| Penguins Drop 96-49 Decision to Duquesne at UNCW Tournament |
| Sunday, November 26 2006 |
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| Wilmington, N.C. -- Youngstown State shot just 30.2 percent from the field and allowed Duquesne a 58.1 field-goal percentage in a 96-49 loss to the Dukes in the consolation game of the UNC-Wilmington Hilton Wilmington Riverside Beach Classic on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Monique Godfrey led the Penguins with 10 points and freshman Ta-myra Davis posted five points and a game-high nine rebounds. Duquesne held a two-point advantage, 23-21, at the 5:17 mark of the first half but used an 18-6 run to close out the half and entered the lockerroom with a 41-27 lead. Duquesne opened the second half on a 27-3 run to expand its lead to an insurmountable 38-point lead, 68-30, midway through the second half. Duquesne placed five players in double figures led by Carmen Bruce and Keri Pryor with 16 points each. Loui Hall added 12 points and Kristi Little and Gosia Flaga each contributed 11 points. YSU visits Miami (Ohio), Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. |
| Karner's 23 Not Enough in 56-52 Loss to UNC-Wilmington |
| Saturday, November 25 2006 |
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| Wilmington, N.C. -- Junior Heather Karner scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including five 3-pointers, but the Youngstown State women's basketball team (1-3) dropped a 56-52 decision to UNC-Wilmington (1-3) on Friday evening at Trask Coliseum. Trailing by as many as six points, 17-11, with 12:36 left in the first half, Velissa Vaughn and Karner hit back-to-back 3-pointers to knot the game up at 17-17 at the 9:42 mark. Ashley Pendleton's jumper with 1:49 to go gave the Penguins a 24-21 lead but the Seahawks rattled off four straight points to take a 25-24 lead into the lockerroom. The Penguins regained the advantage, 27-25, on a 3-pointer by Karner, who scored 13 second-half points, to begin the second half and another trey by Jessica Schloemp gave YSU a three-point edge, 30-27, at the 19:18 mark. After two more ties and five lead changes, Karner drilled her fifth 3-pointer of the game to give YSU a 44-42 lead, its last of the game, at the 11:16 mark. UNCW scored the next five points to take a 47-44 advantage and never relinquished the lead. The Penguins were able to come as close as one point on two occasions, 47-46, at the 8:06 mark and 48-47 with 3:38 to go but could not overtake the Seahawks. The Penguins take on Duquesne, Saturday, at 1 p.m. |
| Four Penguins Score in Double Figures in 78-44 Victory |
| Wednesday, November 22 2006 |
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| Youngstown -- Velissa Vaughn and Monique Godfrey scored 17 points apiece to lead four Penguins in double figures as the Youngstown State women's basketball team defeated Buffalo 78-44 on Tuesday evening at the Beeghly Center. Heather Karner added 16 points and Jessica Schloemp scored 10 for YSU, which improved to 1-2 on the season. Heather Turner scored nine points for Buffalo, which dropped to 2-3. Vaughn's 17 points were a career-high, and the sophomore guard added a career-best seven assists. Schloemp finished with eight rebounds and three blocks while Lauren Branson dished out seven assists. Coming off a game in which the Penguins scored 42 points total, YSU jumped out to a 40-23 advantage in the first 20 minutes behind a 48.5 shooting percentage. That included a 58.3 percentage from behind the 3-point arc. The Penguins scored the first six points en route to a 20-9 lead on a layup by Anjalia Lyons at the 13:04 mark. Buffalo got back within 24-19 with 6:14 remaining, but the Penguins scored five straight and closed out the half on a 16-4 run. The Bulls managed to cut the margin to 43-32 with 15:39 remaining in the second half but did not get any closer. YSU went on a 12-3 to take a 20-point lead on one of Vaughn's three treys with 11:14 left. Vaughn scored her final points of the night on a jumper with 2:21 remaining that gave the Penguins their largest lead of the game at 78-43. The Penguins shot 47.5 percent for the game and converted 23 UB turnovers into 29 points. YSU committed just 12 turnovers, and Godfrey's 17 points paced a 29-11 margin in bench points. YSU will take on UNC-Wilmington on Friday at 6 p.m. in game one of the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Beach Blast. |
| Penguins Fall to Coppin State, 55-42 |
| Saturday, November 18 2006 |
