| Brandi Brown Named Horizon League Player of the Week |
| Tuesday, November 30 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State sophomore forward Brandi Brown has been honored as the Horizon League Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week beginning Nov. 22, the conference announced Monday. Brown averaged 20 points and 8.5 rebounds in helping Youngstown State snap a 34-game losing streak and win back-to-back games for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Brown notched her first double-double of the season and 15th of her career in Youngstown State's 71-57 victory over Bucknell on Wednesday. She scored 16 of her game-high 23 points in the second half in just 13 minutes. She added 11 rebounds and two steals, and she was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Brown then scored a game-high 17 points while posting six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in YSU's come-from-behind victory over Ohio on Saturday. One of those assists came when she grabbed a defensive rebound and hit Macey Nortey on a fast-break lay-up with 56.9 seconds remaining that gave YSU its first lead of the second half. Brown, a native of Pomona, Calif., leads the Horizon League in scoring with 20.2 points per game. She also ranks seventh in rebounding and ninth in 3-point field goals per contest. Youngstown State's last Horizon League Player of the Week was Jen Perugini on Feb. 28, 2005. The Penguins will start a three-game road trip on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Kent State. |
| Women's Basketball Starts New Streak, Rallies from 18 Down to Beat Ohio, 60-52 |
| Sunday, November 28 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team outscored Ohio 41-18 in the second half and overcome an 18-point deficit to defeat the Bobcats 60-52 on Saturday evening at Beeghly Center. YSU shot 53.8 percent in the final 20 minutes and held Ohio to 23.3 percent. Tieara Jones scored all 14 of her points in the second while posting five rebounds and three blocks in the second half. Brandi Brown scored a game-high 17 points to go along with two blocks and two assists. The Penguins, who had lost 34 consecutive contests before beating Bucknell on Wednesday, have now won back-to-back games for the first time since March 8 and March 10 in the 2007-08 season. YSU improves to 2-3 overall while Ohio drops to 2-2. The Bobcats had defeated Memphis and Marshall heading into Saturday's game. The game was a complete tale of two halves. In the first half, Ohio outscored the Penguins 34-19, outshot them 40.6 percent to 30.4 percent, forced 13 turnovers and outscored them 14-4 in the paint, 23-0 off turnovers and 7-0 in second-chance points. In the second half, YSU outscored the Bobcats 41-18, outshot them 53.8 percent to 23.8 percent, committed just six turnovers and held scoring margins of 22-6 in the paint, 10-5 off turnovers and 7-4 in second-chance points. The Bobcats led 34-16 with 1:27 left in the first half and seemed in control of cruising to a victory. Kenya Middlebrooks had an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:08 remaining to cut the deficit to 15, and the Penguins forced two Bobcats turnovers in the final minute to build some momentum heading into the locker room. YSU then opened the second half by scoring 10 out of the first 11 points and trailed just 35-29 following a Maryum Jenkins lay-up at the 15:38 mark. The Bobcats did not have a field goal until there was 13:25 left in the period. The margin shifted between 10 and six points until Heidi Schlegel's jumper made the score 45-40 with 8:37 left. Two Jones free throws cut the deficit to 48-44 with 7:35 left, but an Ashley Fowler triple upped the margin back to seven at 51-44 for Ohio with 6:33 remaining. That was Ohio's last field goal, and the Bobcats managed just one more point the rest of the way. After three points from Brown, and two blocks and two points from Jones, the Penguins trimmed the margin to 51-49 with 2:48 left. Brown made two free throws to tie the score at the 1:25 mark, and her long pass off a rebound set up Macey Nortey for a break-away lay-up that gave the Penguins their first lead since there was 13:11 left in the first half. Symone Lyles missed a 3-point attempt for Ohio on its next possession, and Nortey hit two free throws with 21 seconds left to up the margin to five. Bojana Dimitrov hit a free throw with 10 seconds left following another Ohio miss, and she beat the buzzer with a fast-break lay-up for the final margin. Jones was 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the second half. Ohio scored 23 points off of Youngstown State's 13 turnovers in the first half. YSU had just six turnovers in the final 20 minutes, and Ohio scored five points off of them. Nortey's jumper gave the Penguins a 6-2 lead with 15:06 remaining in the first half, but that was their last bucket for more than four minutes. YSU still led 8-5 after two Schlegel free throws at the 14:12 mark, but Ohio scored 11 straight points to go up 16-8 with 11:39 remaining. A Middlebrooks triple cut YSU's deficit to seven at 21-14, but Ohio scored eight straight points to go up 29-14 with 2:35 left on a Lyles fast-break bucket. The Bobcats led by as many as 18 in the period before Middlebrooks scored the final three points with 1:09 left on a bucket and free throw. YSU did not score from 7:51 to 2:11 as the Bobcats started to distance themselves in the opening period. Ohio dominated the boards early before YSU shrunk the margin to 19-15 before halftime. The Bobcats had eight offensive rebounds in the first 13 minutes, which kept YSU from building any rhythm offensively. Youngstown State will play at Kent State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. |
| Brown's Double-Double Keys Women's Basketball's 71-57 Victory over Bucknell |
| Thursday, November 25 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Sophomore forward Brandi Brown scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Youngstown State women's basketball team defeat Bucknell 71-57 and snap a 34-game losing streak on Wednesday evening at Beeghly Center. Brown hit a 3-pointer on YSU's last offensive possession, and she grabbed the final rebound as she experienced a win for the first time in her collegiate career. Youngstown State's last victory before Wednesday came on March 7, 2009, which was 627 days ago. It was Brown's first double-double of the season, and she had plenty of help. Heidi Schlegel reached double figures for the first time in her career with 11 points, and Kenya Middlebrooks scored 10 points in the second half. Macey Nortey added nine points, and she had three steals in the final three minutes as YSU started to pull away. The win was also gave first-year head coach Bob Boldon his first Division I victory. The game featured six ties and 11 lead changes, and Bucknell's final lead came at 8:53 on a Felicia Mgbada jumper. Liz Hornberger nailed a deep trifecta, and Middlebrooks hit a fast-break lay-up to give YSU a four-point cushion at 54-50 and put the Penguins up for good. The Bison cut the margin to one on a Shelby Romine 3-pointer off a missed free throw, but Youngstown State scored the next 10 points to go up 64-53 with 2:19 remaining. The Penguins hit six free throws during that stretch