• Game Notes
• Coach Bob Boldon Comments
• Brandi Brown Comments

The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to rebound from a disappointing effort and beat Milwaukee for the first time since 2005 when it hosts the Panthers at Beeghly Center on Thursday. Tipoff for the game, which will be YSU's first Horizon League game at home this season, is set for 7:05 p.m. Live audio will be available on 1390 WNIO and iHeartRadio, and live video will be on the HLN.

The Penguins entered league play on a three-game winning streak and with a school-record-tying 10 non-conference victories, but they came away with a 67-59 loss at Valparaiso on Saturday. YSU led 34-19 with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, but the Crusaders scored the final 12 points of the first half as part of a 21-2 run that put them up 40-36. Valpo later scored 11 straight points once YSU had taken a 48-43 lead with 9 minutes remaining. To remove the sour taste in their mouth and prove that Saturday was a one-game hiccup, the Penguins will have to have to stop a 15-game losing streak to Milwaukee that dates back to Feb. 26, 2005.

YSU still has its best record through 14 games since the 1999-2000 season, and it has already matched its win total from last year. Despite allowing an uncharacteristic 67 points to Valparaiso, YSU is having its best defensive season in 34 years. The Penguins are allowing 58.1 points per game, which ranks second in the Horizon League. They'll be put to the test against Milwaukee, which ranks second in the conference in scoring offense at 68.6 points per game.

Milwaukee is 4-9 and has lost five straight games dating back to Dec. 4. In addition to ranking second in the conference in scoring, UWM leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage and is second to YSU in 3-pointers per game. Angela Rodriguez averages 2.5 treys per game at a 40-percent clip.

YSU remains home to play Green Bay on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in the 1,000th game in program history.

Tickets

Tickets are available for purchase on YSUsports.com, by phone at (330) 941-1YSU, and at the main YSU Athletics Ticket Office in Stambaugh Stadium until 5 p.m. on Thursday. The Beeghly Center ticket office will open at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Game Recap vs. Valparaiso

YSU let a 15-point first-half lead slip away in a 67-59 loss at Valparaiso on Saturday in the conference opener for both teams.

YSU led 32-17 and 34-19 with four minutes left in the first half, but Valpo scored the final 12 points of the period as part of a 21-2 run. YSU regrouped and led 48-43 but did not score for more than five minutes. Valpo scored 11 straight points and did not trail again, despite YSU cutting the margin to one three times.

• Brandi Brown earned her 10th double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. With her 16 points, she moved past Danielle Carson for third place on YSU's career scoring list with 1,698 points.
• Shar'Rae Davis had 13 points and six assists in her Horizon League debut. She scored in double figures for the third time in four games.
• YSU attempted a season-high 37 3-pointers as Valparaiso played zone for most of the final 30 minutes. The Penguins made 3-of-4 to start the game and 3-of-5 to end it, but they were 5-for-28 in between.
• Valpo's starting posts of Tabitha Gerardot and Gina Lange combined for 41 points and 23 rebounds while making 16-of-24 field goal attempts. The Crusaders held a 46-22 edge in rebounding, including 25-8 in the second half.
• The Penguins were whistled for a season-high 20 team fouls, which resulted in 26 free-throw attempts for the Crusaders. That was the most attempts by an opponent this season. YSU was just 4-of-6 from the line.
• YSU committed a season-low six turnovers. The Penguins outscored the Crusaders 26-4 off turnovers.
• Valpo made two 3-pointers in the game. The first tied the game on the first possession of the second half, and the second started the decisive 11-0 run with 9 minute left.

Scouting Milwaukee

Milwaukee is 4-9 overall and 0-1 in Horizon League play under first-year head coach Kyle Rechlicz. The Panthers have lost five straight games, including a 71-61 decision at home to Wright State on Jan. 10. They lead the league in 3-point field goal percentage and rank secind in scoring offense and 3-pointers per game. Angela Rodriguez leads the Panthers with 15.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Last Time vs. Milwaukee

Milwaukee shot 58 percent in the second half and erased an 11-point halftime deficit to beat YSU 76-71 on Feb. 16, 2012 at Beeghly Center.

YSU, which led 45-34 at the half, shot just 30 percent after halftime and committed 12 second-half turnovers.

UWM went on a 16-5 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to tie the score at 50, and the Panthers' first lead of the second half came at 63-62 with 6:29 left. Down down 72-69, YSU's Kelsea Fickiesen missed two free throws with 1:02 left. Sami Tucker hit a 3 on UWM's possession to make the score 75-69.

