| Penguins Fall to Jaguars in Last Minute, 53-50 |
| Sunday, November 27 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Bloomington, Ind. – IUPUI (1-3) scored four points in the final 24 seconds of the game to pick up its first victory of the season and defeated Youngstown State (1-3), 53-50, in the consolation game of the Hampton Inn Classic on Saturday at Assembly Hall. IUPUI’s Tanika Mays, who scored a game-high 22 points, knocked down an eight-foot baseline jumper with 24 seconds remaining to push the Jaguars past the Penguins 51-50. After Youngstown State’s Megan Snorf ‘s jumper missed with 10 seconds remaining, Kia Hayes converted a fast-break lay up with just two second left for the game’s final points. The Penguins fell behind early and fought back from three first-half, eight-point deficits and trailed by as many as 10 points, 20-10, with 7:31 to go before the intermission. YSU, however, batted back to cut the Jaguars advantage to one, 20-19, over the next three minutes after two free throws from Ashlee Russo, a lay up by Velissa Vaughn, a free throw and lay up by Michelle Holmes and two more charity tosses by Lauren Branson, who dished out eight assists. IUPUI extended its lead back to six, 25-19, after a 3-pointer by Hayes and a jumper by Mays at the 3:06 mark. Youngstown State again fought back and cut the lead back down to one, 25-24, at halftime after a Holmes lay up and a last-second 3-pointer from freshman Toni Roscoe. In the second half, the Jaguars struck first pushing the score to 27-24, but junior Kristy Gaudiose tied the game with a 3-pointer at the 18:13 mark and gave the Penguins their first lead of the contest, 30-29, with another trey with 17 minutes remaining. Gaudiose led the Penguins with 10 points. The Penguins extended their lead to seven points, 38-31, keyed by two jumpers by My’Kea Cohill and regained its seven point advantage, 40-33, after a Jessica Schloemp lay up at the 12:14 mark. The Jaguars scored the next eight points to regain the lead, 41-40, at the 5:25 mark while YSU missed 10 straight shots over the next seven minutes. After the teams traded baskets, IUPUI increased its lead to five points, 47-42, with 2:51 left. Youngtown State posted six straight points on a Russo jumper, two free throws each by Snorf and Russo to give YSU a 48-47 advantage at the 1:45 mark. IUPUI’s Brooke McAfee’s lay up with 1:18 left put the Jaguars up by one, 49-48, but Snorf responded with a 12-foot jumper with 50 seconds remaining to regain the lead, 50-49, but it ended YSU’s scoring. Russo’s last-second half-court shot fell short. Youngstown State hosts Saint Louis, Wednesday, Nov. 30, in its home opener at 5:15 p.m. at the Beeghly Center as part of a doubleheader with the YSU men’s basketball team. |
| Hoosiers Topple Penguins, 74-38 |
| Saturday, November 26 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Bloomington, Ind. – Indiana (1-2) scored the first 14 points of the game and never looked back as the Hoosiers knocked off Youngstown State (1-2), 74-38, on Friday evening in the first round of the Hampton Inn Classic at Assembly Hall. The Penguins will face IUPUI on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Penguins, who shot just 27.3 percent from the field, missed 11 of their first 12 shots and did not get on the board until sophomore Jessica Schloemp made a 3-pointer at the 15:12 mark of the first half. Indiana built a 21-point first-half lead, 26-5, with 8:22 left but the Penguins scored 11 straight points over the next six minutes to trim the Hoosiers lead to 10 points, 26-16, after Monique Godfrey hit a 3-pointer with 2:17 remaining Sophomore Lauren Branson sparked the Penguins’ 11-0 run with two jumpers while My’kea Cohill, who led the Penguins with seven points, also added a jumper. The Hoosiers, however, extended their lead to 13 points at the intermission, 30-17, after a layup and two free throws by Jenny DeMuth, who led the Hoosiers with 12 points. |
| Schloemp's Career High Leads Penguins Past Ohio, 69-59 |