and went 21-for-24 from the charity stripe for the game. Rachel Voss hit a jumper with 2:11 remaining to make the score 64-55 and end Bucknell's scoring drought, but YSU hit four more free throws in the final 1:10 and got the game-ending trey from Brown. The Penguins shot 47.8 percent in the second half as they outscored the Bison 44-27. YSU outscored Bucknell 21-5 from the free throw line and 21-11 off turnovers. The Penguins had 14 steals and forced 25 turnovers. The last time YSU scored more than 70 points was at UIC on March 8, 2008. Trailing 30-27 at halftime, YSU scored the first five points of the second half behind two free throws and a 3-pointer from Brown. Brown had nine points in the first four minutes of the period. Monica Touvelle and Middlebrooks then hit triples on back-to-back possessions to give YSU its largest lead at the time at 42-36 with 15 minutes remaining. Bucknell reclaimed the lead at 45-44 on a Cosima Higham lay-up with 11:22 remaining, and the Bison led by one two more times before Hornberger's triple started YSU's surge. In the first half, Bucknell hit five of its first six shots to lead 10-6 with 15:29 remaining. A Maryum Jenkins triple gave the Penguins their first lead at 18-16 with 8:43 remaining. That capped a 7-0 run for YSU. Bucknell scored the next four points to reclaim the lead at 20-18 with 6:39 on the clock, but YSU went on another 7-0 run to go up 25-20 with 4:35 remaining on Nortey's steal and breakaway lay-up. Bucknell tied the score at 25-25 with 3:30 left, and the Bison scored the final five points of the half to take a 30-27 lead at the break. Higham led the Bison with 12 points, and Joyce Novacek scored all nine of her points in the first half. Youngstown State will play Ohio on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. in the first half of a doubleheader with the YSU men. |
| Sulskis, Eargle Lift Men's Hoops to 73-67 Victory Over Toledo |
| Thursday, November 25 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Vytas Sulskis scored a game-high 20 points, and Damian Eargle posted 15 points and six blocks to lead the Youngstown State men's basketball team to a 73-67 victory over Toledo on Wednesday at Beeghly Center. Sulskis hit four of YSU's 11 3-pointers, and Eargle had six of the Penguins' 10 blocks. Kendrick Perry added 12 points and six assists while Devonte Maymon had 12 points. The win improves Youngstown State's record to 3-1 while Toledo falls to 0-6. Malcolm Griffin had 18 points to lead three Rockets scoring in double figures. Toledo led 34-33 at halftime, and the Rockets led by as many as six in the second half when J.T. Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 17:39 remaining. Youngstown State scored the next seven points to go up 42-41 behind a Maymon triple, a Perry lay-up and two Sulskis free throws with 16:22 remaining. Toledo regained the lead with 15 minutes left, and the Rockets led 54-52 on a Griffin Bucket with 10:04 to go. Eargle split a pair of free throws, and he went on to score five straight points to spark a 13-0 run. He also scored the final three points of that run on an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:50 remaining on the clock that gave the Guins a 65-54 lead. Toledo climbed back to within four after Griffin hit a triple with two minutes remaining, but an Ashen Ward 3-pointer and an Eargle charity toss put YSU back up by eight with 44 seconds left. YSU was 11-for-22 overall and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second half. Neither team led by more than five in the first half as the lead changed hands 15 times. Toledo led by four with 11:07 left following two Anthony Wright free throws. YSU's largest lead came when Perry's fast-break lay-up made the score 33-28 with 1:32 left. Toledo scored the final six points of the half to go up 34-33 at the break. The Penguins will play Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Beeghly Center. |
| Double-Header Tomorrow Night at Beeghly |
| Tuesday, November 23 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Men's Basketball Returns to Beeghly Center to Host Toledo Wednesday Night Tipoff Notes This is the 10th meeting between Youngstown State and Toledo in a series that dates back to 1942. The Guins and Rockets, however, have not played since the 2003-04 season. Toledo owns an impressive 8-1 advantage in the all-time series, and won the last meeting, 78-74, on Nov. 26, 2003. The last time these two teams played in the Beeghly Center, the Guins came away with a 69-61 victory on Nov. 30, 2002. Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum is one of 17 active coaches with more than 600 career victories. He currently ranks sixth among active Division I coaches with 631 career wins. The Guins open the season with four of their first five games at home marking the first time since the1979-80 that has occurred. With two straight wins over Samford (11/12) and Buffalo (11/16), the Guins started a season 2-0 for the first time since 2004-05. The Guins are looking for their best start after four games since beginning the 2000-01 season with 4-0 record. The Guins made a season-high 10 3-pointers against Akron and also tied the school mark with 33 3-point attempts. It tied the record set against Samford on Nov. 12, 2010. The last time the Guins made 10 3-pointers was against Loyola on Feb. 4, 2010, when they lost 92-85 in overtime. Senior Vytas Sulskis continues to move up the Youngstown State all-time 3-point chart. With a 3-pointer against Akron on Nov. 20, Sulskis ranks sixth all-time with 128 career 3-pointers and needs seven more to tie Doug Underwood (2001-04) for fifth place with 135. Sulskis' season-high for 3-pointers made was 46 in 2007-08. Junior Devonte Maymon has scored in double figures in each game this season - 15 against Samford (11/12), 13 against Buffalo (11/16) and 14 against Akron (11/20). With its 91-84 overtime loss to Akron, Youngstown State has now lost nine straight games that have gone into extra periods. Junior Ashen Ward notched back-to-back career-scoring highs when he posted 14 points against Akron (11/20). He scored a then-career-best 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting against Buffalo on Nov. 16. Freshman Kendrick Perry scored a career-high 11 points with a career-high five assists against Akron (11/20). Freshman Sheldon Brogdon scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-5 shooting against Akron (11/20). Six players made their Youngstown State debuts against Samford on Nov. 12. They include juniors DuShawn Brooks and Devonte Maymon, sophomores Blake Allen and Eargle and freshmen Sheldon Brogdon and Kendrick Perry. Sulskis has scored 962 career points and needs 38 more to become the 32nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. The Penguins have a made-over roster with 12 newcomers, including seven freshmen, and just three letterwinners returning from last year's squad. A Win Will Improve YSU to 3-1 overall. Mark the program's first win over Toledo since 2002. Mark the program's second win over Toledo in the all-time series. Mark the best start after four games since the 2000-01 season when the Guins began a season 4-0. Mark YSU's third home victory of the season. Mark Head Coach Jerry Slocum's 632nd career victory and his 52nd