Scouting Report
- After a week-long break from game action for final exams,
Youngstown State will head to Canisius on Saturday for a 7 p.m.
contest at the Koessler Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast
live on 1390 WNIO and iHeartRadio.
- The Penguins are 7-0 for the first time as a Division I program
after posting a 92-43 victory over Oberlin last Saturday. YSU's
best start to a season was in 1978-79 when it won its first 17
games.
- Four newcomers scored in double figures against Oberlin. Nikki
Arbanas led the team with 13 points, 11 of which came during a 20-0
run that put YSU up 31-12 with 6:20 left in the first half.
- YSU is one of 13 Division I women's basketball teams who remain
undefeated.
- YSU has won seven straight games for the first time since the
1998-99 season. The Penguins have posted six-game winning streaks
in three straight seasons after not having from 2000-01 through
2011-12.
- YSU picked up its seventh win last season on Jan. 16, its 16th
game.
- After playing six games over the final 16 days in November, the
Penguins are in the midst of playing just two games in the first 16
days of December.
A Win Would...
- Give YSU an 8-0 start for the first time since 1978-79.
- Snap a five-game losing streak to Canisius and be YSU's first
ever on the road against the Golden Griffins.
- Be YSU's second over a team from the MAAC this season.
- Be YSU's 18th win in the last 25 games dating back to last
season.
On This Date
- YSU is 5-2 all-time in games played on Dec. 13, which includes
an 84-52 victory over Ohio Valley last year.
- Five of the seven games on Dec. 13 have been played at home,
and YSU is 4-1 in those contests. One of the road games was at
Buffalo in 2009, and that resulted in a 92-38 loss to the
Bulls.
- YSU has averaged 85.2 points in its five wins and 45.5 points
in its two losses on Dec. 13.
Scouting Canisius
- Canisius has won four straight games by double digits to
improve its record to 4-3. The Golden Griffins are 2-0 in Metro
Atlantic Athletic Conference games, and they beat Binghamton 91-75
on Thursday night.
- Canisius has four players averaging between 10.3 and 13.4
points, and its fifth starter averaged 7.4 points. The Golden
Griffins rank in the top 20 nationally in 3-point field goal
percentage at 41.4 percent.
Series with Canisius
- Canisius has won five straight meetings with Youngstown State
to take a 5-1 lead in the all-time series.
- The Penguins won the first matchup 70-54 on Jan. 30, 1989, in
Youngstown. Canisius beat YSU a month later and won two close games
in 1990. The teams didn't play again until a home-and-home series
in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
- The Golden Griffins were picked to finish eighth in the MAAC
Coaches Preseason Poll, and senior guard Kayla Hoohuli was named to
the preseason All-MAAC Second Team.
Griffs Assistant Fleming is YSU Grad
- Former Penguins forward Tara Fleming is in her ninth season
serving as an assistant coach at Canisius. She played at Youngstown
State from 2001-05 and was a student assistant for former Penguins
head coach Tisha Hill in 2005-06. Fleming went to Canisius in
2006-07 is now the program's recruiting coordinator and the
second-longest tenured assistant coach in the MAAC.
- Fleming played in 107 games as a Penguin and started 41 games
in her final two years. She ranks second in YSU's history with 126
career blocks.
Recapping Oberlin
- Youngstown State scored 20 straight points in the first half
and never looked back in a 92-43 win over Division II Oberlin last
Saturday.
- All 12 Penguins who dressed for the game scored, and eight
players finished with at least seven points. Nikki Arbanas, who
finished with a game-high 13, scored 11 points during that 20-0 run
that put YSU ahead 31-12. The lead was at least 16 the rest of the
game.
- The Penguins trailed 12-11 after the first nine minutes of the
contest. After Latisha Walker made a free throw with 11:01 to knot
the game at a dozen, Arbanas drained 3-pointers on three of YSU's
next four possessions.
Quick Notes
- YSU had its eighth-largest margin of victory in program history
in the 49-point win over Oberlin. It was the biggest win since a
58-point (106-48) victory over Chicago State on Jan. 5, 1998. The
Penguins hadn't beaten a team by 40 since defeating Chicago State
90-49 on Feb. 17, 2000.