| Wednesday, November 23 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Athens, Ohio -- Youngstown State sophomore Jessica Schloemp scored 14 of her career-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Penguins (1-1) past Ohio (1-2), 69-59, on Tuesday evening at the Ohio Convocation Center. Leading 27-23 at the intermission, the Penguins clung to a one-point advantage, 35-34, at the 14:09 mark before sophomore My'Kea Cohill, who scored nine points, buried a 3-pointer to give YSU a 38-34 lead with 13:59 to go. After Nikita LaFleur sank two free throws to extend the YSU lead to 40-34, Ohio's Rachel Frederick hit a jumper to trim the lead back to four points, 40-36, at the 12:25 mark. YSU sophomore Lauren Branson, who tied a career high with 12 points, grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and converted a 3-point play to push the Penguins ahead by seven, 43-36, with 12:14 left. Ohio held the Penguins scoreless for close to four minutes and cut the YSU lead back down to three points, 43-40, at the 9:44 mark, but Youngstown State used a 20-10 run over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 63-53 lead with just under two minutes left. During the Penguins run, Schloemp scored 10 of her 14 second-half points. In the first half, the Penguins trailed, 9-5, with 11:59 to go in the half before a jumper by Cohill and two jump-shots by Michelle Holmes tied the contest with 10:12 remaining. A steal and layup by Cohill gave YSU a 13-11 edge but Ohio re-tied the game, 13-13, after two charity tosses by Simone Redd with 9:39 left. The Penguins outscored the Bobcats, 10-8, over the next seven minutes to take a 23-21 lead with 2:35 remaining, keyed by a 3-pointer by Toni Roscoe. Ashlee Russo, who scored 10 points, converted two free throws and Branson added a layup to give YSU a 27-21 advantage before Ohio added two free throws to close out the first half scoring, 27-23. The Penguins, who shot just 31.3 percent from the floor, allowed just four Ohio field goals (4-of-17or 23.5 percent) but the Bobcats converted 15-of-18 first-half free throws. The Penguins visit Indiana, Friday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn Classic. |
| Penguins Drop Opener to Robert Morris, 68-60 |
| Saturday, November 19 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Moon Township, Pa. – For the first time in three seasons under Head Coach Tisha Hill, the Youngstown State women’s basketball team lost its season opener after dropping a 68-60 decision to Robert Morris (1-0) on Friday evening at the Sewell Center. Senior Michelle Holmes scored a career-high 16 points with seven rebounds and junior Kristy Gaudiose added 11 points to lead the Penguins offensively. Trailing by four, 40-36, with 17:36 left in the game, the Penguins built an eight-point lead, 55-47, over the next nine minutes capped by 3-pointers by Gaudiose and senior Ashlee Russo and two free throws from Holmes at the 8:30 mark. That is when the Penguins went cold. After Russo’s 3-pointer at the 9:24 mark, Youngstown State missed its last 10 field goal attempts, converted just 5-of-10 free throws down the stretch and allowed the Colonials to chip away at the lead. Robert Morris’ Jessica Ayilola sparked the Colonials comeback with a three-point play to cut the deficit to five points, 55-50, and brought RMU within four, 56-52, with 6:06 remaining. DeShayna Perry hit a jumper and Princess Alston canned a 3-pointer at the 4:34 mark to give the Colonials a 57-56 advantage, a lead they would never relinquish. YSU sophomore Lauren Branson, who added nine points, buried two free throws at the 3:25 mark to cut the RMU lead to one, 59-58, but Ayilola responded with a jumper and Tess Cooley’s lay up with 2:47 remaining gave the Colonials a five-point cushion, 63-58. Jenna Burkett’s 3-pointer with just under a minute remaining gave Robert Morris a seven-point advantage, 66-59, and sealed the victory. Youngstown State visits Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. in Athens, Ohio. |
| Penguins Open 2005-06 Season at Robert Morris Tonight |
| Friday, November 18 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women’s basketball team, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Tisha Hill, opens the 2005-06 season at Robert Morris, Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Charles L. Sewell Center in Moon Township, Pa. Youngstown State, which went 12-16 last season, and Robert Morris have met 16 times previously and the Penguins have enjoyed tremendous success against the Colonials, leading the all-time series, 14-2, including victories in the last seven games. In the last meeting, the Penguins defeated the Colonials, 82-68, in the Beeghly Center during the 2002-03 campaign. The last