at Youngstown State. YSU's 986th victory in the program's history. -------------------------------------------------------- Women's Hoops Starts Thanksgiving Week vs. Bucknell Tickets and Promotions Wednesday night will be YSU Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night presented by Medical Mutual of Ohio. Tickets are available for purchase on YSUsports.com, by phone at (330) 941-1YSU, at the main YSU Athletics Ticket Office in Stambaugh Stadium throughout the week. Fans wishing to purchase tickets the evening of the game can do so at the Beeghly Center ticket office. For more information, visit the Basketball Tickets page. The All-Time Series Youngstown State owns a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings against Bucknell. The Bison won the first meeting on Jan. 16, 1989. YSU won its first game in the series at home on Jan. 18, 1990, against the Bison. The last game between the teams came on Jan. 4, 1992, which YSU won 71-45 at Beeghly Center. Scouting Bucknell Bucknell has lost its last two games after winning its opener 53-48 against Rider. The 53 points in that game are most the Bison have scored this season. Bucknell has lost its last two to Fordham (64-42) and Buffalo (72-53). Bucknell is shooting 34 percent from the field and has attempted just 14 3-pointers. Freshman Shelby Romine has led the Bison in each of the first three games and is averaging a team-best 15.7 points. She accounts for almost 32 percent of the team's scoring. Joyce Novacek is averaging a team-best eight rebounds. Bucknell was 7-21 last season. Last Time vs. Bucknell Youngstown State forced Bucknell into 34 turnovers and posted 17 steals to defeat the Bison 71-45 on Jan. 4, 1992 at Beeghly Center. The Guins outshot the Bison .388 to .295 and got a game-high 17 points from Donna Wertz. Donna Djorovic added 15 points and a game-high three steals. Dianne Rappach had seven assists. Kelly Dee had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Kristen Ellison had 13 points for Bucknell. YSU led 17-5 after 10 minutes, and Bucknell got no closer than three after it was 6-4. The win was YSU's 19th straight at home. Last Game: L, 61-73 vs. IPFW YSU turned in a gutsy performance to overcome a 16-point second-half deficit and tie the game late, but it dropped a 73-61 decision to IPFW on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. Brandi Brown scored a career-high 29 points, 23 of which came in the second half, and grabbed nine rebounds. Stephanie Rosado led four Mastodons reaching double figures with 22 points. She added a game-high 12 rebounds. Trailing 45-29 with 15 minutes left, the Guins clawed their way back by outscoring the Mastodons 26-10 over the next 10 minutes to tie the game at 55-55 with 4:41 to go. Brown scored 16 of the Guins' 26 points over that span. IPFW, however, scored the next nine points and outscored the Penguins 18-6 over the rest of the game. Notes from IPFW Game * Brandi Brown scored a career-high 29 points. Her previous career high was 24 against Akron last year. She nearly matched that in the second half with 23 points. * Brown scored in double figures for the 22nd time in her 33-game career. She also led YSU in scoring for the 18th time. She scored at least 20 points for the second time in three games. * Maryum Jenkins set a new career high with five steals. She also scored a season high eight points. * Although YSU had 17 turnovers, 11 of them came in the first 11:09 of the contest. * The Penguins outscored the Mastodons 25-14 off turnovers and 12-2 in fast-break points. * Jenkins matched a career high by grabbing six rebounds. Brown Scores Career High vs. IPFW Sophomore Brandi Brown flexed her offensive muscles by scoring a career high 29 points in Saturday's loss to IPFW. She scored 23 of those points in the second half, going 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Brown fueled YSU's comeback as she scored 16 out of 26 points during the Penguins' 26-10 run that tied the game. She was 11-for-19 from the field for the game. The last Penguin to score more than 29 points was Heather Karner on Nov. 10, 2006. She scored 34 points against Cincinnati. Brown Leads Horizon League in Scoring Through the first two weeks of the season, YSU sophomore Brandi Brown leads the Horizon League in scoring with 20.3 points per game. She has scored 61 points in three games. Two players have scored 63 points, but they both have played four contests. Loyola's Ellen Ayoub ranks second with 17.7 points per game, and three players are averaging 16.7 points. Brown's 29 points against IPFW are the second-highest total by a league player this season. Milwaukee freshman Courtney Lindfors scored 35 points at Chicago State on Nov. 16. Looking For Scoring From Everyone Youngstown State will be looking for everyone in its line-up to contribute in the scoring column. YSU has had just three players in each of the first three games score more than five points. Against IPFW, Brandi Brown scored 29 points while Maryum Jenkins and Macey Nortey had eight apiece. Monica Touvelle added five. Those four players combined to score 40 points and shoot 19-for-32 (59.4 percent). The other five players who appeared in the game shot 3-for-35 (8.6 percent). Guins Score 32 Points in Paint Youngstown State scored 32 of its 61 points in the paint against IPFW on Saturday. The Penguins surpassed that only once last season when they scored 34 points in the paint at Akron on Dec. 5. In fact, they scored at least 30 points in the paint only twice. Up Next Youngstown State remains home for another doubleheader on tap for Saturday. The Penguins will play host to Ohio at 4:35 p.m. before the YSU men's team plays Saint Francis (Pa.). Ohio is 1-1 on the season, beating Memphis 62-45 and losing to Louisville 84-47. |
| Women's Basketball Erases 16-Point Deficit But Falls to IPFW, 73-61 |
| Tuesday, November 23 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team turned in a gutsy performance to overcome a 16-point second-half deficit to tie the game late, but it dropped a 73-61 decision to IPFW on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. Sophomore Brandi Brown scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds while sophomore Maryum Jenkins and junior Macey Nortey each posted eight points for the Penguins, who fall to 0-3. Brown's 29 points are the most scored by a YSU player since Heather Karner scored 34 against Cincinnati on Nov. 10, 2006. IPFW's Stephanie Rosado led four Mastodons (2-1) reaching double figures with 22 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. Rosado also posted a double-double with 12 rebounds. Jordan Zuppe scored 15 points while Chelsey Jackson and Kayla Drake added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Trailing 45-29 with 15 minutes left in the game, the Guins clawed their way back by outscoring the Mastodons 26-10 over the next 10 minutes to tie the game at 55-55 with 4:41 to go. Brown, who connected on 11-of-19 from the floor, scored 16 of the Guins 26 points over that span. The sophomore forward scored 23 of her points in the second half, going 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. With the Guins down six, 54-48, Brown drilled a 3-pointer at the 6:06 mark to cut the lead to three, 54-51. After an IPFW turnover, Brown