- YSU had 51 bench points, the most in the Coach John Barnes era
and 20 more than the previous high set YSU's previous game against
Tennessee State.
- YSU outscored the Yeowomen 52-12 in the paint. The Penguins
scored 38 of those paint points in the second half.
- The Penguins scored at least 50 points in a half for the first
time since Nov. 25, 2013, at Miami (Ohio).
- The Penguins shot 71 percent (22-for-31) in the second half.
They started the game making five of their first 18 attempts, then
proceeded to make 31-for-55 over the final 31 minutes.
Penguins Off To Best Start in 36 Years
- Youngstown State is 7-0 for the first time as a Division I
program and for just the second time in school history. The 1978-79
team started the season by winning its first 17 contests. As of
Dec. 11, YSU was one of 15 remaining undefeated teams in the
country.
- The start to 2014-15 has gone supremely better for YSU than the
start to 2013-14, which was Coach John Barnes' first season. The
Penguins have already posted four more Division I non-conference
wins that they had last year, and they're outscoring opponents by
an average of 19.9 points in the process. YSU had a 1-6 record
through seven games in 2013-14.
- The Penguins ended up hitting their stride at the start of
Horizon League play last year when they won their first six
conference games. From the start of league play last year to the
present, YSU is 18-7 over its last 25 games.
Winning With Defense
- A big reason for Youngstown State's 7-0 start has been its
defense. The Penguins are holding teams to an average of 52.4
points per game on 33.3 percent shooting. YSU leads the Horizon
League in both categories, and it ranks 15th in the country in
scoring defense and 19th in field-goal percentagel defense.
- YSU has held five of its first seven opponents to fewer than 55
points, and each of the last six opponents have shot lower than 38
percent from the field. Last season, YSU held just three opponents
under 55 points.
- The Penguins are 15-2 under Coach John Barnes when holding
teams under 38 percent, and they are 20-3 when allowing fewer than
70 points.
Grabbing and Holding Leads
- Youngstown State has been in control for most of its first
seven games as it has started 7-0. The Penguins have led for 239
minutes and 41 seconds of the first 280 minutes of the season, or
85.6 percent of the time. They have been ahead by double digits for
124:59, or 44.6 percent. YSU has trailed for just 19:16, or 6.9
percent of the time.
Balanced Scoring Prevalent Early
- YSU has been very balanced in the scoring column in its first
seven games this year.
- Four players have led the Penguins in scoring in their first
seven games. Heidi Schlegel has been the top scorer four times,
Nikki Arbanas has been the leader twice and Indiya Benjamin and
Latisha Walker have both been the top scorer once (ties
included).
- All five of YSU's starters have reached double figures at least
once, and four reserves have also scored more than 10 points. That
means nine of YSU's 13 players have reached double figures in the
first six games of the season.
Freshman Guards Shining
- Freshman starting guards Nikki Arbanas and Indiya Benjamin have
been in the spotlight in the first six games of their careers, and
both have been named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week.
- Arbanas scored 25 points while making 8-of-9 of her field goal
attempts in her debut against Niagara on Nov. 15 to earn the
league's freshman-of-the-week nod. She added a team-high 13 points
on 5-for-7 shooting against Oberlin on Dec. 6. For the year,
Arbanas is averaging 9.7 points and 2.4 assists while shooting 51.3
percent from the field. She also usually guards the opposing team's
best guard.
- Benjamin was the first Penguin in 13 years (Jen Perugini) to
score in double figures in the first four games of her freshman
year. She is averaging 10.3 points and 4.0 assists while leading
the team with 13 3-pointers. She was named the Horizon League
Freshman of the Week on Dec. 1 after leading YSU to three wins the
previous week.
Program on the Rise
- YSU has been on a definite upward trend over the last three
years. The Penguins have finished in the top three in the Horizon
League and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament
in back-to-back seasons.
- Last year, YSU finished with its second-best record since
joining the Horizon League in 2001-02 at 10-6. The Penguins' 21
league wins over the past two years is almost as much as their
combined 22 league wins over the previous six years combined.
