Scouting Report
- The Youngstown State women's basketball team will look to improve to 10-0 when it hosts Ohio Valley on Friday morning in its Second Annual Kids "Field Trip" Basketball Game, presented by Chick-Fil-A of Boardman. The game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeartRadio and ESPN3.
- The Penguins are 9-0 for the first time as a Division I program and for the first time since they won the first 17 games of the 1978-79 season. YSU is one of 12 Division I women's basketball teams who remain undefeated.
- YSU is coming off a 73-65 overtime victory at Robert Morris on Wednesday evening. The Penguins never led in regulation, but they outscored the Colonials 27-12 over the final 9:10 of the second half to force overtime.
- Youngstown State went 33-for-35 from the free-throw line in the win over Robert Morris to offset an off shooting day from the field. YSU made its final 18 attempts, including going 8-for-8 in overtime. The 33 free throws tied for the fourth-most in a game in program history.
- The Penguins will try to win 10 straight games for the first time since the 1997-98 season. YSU has posted winning streaks of at least six games in three straight seasons after not having any from 2000-01 through 2011-12.
A Win Would...
- Give YSU a 10-0 start for the first time since 1978-79.
- Give YSU its first 10-game winning streak since the Penguins won 12 consecutive contests from Jan. 29 to March 14 in 1998.
- Improve YSU's record to 2-0 against Ohio Valley.
- Be YSU's 12th straight over non-Division I opponents.
On This Date
- Youngstown State is 8-5 all time in games played on Dec. 19. Friday's game will be YSU's first on the date since an 84-50 loss at Ohio State in 2007.
- YSU won seven of its first nine games played on Dec. 19, and three of the wins have come against Akron.
- YSU has lost its last two games at Beeghly Center on Dec. 19, and its last victory at Beeghly Center on the date came against Robert Morris (74-66) in 1992.
Scouting Ohio Valley
- Ohio Valley has an 0-8 record and is coming off a 93-42 loss to Lamar on Tuesday that OVU counted as an exhibition.
- The Fighting Scots, a Division II program located in Vienna, West Virginia, near Parkersburg, are members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. OVU was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference in a preseason poll of the coaches.
- Senior forward Ndeye Meissa Diop leads the Fighting Scots with 13 points per game, and Amy Brooks is averaging a team-high nine rebounds.
Series with Ohio Valley
- Youngstown State beat Ohio Valley 84-52 on Dec. 13, 2013, in the only meeting between the two programs.
- YSU shot 47.8 percent and seized control of the game on an 18-3 run in the first half that put it up 46-19.
- Jenna Hirsch scored 15 points and had five assists in what was her first career start, and three other Penguins scored in double figures.
YSU vs. GMAC Teams
- Youngstown State is 6-0 all-time against teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. YSU is 4-0 against Central State and 1-0 against both Davis & Elkins and Ohio Valley.
Recapping Robert Morris
Youngstown State closed out regulation on a 12-4 run and never trailed in overtime in a 73-65 win at Robert Morris on Wednesday.
YSU, which trailed for more than 38 minutes in regulation, stayed in the game by going 33-for-35 from the free-throw line. Jenna Hirsch scored her first eight points of the game during that 12-4 stretch, and she scored the first two points of overtime.
Robert Morris scored the first 12 points of the contest, and it led by 15 with 9:10 left. YSU scored the next nine points to get within six, and it was within six three more times before Hirsch caught fire. She hit 3s on back-to-back possessions – YSU had just two threes in the first 36:40 of the game – and another bucket that got the Penguins within four.
Heidi Schlegel went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes to tie the score at 61, and the senior finished the game 14-of-15 from the line for the game.
Quick Notes
- Heidi Schlegel and Latisha Walker both had double-doubles in the same game for the second time this season.
- YSU had 32 points in the first 30 minutes. The Penguins then scored 29 points in the final 10 of regulation and 12 points in the five-minute overtime period.
- Of YSU's final 41 points, 18 came from the free-throw line.
- Starting with an Indiya Benjamin 3-pointer with 6:35 left, YSU made seven of its last 10 attempts in regulation. The Penguins were 9-for-47 (19.1 percent) at that point of the game.
- Benjamin was scoreless through 32 minutes but finished the game with 13 points. She had six points in overtime.
- Schlegel and Benjamin were a combined 1-for-18 from the field for six points in the first half. They were 6-of-11 from the field and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line for 29 points after halftime.
- YSU won in single overtime for the first time since Feb. 22, 2003, against Butler. The Penguins had lost seven straight games that ended in one overtime.