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| Baltimore, Md. -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team fell to 0-2 after dropping a 55-42 decision to Coppin State (2-1), on Friday evening at the Coppin Center. The Penguins, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field, committed 32 miscues and did not score for the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the second half, were led by freshman Anjalia Lyons with eight points and 12 rebounds while sophomores Monique Godfrey and Ashley Pendleton and junior Heather Karner also added eight points. In the first half, the Penguins shot just 30 percent and committed 15 turnovers which led to 10 Coppin State points. The Penguins found themselves in a quick deficit, 8-3, before they scored their first field goal, an eight-foot jumper by Ashley Pendleton, at the 15:27 mark. Another jumper by Pendleton cut the Eagles lead to 8-7 with 13:47 to go. A five-minute scoring drought and 10-0 run by Coppin State gave the Eagles an 11-point advantage midway through the first half. Two baskets by Ta-Myra Davis and one by Anjalia Lyons trimmed the deficit to 18-13 at the 7:30 mark. The Eagles closed out the half with a 12-8 run to take a seven-point lead into the lockerroom, 30-21. YSU returns home to host Buffalo, Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7:05 p.m. |
| Karner's 34 Not Enough in Women's Basketball's 85-78 Loss to Bearcats |
| Saturday, November 11 2006 |
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| Youngstown -- Despite 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting by Heather Karner (St. Louis, Mo.) in her Youngstown State debut and a seven-point halftime lead, the YSU women's basketball team (0-1) dropped its season opener to Cincinnati (1-0), 85-78, on Friday evening at the Beeghly Center. Karner's 34 points marks the first time a Youngstown State player scored at least 30 points in a game since Jenny Horner posted 30 against Cleveland State in 2002. Trailing 45-38 at the half, the Bearcats scored the first nine points of the second half and held the Penguins scoreless for the first three minutes of the second stanza to take a 47-45 lead. Youngstown State committed seven turnovers and made just 2-of-5 field goal attempts during the first five minutes of the second half while the Bearcats scored nine points off the Penguins' miscues. UC's Treasure Humphries, who posted 17 points, gave the Bearcats a seven-point advantage with a jumper at the 13:49 mark but YSU's Velissa Vaughn, who recorded a career-high with 14 points, trimmed the UC lead down to three, 59-56, with two free throws and a jumper with 13:08 to go. Over the next eight minutes, Cincinnati exploded for a 24-8 run to take a 19-point lead, 83-64, with 5:19 remaining. The Penguins mounted a rally keyed by Karner, who scored 11 of the Penguins last 14 points, and a defensive effort that did not allow a Bearcats' field goal for the rest of the game. The Penguins scored 14 straight points points to slice the deficit down to five, 83-78, on three jumpers, a 3-pointer and two charity tosses by Karner and a jumper and a free throw from Jessica Schloemp, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Humphries, though, closed out the scoring with two free throws and gave UC an 85-78 lead with 23 seconds left. In the first half, the Penguins trailed by as many as nine points, 17-8, at the 14:08 mark after a 3-pointer by UC's Karen Twehues. The Penguins clawed their way back into the game with an 11-0 run ignited by two jumpers from Schloemp and 3-pointers from Kira Mowen (Waynesboro, Pa.) and Karner to take their first lead of the game, 19-17, with 10:26 remaining. After six lead changes and five ties over the next five minutes, the Penguins scored 10 straight points to take a 10-point advantage, 43-33, with 1:52 remaining before the half. Karner began the run with a 3-pointer at the 5:01 mark then hit a jumper with four minutes remaining and converted two free throws with 2:20 to go. Vaughn capped the run with a 3-pointer at the 1:52 mark and forced the Bearcats to call timeout. A jumper by Karner gave the Penguins a 45-34 lead with 45 ticks left but a free throw by Humphries and a 3-pointer by Shelly Bellman with five seconds left cut the Penguins' lead to 45-38 at the half. YSU shot 49.1 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent in the first half, but was out-rebounded by the Bearcats, 41-36. The Bearcats also had 20 offensive rebounds and converted 23 second-chance points, 16 coming in the second half. YSU visits Coppin State, Friday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. in Baltimore, Md. |
| Women's Basketball Opens Season Tonight Hosting Cincinnati |
| Friday, November 10 2006 |