hit another jumper at the 5:31 mark to bring the Guins within one, 54-53. A made free throw by IPFW's Drake pushed the lead back to two, but Brown delivered the game-tying score at 4:41. IPFW, however, scored the next nine points and outscored the Penguins 18-6 over the rest of the game to seal its second win of the season. For the first 10 minutes of the game, the Guins and Mastodons played pretty evenly and neither team built a lead of more than four points. The Mastodons built a four-point lead, 8-4, just minutes in the game before freshman Monica Touvelle buried the 3-pointer to bring the Guins within one, 8-7, at the 14:06 mark. IPFW's Jordan Zuppe, who made three 3-pointers in the first half, answered with a triple to push the Mastodon lead back to four, 11-7, with 13:12 to go. Coming out of a media timeout, Brown made a layup at the 11:32 mark, and Jenkins' steal and layup knotted the contest at 11-11 at the 10:19 mark. Jenkins added another layup to tie the contest at 13-13 at the 9:20 mark, but the Mastodons went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:40 to take a 27-15 lead with just 4:41 to go. During that span, the Penguins made just one of 10 field-goal attempts Bojana Domitrov nailed a 3-pointer at with 2:31 left to trim the deficit to nine, 29-20, but IPFW scored five of the next seven points to take a 34-22 lead at the intermission. In the first half, the Guins shot shot 27.3 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from behind the 3-point line, while IPFW connected on 40.6 percent from the floor and 40 percent from behind the arc. YSU upped its shooting to 38.2 percent in the second half, and the Guins made 12-of-15 from the line in the final 20 minutes. YSU held advantages of 25-14 in points off turnovers and 12-2 in fast-break points. The Penguins had 12 turnovers in the first half and five in the second half. The Penguins continue their homestand when they host Bucknell, Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 5:15 p.m. at the Beeghly Center. |
| Penguins and Lady Pens Play Today |
| Saturday, November 20 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Home Opener for Women's Basketball Set for Saturday The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to respond from a loss at Bowling Green when it plays its 2010-11 home opener against IPFW on Saturday at Beeghly Center. Tipoff against the Mastodons is set for 1:05 p.m. Live audio will be broadcast on 570 AM and 570wkbn.com, and live video will be streamed on the Horizon League Network. YSU has suffered season-opening losses at Pittsburgh and Bowling Green while IPFW has beaten Akron and lost at No. 24 Michigan State. YSU leads the all-time series with IPFW 3-1. Saturday will be the first of three straight home games for the Penguins. Promotions and Tickets Fans who present their Giant Eagle Advantage Card will receive a special Buy-One, Get-One Free offer on general admission tickets. Tickets are available for purchase on YSUsports.com, by phone at (330) 941-1YSU or at the Beeghly Center ticket office on Saturday. Last Time vs. IPFW Youngstown State tied a school record by making 15 3-pointers in a 97-73 win at IPFW on Jan. 18, 2005. Barb Fabianova tied the school record with seven triples and scored 23 points. Cathy Hanek added 28 points for the Penguins, who shot 58.9 percent overall and 65.2 percent from 3-point range. YSU led by 11 in the first half and held a 45-42 halftime advantage. The Guins distanced themselves with a 21-9 run in the second half. Last Time at Home vs. IPFW Five Penguins scored in double figures as YSU snapped a 16-game losing streak by beating IPFW 72-62 on Jan. 24, 2004. Jen Perugini scored a game-high 14 points off the bench while Cathy Hanek had 13, Ashlee Russo had 12 and Jessica Forsythe and Tara Fleming had 10 apiece. That was the last time five Penguins scored in double figures in the same contest. IPFW missed 18 of its first 20 shots in the second half, and YSU outscored the Mastodons 15-5 over the first 11 minutes of the period to go up 51-36. IPFW made nine of their last 14 shots to climb within seven, but YSU made eight straight free throws in the final 50 seconds. Scouting IPFW IPFW will enter Saturday's contest coming off a 69-54 win at home over Akron on Monday. The Mastodons lost their season opener 90-62 at No. 24 Michigan State. Junior post Stephanie Rosado is averaging a team highs with 16 points and 6.5 rebounds. Kayla Drake is averaging 12.5 points. Opponents have shot 49.1 percent against the Mastodons and IPFW is being outrebounded by 12.5 rebounds per game. IPFW was picked to finish fourth in the Summit League final standings. Last Game: L, 40-86 at BGSU Bowling Green went on big runs to start both halves and got 24 points in 23 minutes from Lauren Prochaska in an 86-40 win over YSU on Wednesday. Bowling Green outshot YSU 42.4 percent to 25 percent and held advantages of 20-4 off turnovers and 25-3 on second-chance points. BGSU also outscored YSU by 15 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Guins 56-30. Brandi Brown led YSU with 12 points. BGSU opened the second half on an 11-2 run and twice scored 12 straight points in the period. The Falcons went on a 13-2 run in the first half to turn a 10-7 lead into a 23-9 advantage. Notes from BGSU Game * Brandi Brown scored in double figures for the 21st time in her 32-game career. She also led YSU in scoring for the 17th time. * Brown reached the 1,000-minute plateau. * Heidi Schlegel made her collegiate debut after missing the opener with a broken nose. She played 30 minutes off the bench and led YSU with seven rebounds. * Macey Nortey went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line and now has made 100 charity tosses in her career. * Maryum Jenkins matched a career high by grabbing six rebounds. Previous Long Skid Ended vs. IPFW The last time YSU played IPFW at Beeghly Center, the Penguins won 72-62 on Jan. 24, 2004, to snap a 16-game losing streak. That was the longest skid in school history before the Guins' current 33-game streak. The 16-game losing streak was later shortened to 10 when YSU was awarded a forfeit win against Detroit. Boldon Spent Two Years at IPFW Youngstown State head coach Bob Boldon spent the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons as an assistant coach at IPFW. Those were the last two seasons IPFW competed at the Division II level. Boldon and head coach Karl Smesko inherited a team that finished 2-24 the year prior their arrival and turned it into a 19-8 squad their second year. Boldon also coached with Smesko last season at Florida Gulf Coast. Schlegel Played Well in Debut Freshman forward Heidi Schlegel showed potential in her collegiate debut against Bowling Green on Wednesday. Schlegel was 2-for-4 from the floor and led YSU with seven rebounds. The first sub off the bench, she played 30 minutes. Schlegel was the Northwest District Co-Player of the Year and Second-Team All-Ohio as a senior at Wapakoneta High. Nortey, Brown Approaching 400 Career Points Junior guard Macey Nortey and sophomore forward Brandi Brown could both reach 400 career points in Saturday's game against IPFW. Nortey will enter the contest with 387 points in her 62-game career. Brown has scored her 374 points in 32 games. Nortey is also 20 