Series With Milwaukee

Milwaukee has won 15 straight meetings with YSU and leads the all-time series 24-5. The Penguins led by 11 at halftime last season at home before losing 76-71. Six of the last seven meetings at Beeghly Center have been decided by single digits, including a 94-87 Penguins loss in double overtime on Feb. 9, 2008. YSU's last win against UWM came in Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 2005.

10-4: Best Start in 13 Years

• Youngstown State has 10 wins in its first 14 games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
• In 14 games, YSU has already matched or surpassed the win totals from nine of its previous 12 seasons.
• The 10 non-conference wins tied the 1997-98 team for the most in school history.
• The nine wins by New Years Day were the second-most in YSU's 38 seasons.
• The Penguins have won their first five home games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

The Winning Formula

• With the regular season reaching its half-way point today, some trends have emerged as keys to YSU wins.
• The Penguins are 9-1 when allowing fewer than 60 points and 9-1 when they at least match their opponents in points in the paint.
• YSU is 10-1 when shooting at least 35 percent from the field and 8-0 when opponents shoot less than 40 percent.
• The Guins are 6-0 when at least tying in rebounding margin. Along the same lines, they are 8-1 when at least tying in second-chance points.
• YSU is 8-2 when at least three players score in double figures.

Responding from Losses

• Youngstown State has done a good job responding from losses with emphatic wins so far this season.
• Following losses, YSU has won its next game by an average of 24.3 points. The closest game was against Akron, which YSU won by nine points and led for the final 31 minutes. All three of those wins came at home.

Looking to Continue Success at Beeghly Center

• YSU will be looking to move to 6-0 at home for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
• YSU has averaged 76.6 points and beaten opponents by an average margin of 21.4 points in its first five home games. In nine road games, the Penguins are averaging 60.2 points, 16.4 points fewer than at Beeghly Center. Five of YSU's top six scoring games of the season have come at Beeghly Center.
• The Penguins are 5-4 on the road to start this season after going 6-11 on the road in 2011-12. The Penguins were 1-45 combined on the road from 2008-09 through 2010-11.
• The Guins won their first three road contests for the first time since 1997-98, but they've lost four of their last five.

Guins Going for 500th Win; 1,000th Game Coming on Saturday

• The game against Milwaukee will either result in the 500th win or the 500th loss in the history of Youngstown State women's basketball. The Penguins will play the 1,000th game in their history against Green Bay on Saturday at Beeghly Center.
• The Penguins won their first game as an official program on Jan. 10, 1976, against Oberlin by a score of 67-34.
• YSU moved up to Division I prior to the 1981-82 season and has 414 wins as a D-I program.
• The Penguins' most successful decade came in the 1990s when they went 196-91 from the 1990-91 through 1999-2000 seasons.
• Of the first 499 victories, 319 came under Coach Ed DiGregorio, who led the Penguins for 20 seasons from 1983 to 2003.

The Non-Conference Season

• The Penguins had victories over teams in the Big East, MAC, NEC, America East, Summit League, Ohio Athletic Conference, Patriot League and the Atlantic 10.
• YSU went 3-0 against teams from the Mid-American Conference and improved to 6-1 against MAC foes over the last two years.
• The win over Pittsburgh was YSU's first against a current Big East team since 1991 and its first over a team currently in a BCS conference since 1997.
• YSU matched Green Bay with a league-best 10 victories during the non-conference season. Of the Penguins' three losses, they lost at the buzzer at Northern Kentucky and trailed Cincinnati by one with 2:20 left.

Guins Debut at 53, Now 61st in RPI

• When the first official NCAA RPI was released at the beginning of the week, Youngstown State debuted at No. 53. The Penguins were 48th in the final RPI of the 1997-98 season, and they haven't finished above 220 since 1999-2000 (89th).
• Following the loss to Valparaiso, YSU dropped eight spots to 61.
• As of Jan. 14, Green Bay was the only Horizon League team above YSU at 33. Wright State was next in line at 117.
• According to RealTimeRPI.com, the Horizon League ranks 11th in the conference RPI.

Brown's Place in YSU History

• With her 16-point performance at Valparaiso, Brandi Brown has moved into third place in career scoring at YSU.
• In 104 career games, Brown has 1,698 points. That is one more than Danielle Carson had in 106 games from 1982-86. Wanda Grant is second with 1,829 points. Brown needs to average about 8.3 points per game the rest of the season to pass Grant and roughly 18.9 points to reach 2,000.
• Brown is also third at YSU in career rebounds with 1,030 caroms. She needs to average roughly 9.4 rebounds to break Wanda Grant's school record of 1,178.
• Brown is one of only three players in both YSU and Horizon League history to surpass 1,600 points and 1,000 rebounds.
• Brown is eight free throw attempts and nine free throw makes away from setting new school records. She could also reasonably set new records for starts (needs nine) and minutes (needs 497).