time YSU played at the Sewell Center, the Penguins came out victorious, 99-81, during the 2001-02 season. The Colonials return seven letterwinners and all five starters from last year’s 20-10 squad, including Northeast Conference Player of the Year Sugeiry Monsac and All-Northeast Conference Second-Team selection DeSheyna Perry. Last season, Monsac posted 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game while Perry added 12 points per game. Senior forward Tess Cooley, who averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game also returns for the Colonials. Penguins In Exhibition In its lone exhibition game, Youngstown State held off the Ohio Legends, 78-75, last Saturday afternoon. Senior Michelle Holmes led three Penguins scoring in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds. Freshman Velissa Vaughn posted 12 points while sophomore Jessica Schloemp added 11 points. Season Openers Under Hill Youngstown State has been quite successful in season openers under third-year Head Coach Tisha Hill. The Penguins are 2-0 in lid-lifters under Hill. Last season, YSU defeated Saint Louis, 76-59, in Saint Louis, and knocked off Bowling Green, 79-67, in Beeghly Center during the 2003-04 season. Penguins Picked Seventh Although Youngstown State showed dramatic improvement from the 2003-04 campaign to the 2004-05 season with a sixth-place finish, the Penguins were picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and selected media representatives. Up Next The Penguins continue their season-opening, four-game road trip against Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. in Athens, Ohio. Last season, the Bobcats escaped the Beeghly Center with an 85-79 victory. Holmes Hits High Senior Michelle Holmes turned in an outstanding performance for the Penguins in YSU’s exhibition game against the Ohio Legends on Saturday. The 6-foot-2 center posted a team-high 21 points and grabbed seven boards and three blocks. She connected on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Frosh Contribute Youngstown State is loaded with six freshmen but all six made significant contributions to YSU’s 78-75 victory over the Ohio Legends. Velissa Vaughn posted 12 points, including three 3-pointers, while Megan Snorf added eight points and five rebounds. Monique Godfrey dished out four assists, Toni Roscoe converted 1-of-2 3-pointers with an assist, Ashley Pendleton added four points and four blocks while Nikita LaFleur contributed two points and two rebounds. Penguins Sign Three Early Youngstown State Head Coach Tisha Hill signed three new recruits during the early signing period. The Penguins 2006-07 recruiting class includes 6-foot-1 forward Ta-myra Davis (Akron, Ohio), 6-foot-4 center Anjalia Lyons (Maple Heights, Ohio) and 5-foot-8 guard Kaitlyn March (Rochester, Pa.). Davis was a special mention All-Ohio pick averaging 18.4 points and 17.7 rebounds per game last season while March posted 17 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and Lyons added eight points and nine rebounds per game. Head Coach Tisha Hill Youngstown State Head Coach Tisha Hill is in her third season as a head coach and owns a 16-40 career record at Youngstown State. Prior to her appointment at YSU, the native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ball State. Hill was also an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 1997-2001, at UW-Green Bay from 1995-97, and was a graduate assistant at Indiana from 1993-95. Gaudiose Nearing Top 10 Junior guard Kristy Gaudiose is approaching the Youngstown State women’s basketball record books. The 5-foot-7 Poland, Ohio, native has made 44 3-pointers in her two-year career and needs 34 more treys to move into the top 10 on the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. Penguins to Face Hoosiers For the first time in her head coaching career, Tisha Hill will be facing her alma mater. On Nov. 25, the Penguins visit the Indiana Hoosiers in the Hoosier Thanksgiving Classic at 7 p.m. Hill is a two-time graduate of IU, earning her bachelor’s degree in sport management in 1993 and a master’s degree in kinesiology in 1995. Hill Gets New Contract Third-year Head Coach Tisha Hill signed a new four-year contract that runs from the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 campaign. Hill led the Penguins to an eight-win improvement in 2004-05 and a sixth-place finish