steals away from reaching 100 for her career. She is on her way to becoming the 17th player in school history to reach career totals of 400 points, 200 assists and 100 steals. Eight of the previous 16 are in the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Dimitrov Does Damage in First Half Senior guard Bojana Dimitrov has scored all 21 of her points this season in the first half. She has shot 46.7 percent (7-for-15) overall and 37.5 percent (3-for-8) from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, Dimitrov is 0-for-6 overall and 0-for-5 from behind the arc. Lopsided Rebounding The rebounding totals in Youngstown State's first two games have been lopsided in the opponents' favor. Pitt out-rebounded the Penguins 54-37, and Bowling Green held a 56-30 advantage. The average rebounding margin has been 21.5. Pitt was only able to convert its 13 offensive rebounds into 11 points, but Bowling Green turned its 19 offensive boards into 25 second-chance points. IPFW has been out-rebounded by an average of 12.5 in its first two games. A Need to Stop the Bleeding In 18 of its last 21 games dating back to last season, Youngstown State has allowed its opponents to go on runs of at least 10-0 at some point during the game. YSU was leading or tied in four of those contests before the big runs. Pittsburgh went on a 17-0 run to break open a 46-46 tie in the season opener. Bowling Green scored 12 straight points twice in the second half on Wednesday. Up Next Youngstown State will continue its three-game home stand with two games during Thanksgiving week. The Penguins will play Bucknell on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. and Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 4:35 p.m. Both contests will be part of doubleheaders with the YSU men's basketball team. |
| Bowling Green Beats Womens Basketball |
| Thursday, November 18 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Bowling Green, Ohio -- Bowling Green went on big runs to start both halves and got 25 points in 23 minutes from MAC Player of the Year Lauren Prochaska in an 86-40 win over the Youngstown State women's basketball team on Wednesday at Anderson arena. Bowling Green outshot YSU 42.4 percent to 25 percent and held advantages of 20-4 off turnovers and 25-3 on second-chance points. The Falcons also outscored YSU by 15 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Penguins 56-30. Brandi Brown led YSU with 12 points while Bojana Dimitrov had seven. Freshman Heidi Schlegel had five points and a team-high seven rebounds in her Penguins debut. Maggie Hennegan was 7-for-7 and scored 14 points, and Allison Papenfuss added 11 for Bowling Green, which improved to 2-1. YSU dropped to 0-2. Bowling Green opened the second half on an 11-2 run and took a 59-23 lead on a Prochaska triple with 16:14 remaining. Prochaska scored 10 points in the first four minutes of the second half before exiting early as Bowling Green had a sizeable advantage. In the first half, Hennegan scored six straight points for Bowling Green as the Falcons went on an early 8-1 run to go up 10-3 with 15:39 remaining. YSU scored the next four to get within 10-7 at the 14:49 mark, but Bowling Green went on to go on a 13-2 run and led 23-9 with 11:42 left. A Dimitrov lay-up with 8:38 remaining made the score 27-14, but two Pontius 3-pointers sandwiched a Prochaska triple, and Bowling Green went up 36-14. The Falcons extended their lead to 24 at the break. Hennegan was 6-for-6 from the floor in the first half, and Bowling Green was 16-for-35 as a team. The Falcons outscored YSU 17-2 off turnovers and 16-1 in second-chance points. BGSU had 10 offensive rebounds and 19 missed attempts in the first 20 minutes. The Falcons were also 9-for-9 from the free-throw line while YSU only attempted two charity tosses. The Penguins shot 9-for-27 in the opening period. They attempted just eight 3-pointers after taking 48 shots from behind the arc in the season opener at Pittsburgh on Friday. Youngstown State will play its home opener on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. against IPFW. |
| Womens Hoops Goes Toe-to-Toe for 24 Minutes Before Falling 78-58 at Pitt |
| Saturday, November 13 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Pittsburgh, Pa. -- Pittsburgh scored 17 straight points midway through the second half to win 78-58 and turn away an encouraging effort from the Youngstown State women's basketball team on Friday in the 2010-11 season opener. Bojana Dimitov turned in her first career double-double with 14 points, all of which came in the first half, and 11 rebounds. Brandi Brown scored 20 points had seven rebounds. Brittany Thomas led four panthers in double figures with 18 points while Chelsea Cole and Shayla Scott had 13 rebounds apiece. Although the final margin was 22, Youngstown State gave Pitt all it could handle for 24 minutes. Two free throws by YSU's Monica Touvelle with 16:18 remaining tied the score at 46-46. Pitt, though, scored the next 17 points and held YSU without a field goal for more than 11 minutes. Pitt went up by as many as 25 with 2:34 remaining on a Thomas lay-up. The Panthers shot 47 percent overall and 52.9 percent in the second as they outscored the Guins 42-24 in the period. YSU shot 26.8 percent overall and just 20 percent in the second half. The Penguins attempted a school-record 48 3-pointers, but only 10 found the bottom of the net. The previous record was 37 at Oral Roberts on Feb. 18, 1999. Pitt took a 15-9 lead at the 14:23 mark of the first half, but Youngstown State fought back and took its first lead in more than eight minutes on a Dimitrov bucket that made the score 19-18. Pitt went on a 10-2 run to go up 28-21 at the 6:36 mark, but Dimitrov scored the next six points to get YSU within one with 4:18 remaining. Those two triples were part of a spell where the senior scored 10 straight points and 12 out of 14 for YSU. Her two free throws with 2:23 left tied the score at 31-31. Pitt scored five consecutive points in the final minute to go up 36-31, but Maryum Jenkins buried a three as time expired to make the score 36-34 at halftime. Jania Sims, Pitt's leading scorer from last season, was limited to two points in seven minutes after picking up three early fouls. She responded to score 14 points in 17 minutes in the second half. Brown picked up her fourth foul at 17:43 in the second half, but she was still able to play 29 minutes in the game. Jenkins started the second half with another triple to put YSU up 37-36, and a Brown jumper at 18:49 gave the Penguins their final lead at 39-38. Six players for Pittsburgh stood at least six feet tall, and Tieara Jones was YSU's lone six-footer. That helped the Panthers to a 40-14 edge in the paint and a 54-37 edge in rebounding. The halftime score between these two teams the past two seasons were heavily lopsided in Pitt's favor. The Panthers led 44-22 through 20 minutes at Petersen Events Center in 2008-09, and they held a 47-19 advantage last year in Youngstown. Youngstown State plays at Bowling Green on Wednesday at 7 p.m. |
| Three Guards Sign NLI's to Play Women's Basketball at YSU |