Among D-I Leaders in 3's Per Game

• Through games completed on Jan. 13, Youngstown State ranked fifth in Division I with 8.9 3-pointers per game.
• The Guins ranked fifth nationally last year 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 31 times in the last 44 games dating back to the start of last season.

A Much-Improved Defense

• YSU has held opponents to an average of 58.1 points per game this season. That is a 9.4-point improvement from last season
• The Penguins haven't allowed fewer than 64 points per game since 1990-91, and they haven't allowed fewer than 60 points on average since 1979-80.
• Last season, the Guins ranked second-to-last in the Horizon League scoring defense (67.5 points per game). This season, they are second in the HL in scoring defense.
• YSU has held 10 teams under 60 points, and it is 9-1 in those contests.
• The Penguins have held four straight opponents under 60 points twice this season. Prior to this season, they hadn't done it once since the 1990-91 season.

An Impressive Turnover Margin

• The Penguins rank third in the Horizon League with a plus-4.6 turnover margin. That is the fifth-best margin in school history, and it's the best 1999-2000.
• YSU has outscored opponents off turnovers 12 times in the first 14 games and are 9-3 in such contests. The Guins are outscoring opponents off turnovers by an average of 10.4 points per game.
• The Penguins rank second in the Horizon League with 19.4 turnovers forced per game.
• YSU is committing 14.9 turnovers per game, which ranks third in the HL. If it holds up, that will also be a school record for fewest turnovers per game over a season. The record is currently 16.0 in 2010-11.

Academic Success

• The YSU women's basketball team posted a team grade-point average of 3.52 during the fall semester, which was the highest of any team on campus.
• Four Penguins – Brandi Brown, Liz Hornberger, Taylor Hvisdak and Kelsea Newman – registered a 4.0 GPA.
• YSU ranked sixth on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll during the 2011-12 academic year with a 3.550 GPA. The Guins were 17th in 2010-11 with a 3.395 GPA.

Making Half-Time Adjustments

• Youngstown State is outscoring its opponents 513-418 after halftime this season, an average of 6.8 points per game.
• The Penguins have outscored their opponent by at least 15 in the second half five times.
• YSU has been outscored in the second half five times this season and has lost four of those contests.
• YSU is averaging 29.4 points on 37.5 percent shooting in the first half and 36.6 points on 41.9 percent shooting in the second half.

Davis Impressing Early at PG

• Freshman Shar'Rae Davis has had a strong start to her career. In her first 14 games, she's averaged 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals. She's posted highs of 23 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and five steals.
• Davis has posted 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 is second in the Horizon League in assists per game, and only Lianna Doty of Missouri averages more assists among freshmen nationally.

B.B.'s Double-Doubles

• YSU senior Brandi Brown has posted 10 double-doubles in 14 games this season. That ranks as ninth-most in the country.
• Brown has 46 double-doubles in 104 career games. She had 14 as a freshman, 13 as a sophomore and nine as a junior.
• She began this season with five straight double-doubles, which was the best streak of her career.
• Since 1982, Dorothy Bowers is the only Penguin with more career double-doubles with 58 from 1984-88.

Flagg's an All-Around Performer

• Junior Karen Flagg is averaging 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while starting all 14 games in her first season at YSU.
• She's posted highs of 12 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks this season.
• Over the last four games, she's posted 24 assists and just seven turnovers.

Schlegel Key Off the Bench

• Heidi Schlegel is averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench in her nine games this season.
• Players eligible to be named the Horizon League's Sixth Player of the Year must come off the bench for 67% of her games played. Schlegel is outscoring the closest eligible player by 4.8 points per game, and she is also the leader in minutes.
• Schlegel scored in double figures in each of her first four games, which was the longest streak of her career. She's scored between 10 and 15 points in seven of her 10 games.
• Schlegel averaged 9.7 points and 4.6 rebounds last year in 27 games, 17 of which she started.

Hornberger Helper

• Junior guard Liz Hornberger is enjoying her best season so far in 2012-13.
• Hornberger has already set new highs for season points and 3-pointers, and she's also posting career highs in field-goal percentage and rebounds, steals and assists per game.
• She has scored in double figures six times this season, which is double the number she scored at least 10 points in her first two seasons combined.

Brown, Davis Earn Weekly Honors

• Senior Brandi Brown has twice been named the Horizon League Player of the Week – on Jan. 7 at the end of non-conference play and on Nov. 19.
• She has also been named the player of the week in the conference by College Sports Madness for five times this season. She was CSM's High-Major Player of the Week on Nov. 19.
• Shar'Rae Davis has twice been named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Week – on Nov. 12 and Dec. 3.