Scouting Report
- The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to remain
unbeaten at home and earn a big win early in the conference season
against Wright State on Thursday. Tipoff against the Raiders is set
for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN,
iHeartRadio and ESPN3.
- Including two postseason wins, Youngstown State has a 16-3
record at Beeghly Center against Horizon League teams over the last
three seasons. One of those three losses was to Wright State last
season.
- YSU beat Cleveland State 79-65 in the first Horizon League home
game of the season last Thursday. The Penguins led for 38:48 and
held a double-digit advantage for the final 22 minutes.
- YSU is in a stretch of playing four out of five and six out of
eight games at Beeghly Center. The Penguins are 6-0 at home this
season and have won each game by at least 13 points.
- Youngstown State set a school record with 11 non-league
victories, and it has won 13 of its first 16 games for the first
time since 1997-98. YSU won 22 games during the 2014 calendar year,
the most since 1999.
- The Penguins have been to the semifinals of the Horizon League
Tournament in back-to-back seasons and have a 23-12 record in
conference games since the start of league play in 2012-13. They
were 22-84 over the previous six seasons.
- Youngstown State ranks second in the country in free-throw
percentage, and it leads the Horizon League in field-goal
percentage and 3-point field-goal percentage.
- Heidi
Schlegel ranks seventh in the Horizon League in scoring and is
ninth in rebounding. She had 25 points and 18 rebounds against
Cleveland State. Latisha Walker leads
the conference in field-goal percentage and is fourth in free-throw
percentage. She had 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field vs.
CSU.
A Win Would...
- Give YSU a 14-3 overall start for the first time since
1997-98.
- Allow YSU to win at least three of its first four Horizon
League games for the second straight year (and the second time
ever).
- Be YSU's 25th in its last 35 games.
- Snap a three-game losing streak to Wright State.
On This Date
- Youngstown State is 6-5 all time in games played on Jan. 22.
The Penguins are 2-2 at Beeghly Center and 0-1 against Wright State
on the date.
- YSU's last win on Jan. 22 came at home against Western Illinois
in 2001. The Penguins have lost three straight games on Jan.
22.
Scouting Wright State
- Wright State is the defending Horizon League Tournament
Champion and was picked to finish second in the preseason poll. The
Raiders have a league-high 14 wins, and they lead the conference in
scoring offense, scoring margin and turnover margin. Wright State
ranks sixth in the country in offensive rebounds per game, and
Tayler Stanton is second individually in the statistic.
- Senior guard Kim Demmings was the league's preseason player of
the year but hasn't played since sustaining an injury in the season
opener. Tay'ler Mingo has stepped up and is leading the conference
in points, assists and steals, and she is second in the nation in
steals per game.
Series with Wright State
- Youngstown State is 23-27 in the all-time series with Wright
State. The programs have played at least once in every season
dating back to 1987-88.
- The Penguins won 18 of the first 22 meetings with the Raiders,
but Wright State took 20 of the next 23 up through the 2011-12
season.
- Each of the last two seasons have resulted in season sweeps.
The Penguins beat the Raiders twice in the regular season in
2012-13, and Wright State beat YSU three times last season.
Recapping Cleveland State
Behind season highs of 25 points and 18 rebounds from senior
Heidi Schlegel, Youngstown State beat Cleveland State 79-65 last
Thursday at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins also got 21 points from fellow senior post Latisha
Walker. The senior duo helped the Penguins outscore the Vikings
40-26 in the paint and hold a 47-29 edge in rebounding. Schlegel
and Walker combined to go 17-of-24 from the field and 12-of-14 from
the free-throw line.
YSU led for almost 39 minutes and held a double-digit advantage
for the final 22 minutes. The Penguins led by 18 twice with less
than six minutes remaining.
Leading 14-13 with 12:28 left, the Penguins went on a 9-1 run to
boost their lead to nine, 23-14. The Vikings went five minutes
without making a field goal during that stretch, and they got no
closer than five the rest of the game. YSU extended its lead to 15
in the second half thanks to a 14-4 run.
Quick Notes
- YSU beat Cleveland State for the fifth time in the last six
meetings and for the fifth straight time at Beeghly Center.
- YSU had its best rebounding margin against a Division I
opponent (+18) since outrebounding IUPUI by 25 on Dec. 3,
2012.
- Indiya
Benjamin scored all nine of her points in a four-minute span in
the first half. She added a career-high seven assists while
committing just one turnover.
- Kelsea
Newman came off the bench to score 12 points and contribute a
career-high seven assists in 30 minutes. She did not have a
turnover. Newman had four 3-pointers in the game and has cracked
YSU's top 25 in career triples with 60.
- Latisha Walker's 21 points came in just 19 minutes of action.
She surpassed 20 points for the second time in the last five games.
Notably, Schlegel also scored in the twenties both times.
Home Court Advantage
- YSU has done a solid job of defending its home court over the
past three seasons, especially in league play. Including the
postseason, the Penguins have a 16-3 home record against Horizon
League teams since the start of 2012-13.
- Youngstown State won a school-record 14 home games in 2012-13,
and it won seven of its last nine contests at Beeghly Center in
2013-14 while finishing 10-8 overall in the building. YSU is 6-0 at
home this year, bringing its record on Dom Rosselli Court to 30-9
since the start of 2012-13.
- The Penguins' .769 winning percentage at home over the last
three years is second in the Horizon League only to Green Bay. YSU
is fourth in the state behind Dayton, Akron and Bowling Green.
- YSU has ranked second in the Horizon League in average home
attendance for each of the last five years (as far back as full
NCAA records go). Green Bay leads the conference in that span with
an average home attendance of 2,372, and Youngstown State is second
at 1,232. The next highest is Milwaukee at 645. The Penguins are
also sixth in home attendance among Ohio's 13 Division I
institutions over the last five years. Their nearest rivals, Akron
and Kent State, have averaged 627 and 537, respectively.