| Thursday, November 11 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown, Ohio -- Guards Kelsea Fickiesen (St. Marys, W.Va.), Ashley Lawson (Washington Court House, Ohio) and Melanie Poorman (Zanesville, Ohio) have signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and basketball careers at Youngstown State University, YSU head women's basketball coach Bob Boldon announced. "We're real excited to have Kelsea, Ashley and Melanie sign their NLI's today, and we're real excited about the future of YSU women's basketball," Boldon said. "All three shoot the ball very well, and they also possess a tremendous amount of toughness. They come from a good family background and a good academic background. We got the entire package with these three kids." "Getting kids from winning programs is going to help us turn things around. It's not going to be easy, and there are going to be some rough days in the gym. You need kids who are accustomed to winning." Fickiesen (pronounced FICK-Eye-sen), a 5-foot-7 point guard who plays at St. Marys High School, is a finalist for the Wendy's West Virginia High School Heisman Award. She was named captain of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association first-team all-state squad at Class A (smallest) as a junior. The Little Kanawha Conference Player of the Year, she led St. Marys to the state title game last season as she averaged 20.9 points and 5.6 assists. Fickiesen is a three-time first-team all-state honoree in basketball, and she was the state champion in the 100-meter dash last year. Heading into her senior year, Fickiesen has 1,406 points, 102 3-pointers, 320 steals and 396 assists. "Kelsea is a tremendous athlete who has a lot of on-court speed," Boldon said. "She shoots the ball well, and she does everything for her high school team. We're looking forward to having that full-speed attitude at the point guard position." Lawson, a 5-9 guard who plays at Miami Trace High School, has earned honorable mention All-Ohio accolades in each of the last two seasons. Also a three-time first-team All-South Central Ohio League pick, Lawson helped lead Miami Trace to the state semifinals and a 24-2 record last season. Miami Trace also went 19-2 her sophomore year and 19-3 her freshman season. She played AAU basketball with the Dayton Lady Hoopsters, helping lead them to a state title. She was recognized as a Top 25 sophomore and Top 25 junior by the Ohio Girls Basketball Report. "Ashley's role is going to increase significantly this year, and she's going to benefit from that," Boldon said. "She's a kid who can shoot incredibly well. She can also get the basket and guard. She can do many things well." Poorman is a 5-10 guard who has started every game at the varsity level in her career at Maysville High School. Maysville's leader in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage each of her first three seasons, she has scored 974 points through her junior year. Last season she averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds to earn Special Mention All-Ohio, All-Muskingum Valley League and all-district accolades. She was an honorable mention all-state pick as a sophomore when she averaged 15.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. She has scored in double figures in 42 out of Maysville's 44 regular-season games the past two seasons. "Mel is very versatile, and she's very dedicated to getting better," Boldon said. "I thought she, of the three, improved her shooting the most over the summer. That was really encouraging to me, that she put kind of dedication into getting better." Boldon and the Penguins open their 2010-11 season on Friday at Pittsburgh. |
| Women's Basketball Opens Season Friday at Pittsburgh |
| Thursday, November 11 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| A Quick Look at the Penguins Youngstown State returns four starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad, which went 0-30. Three newcomers and two players who missed all of last season are added to the mix. Bob Boldon is in his first year as the head coach, and he is hoping that his motion offense that focuses on outside shooting will drastically improve YSU's average of 48.6 points from last year. Sophomore forward Brandi Brown returns as the runner-up for the Horizon League Newcomer-of-the-Year award last year. She averaged 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds, and she ranked 18th in the country in rebounding. Scouting Pitt Pittsburgh returns four starters from last year's squad that went 16-15 and advanced to the postseason for the fifth straight year. All four returning starters are seniors. There are five seniors and seven freshmen on the roster, two of which are redshirts. Senior Jania Sims led the Panthers with 12.9 points per game last year, and classmate Chelsea Cole led the Big East in rebounding with 11.3 per game. Both Sims and Cole earned All-Big East Honorable Mention honors in 2009-10. Last Time vs. Pitt Playing with just seven healthy players, Youngstown State suffered a 89-37 loss to No. 19 Pittsburgh on Dec. 2, 2009, in Youngstown. The undersized Penguins used the 3-point line to their advantage while the Panthers dominated the inside. YSU made seven 3-point field goals and six from inside the arc. Pitt shot 54.9 percent for the contest and scored 54 of its 89 points from inside the paint. Brandi Brown had 10 points and seven boards to lead YSU, and Kenya Middlebrooks had three treys for nine points. Pitt had six players score in double figures, led by Pepper Wilson's 13. YSU started the contest making one of its first 18 shots while the Panthers opened the game by making 4-of-17 attempts. Pitt made 16 of its final 21 of the first half and led 47-19 at halftime. Boldon Takes Reigns of Program Bob Boldon was named the sixth head coach in Youngstown State women's basketball history on April 14, 2010, following the unexpected resignation of Cindy Martin. This is Boldon's first Division I head coaching job. He has three years of head coaching experience two at Division II Arkansas-Monticello and one at NAIA Lambuth. He assembled a record of 59-32, including a 29-5 mark and national runner-up finish at Lambuth in 2008-09. Boldon has been an assistant for seven years, five of which were at the Division I level. Head Coaches in First Game Bob Boldon will look to become the third coach - and the first male - in school history to win his or her first game as Youngstown State's head coach. Female head coaches at YSU are 2-1 in their debut while male coaches are 0-2. Joyce Ramsey, in the first season of YSU women's basketball, won 67-34 at Oberlin on Jan. 10, 1976. Tisha Hill, YSU's coach from 2003-08, defeated Bowling Green 79-67 at home on Nov. 22, 2003. Jeff Cohen lost to Arizona 75-52 on Nov. 26, 1982, in his debut. Ed DiGregorio's squad also fell 86-81 to Cleveland State on Nov. 25, 1983. Brown Earns Horizon League Preseason Second-Team Accolades Sophomore Brandi Brown has been named to the Preseason Horizon League Second Team. Brown was an all-newcomer team selection last season when she was the only league player to average a double-double. The league's coaches, women's basketball sports information contacts and a media member from each market participated in the poll. Brown's preseason nod comes after the forward posted one of the top statistical freshman seasons in school history. Brown set a new YSU freshman record with 318 rebounds, and her 342 