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| Youngstown -- The 32nd season of Youngstown State women’s basketball commences with the earliest game in school history when the Penguins host the Cincinnati Bearcats (0-0) for the first time since 1983, Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins (0-0), which finished the 2005-06 season with an 8-20 mark, enter this season with no seniors on their roster for the first time in school history. The Penguins return starting juniors Lauren Branson and Jessica Schloemp and five more letterwinners who played in at least 17 games last season. The Penguins’ returning letterwinners include sophomores Monique Godfrey, Nikita LaFleur, Ashley Pendleton, Toni Roscoe and Velissa Vaughn. Scouting the Bearcats The UC Bearcats enter their 36th season of competition when they invade the Beeghly Center on Friday. The Bearcats, who return three starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s 17-12 squad, are coming off a 78-74 exhibition game loss to the OGBR Legends on Monday evening. Sophomore Shelly Bellman and freshman Carla Jacobs led the Bearcats with 16 points each against OGBR. Senior guard Treasure Humphries returns as UC’s top scorer from a year ago with 12.8 points per game. The Cincinnati Series This will be just the fourth meeting between Youngstown State and UC and the Penguins are searching for their first victory in the series against the Bearcats. The last time YSU and UC met was an 84-74 Bearcat victory in 1983. This is also the first meeting between the two schools at the Beeghly Center. Cincinnati Connections • Youngstown State junior guard Lauren Branson is a Cincinnati native and went to high school at Archbishop McNicholas. • YSU sophomore Monique Godfrey and UC freshman Carla Jacobs were high school teammates at South Euclid Regina High School. Up Next The Penguins begin a daunting challenge of playing five of their next six games on the road when they visit 2006 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament participant Coppin State, Friday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m. in Baltimore, Md. Last Time Out In their last outing, the Penguins dropped a 73-63 decision to the Ohio Girls’ Basketball Report Legends on Friday, Nov. 10. Sophomore Velissa Vaughn led the Penguins with 11 points while junior Kira Mowen added 10 points and freshman Ta-myra Davis just missed a double-double with seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Penguin Home Openers The Youngstown State women’s basketball program has done well historically in its home openers. Since the 1975-76 season, the Penguins own a 23-8 record in home openers and are 2-1 in home openers under Head Coach Tisha Hill. Season Openers In season lid-lifters, the Penguins have enjoyed quite a bit of success through the years. The Penguins have won 20 out of 31 season openers and are 2-1 in season openers under Tisha Hill. YSU has also won three of the last four season openers. The Penguins own an all-time record of 9-4 when they open the season at the Beeghly Center. Fresh Faces Along with the seven returners, the 2006-07 Youngstown State women’s basketball roster is composed of six newcomers, five of which are eligible this season. Junior college transfer Heather Karner, a guard, joins the squad from Western Nebraska Community College and junior guard Kira Mowen, who sat out last season after transferring from Illinois, are expected to bolster the Penguins’ backcourt and perimeter. Junior guard Kelsey Gurganus, a transfer from Southern Miss, must sit out the 2006-07 season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2007-08. The 2006-07 freshmen class includes forward Ta-myra Davis, a 6-foot-1 special mention All-Ohio forward from Akron, Ohio, 6-foot-4 center Anjalia Lyons from Maple Heights, Ohio, and 5-foot-8 guard Kaitlyn March, who hails from Rochester, Pa. Penguins Picked Seventh The Youngstown State women’s basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League’s official preseason poll of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and selected media, the league announced on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The Penguins, who ended last season with an 8-20 overall mark and a 4-12 record in the Horizon League, tallied 72 points. UW-Green Bay, which has won or shared the league title in each of the last nine seasons, was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, garnering 22 of 27 first-place votes and 234 points. Defending tournament champion UW-Milwaukee was voted second with three first-place votes and 198 points while Butler was tabbed third with one first-place vote and 192 points. Right behind the Bulldogs in fourth was UIC with 185 points and one first-place vote followed by Wright State in fifth with 132 points and Loyola in sixth with 83 points. Rounding out the poll is Detroit in eighth with 63 points and Cleveland State in ninth with 56 points. Schloemp Closes Out Strong Over the last 12 games of the 2005-06 season, junior forward Jessica Schloemp was one of the most dominant players in the Horizon league. During that span, Schloemp averaged a double-double with 11.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and .792 from the free throw line. Welcome Back Branson The Penguins gladly welcome the return of point guard Lauren Branson back to the line up after missing the last 16 games of last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Branson, a 2005 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team selection, averaged 5.5 points amd 3.8 assists per game last season. Branson, who has 205 career assists in just 40 games played, needs 106 more to move into 10th place on the YSU all-time assist chart. |