- In 2012-13, YSU had its best record to date in the Horizon
League by finishing 11-5. The Penguins finished second in the
conference and advanced to the tournament semifinals for the first
time. YSU also earned the league's automatic bid to the WNIT.
Pounding the Glass
- YSU has won the rebounding battle in six of its seven games
this season and is plus-7.9 in rebounding margin for the year. That
leads the Horizon League, ranks 33rd in the country and is the
second-best mark in school history.
- The Penguins have outrebounded three straight opponents by
double digits (Nicholls State by 12, Tennessee State by 14 and
Oberlin by 17). They had not won the rebounding battle by double
digits in back-to-back games since Jan. 28 and Feb. 2, 2006 –
a span of 254 games. The only time YSU has been outrebounded this
year was by one at Kent State.
- YSU is 18-6 when outrebounding an opponent in the John Barnes
era. The Penguins have won the rebounding battle 24 times in 38
games under Barnes. They won the rebounding battle 22 times in the
three years combined (91 games) prior to his arrival.
Offense has Flourished Under Barnes
- Statistically, Youngstown State's offense last season was the
program's best in at least a decade. Among the highlights, YSU's
70.3 points per game scoring average was the best since 1999-00,
and the .404 shooting percentage was the best since 2001-02. After
a rough five-game November where YSU shot 33 percent and averaged
59.4 points, it shot 41.9 percent while averaging 72.4 points over
the season's final four months.
- This season could be even better this season based on early
results. YSU is averaging 72.3 points per game, and it is averaging
an efficient 1.05 points per possession. The Penguins ahve also
improved their shooting percentage and 3-point percentage to 44.9
percent and 39.6 percent, respectively. The last time YSU had a
better overall shooting percentage was 1997-98 (45.1 percent), and
the Penguins have never shot better than 37.8 percent from
distance.
3-Pointers are Integral Part of Offense
- YSU has made at least 200 3-pointers in four straight seasons,
including 234 last season. Prior to the last four seasons, the
highest season total was 199. YSU is one of just 22 programs in the
country to have made at least 200 in each of the last four
seasons.
- The Penguins shot 34.1 percent from beyond the arc last season,
which was their best percentage since the 2004-05 season. They are
shooting 39.6 percent from distance this season while averaging 7.9
triples per game, which is a better pace than last year.
- YSU was really zoned in from distance in league play last year.
The Guins led the conference during league play with 9.1 3-pointers
per game while shooting 38.7 percent.
Schlegel Returns After Breakout Season
- After a breakout junior season, senior Heidi Schlegel has been
named Preseason First-Team All-Horizon League in the conference
poll and by College Sports Madness.
- Schlegel averaged 20 points and 8.0 rebounds to earn First-Team
All-Horizon League honors in 2013-14. She surpassed 1,000 career
points last year, and she set new school records with 192 free
throws made and 238 free throws attempted. Her 19 20-point games
were the most by a Penguin in 26 years, and the 621 points she
scored were the most ever by a junior and the fifth-most in school
history regardless of class.
- With YSU's more-balanced attack, Schlegel is averaging 14.4
points and 10.4 rebounds over the first seven games of 2014-15. As
the focal point of other teams' defensive game plans, she is
averaging 2.4 assists, an upgrade from the 1.7 she averaged last
year.
Walker: The Blocker
- Senior forward Latisha Walker has become known as one of the
top blockers in the Horizon League. Through seven games, she ranks
second in the conference with 14 blocks and 2.0 blocks per game.
She averaged 1.1 blocks per game last year.
- At Radford on Nov. 22, Walker blocked six shots, which is tied
for the fourth-most in a game in program history. She had five of
those blocks in the first nine minutes of the contest. Walker then
blocked five shots two games later against Nicholls State.
- Before Walker's performance at Radford, the last Penguin to
block at least five shots was Nikita LaFleur on Feb. 3, 2007. The
last player to block at least six shots in a game was Tara Fleming
at Xavier on Dec. 31, 2004. Walker had five blocks twice in a
three-game span after no Penguin had blocked five shots in a span
of 223 games.