points ranked as the third-best total by a freshman. She ranked 18th in the country in rebounding average and tied for 30th with 14 double-doubles. She led the Horizon League in rebounding and ranked 15th in scoring. Offense to Focus on Outside Shots Throughout fall camp, the Penguins worked on shooting more than any other facet of the game. YSU shot a Horizon League-low 30.6 percent last season. The Guins will need to be much-improved since Coach Boldon's offensive philosophy focuses on motion, reading screens and outside shooting. YSU shot 26.3 percent from 3-point range last season. However, its top three returning 3-point shooters actually shot better beyond the arc than inside it. Boki Dimitrov shot 29.1 percent outside and 28.1 percent inside. Kenya Middlebrooks hit 25.8 percent of her 3-point attempts and 23.9 percent of her two-point shots. Maryum Jenkins shot 29.1 percent from 3-point range and and 25.3 percent inside the arc. Nortey Eclipses 200 Career Assists Through two seasons - 60 games - in her young career, point guard Macey Nortey has 211 assists. She had 80 as a freshman, and she posted 131 last year as a sophomore. Nortey's 211 assists are the fourth-most by a Penguin through her sophomore season. Only Dianne Rappach (246), Margaret Peters (233) and Caroline McCombs (229) have had more. Nortey ranks sixth on YSU's freshman record list, and she ranks fourth on the sophomore list. Dimitrov Scores Well Among League Newcomers Guard Bojana Dimitrov put together a solid first season in the Horizon League for YSU. A transfer from Carl Albert State College, Dimitrov averaged 10.1 points in 23 games. That ranked her third among league newcomers in scoring. She scored in double figures 10 times, and she scored a career-high 27 points against ULM. She also hit at least one 3-pointer in 19 games. Middlebrooks Shows Big Improvement from Freshman Year Kenya Middlebrooks made the biggest improvement on the team from the 2008-09 season to last year. Middlebrooks averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds, which were up from 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds her freshman year. She scored at least eight points 17 times, which was her career high entering the season. Middlebrooks made 25 consecutive free throws from Dec. 5 to Jan. 30, which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in school history. Jones, Thompson to Make Long-Awaited Debuts Youngstown State will have two players make their debuts on Friday who had to sit out all of last season. Youngstown native Tieara Jones worked to meet academic requirements after transferring from Foothill College (Calif.). Melissa Thompson missed the year with a torn ACL that she suffered in preseason workouts. Jones was expected to be an everyday starter last season, and she'll enter this season looking to fill a similar role. She averaged 15.1 points and 10 rebounds as a sophomore at Foothill. She signed with Buffalo out of high school. Penguins Picked 10th in Preseason Horizon League Poll Youngstown State was picked to finish 10th in the Horizon League in a preseason poll of the league's coaches, sports information directors and a media representative from each market. Green Bay received 26 of 27 first place votes as it was picked to defend its regular season crown. Butler was picked second with 231 points 38 fewer than Green Bay while Detroit received the other first-place vote and was selected third with 224 points. Defending tournament champion Cleveland State and UIC tied for fourth place with 166 points, and Milwaukee was picked to finish sixth with 140 points. Loyola, Wright State, Valparaiso and YSU were picked in the bottom four spots. Playing With Eight Last Year A big part of Youngstown State's struggles last season can be blamed on injuries decimating the roster. The Penguins dressed a maximum of eight players, and they were down to seven on 10 occasions. After signing day on April 15, 2009, the Penguins had a full roster of 15 (seven returners and eight newcomers). Before the season even began, two players left the university, two players did not qualify academically and three players suffered season-ending injuries. Of the original eight newcomers, only three played. The Penguins will only have 11 active members on the roster this year. Kaitlin Rohrs and Shea Johnson have been ruled out from activity for the second straight year. YSU could be down to 10 for the opener as freshman Heidi Schlegel is recovering from a broken nose. Up Next Youngstown State will stay on the road and play another tough opponent. The Penguins will play at Bowling Green on Nov. 17. The Falcons have three starters returning from last year's team that went 27-7 and won the MAC Tournament. |
| Women's Hoops Looks for Fresh Start Under Boldon |
| Thursday, November 4 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Shortly after Bob Boldon told program supporters and the news media that becoming Youngstown State's head women's basketball coach was a dream opportunity, a reporter asked the first-year head coach how confident he was in his abilities to turn the program around. Boldon's response was simple, direct and convincing. "Very," he said. Boldon, a Northeast Ohio native, comes to Youngstown with an outstanding resume as a player and an impressive track record as a collegiate coach for 13 seasons. Boldon spent the 1990s as a two-time All-American at point guard and leading Walsh to the NAIA Final Four. That same decade, Youngstown State boasted one of the top mid-major programs in the country with three NCAA Tournament appearances and seven seasons with at least 19 wins. Boldon has since established himself as an up-and-comer in the coaching profession, and he's now charged with returning the Penguins to their roots in his first Division I head coaching job, just 50 miles northeast of his own roots in Louisville, Ohio. "I'm very proud of this opportunity," he said. "It's something that comes with a great responsibility to return this program to the winning tradition that the people of Youngstown are accustomed to, and it's something that I'm dedicated to doing." "We have to change our culture. We have to develop and get better. Nobody wants to win more than the team wants to win. Nobody wants to win more than I want to win." For the past 13 seasons, Boldon has been learning and grooming himself for this position. He has three years of head coaching experience, and he's been an assistant with highly accomplished head coaches. Two of those coaches Jerry Scheve and Karl Smesko have been voted national coaches of the year. Boldon spent last season coaching with Smesko at Florida Gulf Coast University, and he spent 2006-08 as an assistant coach at Akron. At the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Boldon showed he can rebuild a program as a head coach. He inherited a team that went 1-15 in Gulf South Conference play the year prior to his arrival, and he immediately brought the Division II Cotton Blossoms up to an 8-8 mark, which was the school's best conference record in five years. He also showed he can lead a powerhouse as he directed Lambuth University to 29 wins and a runner-up finish for the NAIA national title in 2008-09. Boldon was recognized as the Association of Independent Institutions Coach