in the Horizon League. Two of Hill’s players also garnered postseason awards. Jen Perugini was named first-team All-Horizon League while Lauren Branson was selected to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team. Branson Named to All-Newcomer Team Sophomore point guard Lauren Branson made quite an impact on the Penguins and the rest of the Horizon League last season. In 2004-05, Branson led the league with 5.7 assists per game and was voted to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team. Forever Young The Youngstown State women’s basketball team may be one of the youngest teams in the Horizon League. The 2005-06 Penguins feature six freshmen and three sophomores on a roster of 13 players. The six freshmen include Monique Godfrey, Nikita LaFleur, Ashley Pendleton, Toni Roscoe, Megan Snorf and Velissa Vaughn. Penguins in the Preseason Under Hill Youngstown State is now 2-1 in preseason exhibition games under Tisha Hill after defeating the Ohio Legends, 78-75, on Saturday. Last season, the Penguins defeated the Premier All-Stars, 74-70. During the 2003-04 campaign, the Penguins dropped a 96-84 overtime decision to the Premier All-Stars. Illinois Trasfer Joins Penguins Kira Mowen, a transfer from the University of Illinois, has joined the Youngstown State women’s basketball program. The 5-foot-9 junior guard played in 10 games over two years for Illinois and will have to sit out the 2005-06 season to fulfill NCAA Transfer requirements. Mowen will have two years of eligibilty remaining starting with the 2006-07 season. Branson Sets Frosh Assist Mark In just one season, Lauren Branson etched her name into the Youngstown State women’s basketball record books. Branson set the YSU freshmen assist record with 159 assists last season. Penguins Host Saint Louis in Home Opener After four straight road games to open the season, Youngstown State returns to Beeghly Center for its home-opener against Saint Louis, Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 5:15 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the YSU men’s basketball team. |
| Penguins Hold Off Ohio Legends, 78-75 |
| Sunday, November 13 2005 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown, Ohio --.Youngstown State senior Michelle Holmes scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field while freshman Velissa Vaughn posted 12 points to lead the Penguins women’s basketball team to 78-75 in over the Ohio Legends in an exhibition game on Saturday evening at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins held a 77-68 advantage with 1:03 remaining after a Nikita LaFleur put-back, but the Legends rallied with seven straight points to trim the YSU lead to two points, 77-75, with just 27 seconds remaining. Sophomore Lauren Branson, who dished out four assists, sealed the victory by converting one-of-two free throws with seven seconds left. After shooting 53.8 percent in the first half and holding a 36-31 halftime edge, Youngstown State built a 10-point second half lead, 45-35, on a jumper by sophomore Jessica Schloemp, who scored 11 points, layups by Holmes and Ashlee Russo and a 3-pointer by Kristy Gaudiose with 16:40 remaining. The Legends were able to cut their deficit down to five points, 49-44, at the 14:54 mark but the Penguins responded with a 14-4 run over the next four minutes and 28 seconds to extend their cushion to a game-high 13 points, 61-48, at the 10:26 mark. Schloemp sparked the Penguins’ run with three jumpers. Over the next seven minutes, the Legends chipped away at the Penguins’ lead and trimmed the advantage to four points, 68-64, with 3:58 to go. After two free throws by freshman Megan Snorf, a jumper by Holmes and two more charity tosses by Vaughn, YSU rebuilt a double-digit lead, 74-64, with 2:18 remaining. In the first half, the Penguins and Legends battled through six ties and four lead changes before Youngstown State finally regained the lead for good, 22-20, with 7:58 remaining. Holmes converted on 4-of-7 from the floor while Vaughn buried all three of her 3-point attempts in the first stanza for nine first-half points. Youngstown State won the battle of the boards, 42-36, recorded 10 blocked shots and limited the Legends to 32.9 percent shooting from the floor. YSU opens the 2005-06 regular season at Robert Morris, Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Moon Township, Pa. |