright State and No. 11/12 Green Bay, and another was by a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to Butler. That loss near the buzzer to Butler started YSU's current eight-game losing streak.
- YSU averaged 10.4 3-pointers in Horizon League play and 9.4 per game overall. The Penguins rank fourth in the nation in 3-pointers per game and have already broken the school record for 3-pointers in a season by 67.
- The Penguins have set new Horizon League records with 272 3-pointers made for the year (by 15) and 188 made during conference play (by 58).
Series With Cleveland State
YSU leads the all-time series with Cleveland State, which dates back to 1976, 31-26. The Penguins' 70-48 win on Dec. 31 snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Vikings, and Cleveland State evened the season series with its 79-69 win on Saturday. The Penguins won nine of the first 10 meetings and 11 straight from 1985 to 1993. YSU has played Cleveland State more than any other team.
Scouting Cleveland State
Despite its win over YSU on Saturday, Cleveland State ended the regular season by losing nine of its final 12 games. The Vikings enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed with a 6-12 league record. The Vikings have allowed at least 65 points in nine straight games, and they allowed a league-high 68.7 points per game during the regular season. The Vikings average 60 points on offense, which ranks seventh in the conference. Junior post Shalonda Winton averages 18.4 points per game.
Last Game: L, 79-69 at Cleveland State
Cleveland State led by 14 in the first half and outscored YSU 20-9 over the final 7:21 to thwart a Penguins' comeback attempt in a 79-69 win on Saturday at the Wolstein Center.
YSU rallied in the second half and led 60-59 with 7:34 left. That's when Shalonda Winton scored 10 points in just over three minutes to spark Cleveland State's run.
Heidi Schlegel registered her second career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelsea Fickiesen added a career-best 14 points for YSU. Winton finished with 25 points.
- YSU committed 28 turnovers, matching a season high. It attempted a season-low 14 3-pointers and made a season-low three triples. Previous lows were 18 attempts and five makes.
- YSU posted a season-high 16 steals, including a career-high six from Schlegel.
- Cleveland State made 10 of its first 13 attempts and shot 63.3 percent in the first half. It also made seven of its final 11 in the second half after starting 5-for-21.
- The Vikings scored 22 of their 33 points in the second half in the final 8:30. YSU shot 40.7 percent and posted a season-high 16 steals.
- YSU outscored CSU 15-7 in the first five minutes of the second half and took its first lead at 58-57. Its only other lead was 60-59.
- YSU scored a season-high 40 points in the paint. Cleveland State also scored 40 points in the paint, which was the second-highest by an opponent this season.
- Schlegel registered her second career double-double (Loyola Marymount) and had a career-best 12 rebounds. She's averaging 16 points and nine rebounds over the last three games.
- Brandi Brown scored 13 points and became the ninth player in school history to reach 1,400 career points.
- Kelsea Fickiesen scored a career-high 14 points. She's scored in double figures in three of the last five games.
Recapping Last Year's Tournament
YSU gave a stalwart defensive effort and had a shot blocked at the buzzer in a 49-47 loss at Loyola in the opening round of the 2011 Horizon League Tournament.
The Penguins trailed by as many as 12 in the second half before rallying. Macey Nortey's triple put the Penguins within two with 1:17 left, and YSU missed two potential tying shots in the final 10 seconds.
So Close, But...
Eight of YSU's 14 Horizon League losses, including six of the last nine, have come in overtime or by five points or fewer. YSU lost overtime games to first-place Green Bay, third-place Wright State and fourth-place UIC, and it also suffered a 65-63 defeat against fifth-place Butler by a go-ahead trey with 2.3 seconds left.
YSU has showed that it is not going to go down without a fight. On eight occasions this year, the Guins have trailed by double digits in the second half and have taken the lead or got within one possession of tying the score.
Although YSU is 4-14 in Horizon League play, it has either won or had a one-possession game with under a minute left against every team in the league.
Looking at the Big Picture
Although YSU has hit a slide lately, it's hard to ignore the improvements that the program has made under second-year head coach Bob Boldon. Right before Boldon's arrival, YSU went 0-30 in 2009-10 and lost games on average by 25.8 points. Only two Horizon League games that season had a final margin fewer than 10 points. This season, YSU's scoring margin is minus-2.9, a 22.9-point improvement from two years ago. The Guins have won 10 games – more than the previous three years combined. They lost three league games by more than 10 points – 15 fewer than two years ago.
Offensive High Marks in 2011-12
- YSU's 38.8 percent field-goal shooting is its best since 2005-06.
- YSU has already shattered the old school record for 3-pointers in a season by 67.
- YSU's .337 3-point percentage is its highest since .363 in 2004-05.
- YSU is averaging 64.9 points, which is its best since averaging 66.0 points in 2001-02.
Bench Scoring
YSU has the most productive bench in the Horizon League, averaging 19.6 points. Butler is second at 16;2 points per game. The Penguins' substitutes have outscored their opponents' 14 times in 18 conference games. For the year, YSU has held the edge in bench scoring 21 times in 29 games. The biggest difference was against UIC on Jan. 14 when YSU outscored the Flames' bench 31-5.
Up Next
The winner of Monday's game between YSU and Cleveland State will play at second-seeded Detroit on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