of the Year after the regular season and A.I.I. tournament for his efforts. "I've been a lot of places, but this is home for me," Boldon said. "This is where I like to be. My family is here. My friends that I grew up with are here. It's exciting to be back and to raise my family here in this area, which I think really prides itself on hard work and doing things the right way." From the first day he was on the job, Boldon has not tried to detract from the task he's been assigned - turning a team that went 0-30 last year into a Horizon League contender. Boldon is an offensive-minded coach, and he's focused more attention on shooting than any other facet of the game since he arrived on campus. The Guins certainly have room to improve with Boldon as they posted league lows with a 30.6 shooting percentage and an average of 48.6 points. "We depend on the 3-point shot a lot more than last year's team did," he said. "That's why the improvement in shooting has been encouraging. The offense will be faster than last year with fewer set plays and more motion. We want to learn how to read screens and get open. We need to learn to take what the defense gives us." "Defensively, we want to be able to take certain things away depending on the game plan. That's going to depend on who we play and what their strengths are." Boldon inherits a Penguins team that will have, for the most part, a roster rich with unknowns for the 2010-11 season. In addition to three incoming freshmen Liz Hornberger, Heidi Schlegel and Boardman High graduate Monica Touvelle - there are four student-athletes on the squad who did not play at all last season. Shea Johnson, Kaitlin Rohrs and Melissa Thompson missed the year with injuries, and Youngstown native Tieara Jones sat out while meeting academic requirements as a transfer. Those four were all expected to make solid contributions last year, and their unfortunate absences played a big factor in last season's struggles as only eight players dressed. Johnson and Rohrs are expected to miss the year again with injuries, leaving Boldon with 11 players at his disposal. However, with five new players and a bench deeper than three players, those factors alone provide hope for a quick improvement. It may not lead to a huge leap in the win total, but an increase in competitiveness will be big progress in Boldon's first season. "Every basketball season has a new identity," the first-year coach said. "If you're coming off a 30-win season, or a 30-loss season, none of it matters this season." Frontcourt Boldon and his staff have a solid base to start the rebuilding effort with as Brandi Brown returns from arguably the best season ever by a Penguin freshman. Brown, a 5-foot-11 forward from Pomona, Calif., was the runner-up for the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year award and was the lone player in the league to average a double-double in 2009-10. She averaged 11.4 points and 10.6 rebounds overall, and she was even better in league games with averages of 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds. Among her long list of highlights, she ranked 18th nationally in rebounding and 30th nationally with 14 double-doubles. Brown has been named Preseason Horizon League Second-Team for 2010-11. With Rohrs expected to miss the year, Schlegel is the only other true post on the roster. Schlegel, though, has been solid in fall workouts and has shown the toughness and athleticism to contribute immediately as a true freshman. Schlegel was the Northwest District Co-Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-Ohio honoree as a senior as she averaged 17.8 points at Wapakoneta High. She led the Redskins to the Division II (second-largest) state title game as a junior. The lack of numbers inside will force Jones to be more of a hybrid player instead of a full-time guard. The six-footer will have to guard a post at times, and she'll play primarily on the wing offensively. Jones, perhaps the most athletic player on the squad, signed with Buffalo out of high school and played at Foothill College as a sophomore. As a senior at The Rayen School in Youngstown, she averaged 17.1 points and 11 rebounds. Thompson stands only 5-foot-8, but she'll likely be asked to guard inside at times as well. She missed all of last season with a torn ACL that she suffered in preseason workouts. She'll wear a knee brace, but the injury has not been a big deterrent during the fall. She was a Third-Team Northeast Lakes District pick as a senior at Solon High. Backcourt Counting Jones and Thompson, 11 of the 13 players - and nine of the 11 active group - are listed as guards. The contingent will be led by the squad's lone senior in Bojana Dimitrov, and a pair of experienced juniors in Macey Nortey and Kenya Middlebrooks. Dimitrov showed a lot of scoring potential in her first season on campus as a junior college transfer. She averaged 10.1 points per game, and she scored in double figures in 10 of her first 14 contests. Her 27 points against the University of Louisiana at Monroe was the highest point total by a Penguin last season. Dimitrov ranked among the national leaders in assists per game as a JUCO point guard, but injuries forced her to move to the wing last season. She'll remain a shooting guard as a senior. Nortey has started 55 games at point guard in her first two seasons and is the most experienced player on the squad. She ranked fourth in the Horizon League with 4.4 assists per game, and she upper her scoring average to 7.2 points. Nortey has 211 career assists, and she is only one of five players in school history to have more than 200 assists heading into her junior year. Middlebrooks averaged nearly five points more as a sophomore compared to her freshman season as injuries forced her to become a primary scoring option. She scored at least eight points in 17 games after having eight points only once as a freshman. Middlebrooks made 25 consecutive free throws at one point during the 2009-10 season, and her 81.6 percent from the charity stripe during conference play ranked fifth in the circuit. Junior Makala Gasparek and sophomore Maryum Jenkins are also back in the backcourt. Gasparek played in all but one game last season and showed improvement from her freshman season. Gasparek shows tremendous energy on the floor and is one of the hardest workers on the team - if not the hardest. Jenkins averaged 3.8 points in 28 games a year ago and showed potential to be a big contributor when she scored 15 points against Canisius early in the year. Jenkins has gotten quicker and improved her shooting in the offseason, and she displayed good vision of the floor at times last year. She's worked with the point guards throughout the fall and could enter the season as the starter. Hornberger is the only player on the roster brought in by Boldon's staff. A 5-foot-7 point guard from Reading, Pa., she signed in June after averaging 10.8 points, six assists and four steals as a senior at Muhlenberg High. She has practiced primarily as a point guard in the fall, but she could also see time on the wing. Touvelle was an honorable mention all-Ohio pick and one of the top 3-point threats in the Youngstown area as a senior. She averaged 13.8 points and made 55-of-110 from 3-point range her final year at Boardman. |