| Kaitlyn March Ties School 3-Point Mark on Senior Day |
| Saturday, February 27 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Senior Kaitlyn March saved the best game of her career for her last home contest, scoring a career-high 21 points and tying a school and Beeghly Center single-game record with seven 3-pointers. But despite her efforts and another double-double from Brandi Brown, the Youngstown State women's basketball dropped a hard-fought 80-62 decision to Detroit on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center. March becomes eighth player to record seven 3-pointers in a game and the first since Kristi Gaudiose tied the mark against Cleveland State in 2006. It's also the ninth time a YSU player has made seven triples in a game - Leslie Majewski accomplished the feat twice during the 1999-2000 season. Brown recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Its the most double-doubles in a single-season since Jen Perugini's 13 in 2004-05. Jalesa Jones led five Titans in double figures with 16 points. She and Lauren Allen both had five assits. The Penguins had 19 assists on 23 buckets. The Penguins trailed by as many as 20 points, 49-29, with 17:48 left in the second half, but they clawed their way back into the game over the next eight minutes by outscoring the Titans, 22-12. The Guins used a barrage of 3-pointers from Bojana Dimitrov, Macey Nortey and two more by March - her sixth and seventh - to spark the run. March's record-tying three came at the 11:44 mark of the half and made the score 59-47. Senior Rachel Manuel's layup at the 11:05 mark brought the Guins within 10, 59-49, and Brown's jumper at the 9:40 mark made the score 61-51, but the Guins would not get any closer. The first half was nip and tuck for the first 14 minutes with neither team owning a lead of more than six points. The Penguins jumped out of a quick five-point edge, 8-3, after two 3-pointers from March and a jumper by Macey Nortey at the 17:02 mark. Detroit, though, used a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to take a six-point lead, 18-12, with 11:55 to go. March answered with two more 3-pointers to bring the Guins within two, 20-18, with 8:42 remaining. Following a jumper by Detroit's Yar Shayok, Brown's layup at the 5:46 mark got the Guins back to within two, 22-20. Detroit broke open the game scoring the next 15 points to take a 17-point lead, 39-22, with 2:24 to go. March connected on her fifth 3-pointer of the half to cut the deficit down to 14, 39-29, but Sierra Spaude's jumper with three seconds left gave the Titans a 41-25 halftime lead. The Penguins shot 40 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, but committed 13 turnovers that led to 20 Detroit points. The Titans also shot 50 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Penguins, 18-13. The Penguins visit Green Bay, Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. at the Kress Events Center. |
| March, Manuel to Play Final Home Game vs. Detroit |
| Saturday, February 27 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State will play its final home game of the 2009-10 season against Detroit. Seniors Kaitlyn March and Rachael Manuel will be honored prior to the game for their contributions to the program. YSU is coming off a 57-38 loss to Wright State on Thursday, and Detroit lost 70-60 in overtime at Cleveland State. Scouting Detroit Detroit had the best record in the Horizon League until a loss at Cleveland State on Thursday dropped it to third. The Titans were 1-9 through their first 10 games, but they’ve gone 13-4 since, which includes a 12-4 mark in league play. Brigid Mulroy ranks fifth in the league in scoring (14.2 ppg), and Jalesa Jones is second in assists (4.9 apg). Looking for Repeat of Senior Day Magic Youngstown State will hope that Senior Day will bring success for the second straight season. Last year, the Penguins defeated Valparaiso 54-38 at Beeghly Center in the final home game for five seniors. That win snapped an 18-game losing streak. The Penguins shot 47.9 percent and held the Crusaders to 23.2 percent. Manuel, March Wrapping Up Careers Seniors Rachael Manuel and Kaitlyn March are playing the final home games of their Youngstown State careers today. Manuel is having the best year of her career by far, averaging career highs in virtually every offensive category. She has more than doubled her career scoring total from her first three seasons combined with 182 points, and her 139 rebounds are nearly double her career total entering this year. She is in her second year at YSU after transferring from the University of Southern Mississippi. March is a fourth-year senior, but she’s accrued most of her statistics in her last two seasons. She scored 59 points in 23 games last year after having nine points in 14 games combined in her first two seasons. This year she has 45 points in 24 games. Brown vs. Shayok in Battle of Elite Posts Youngstown State forward Brandi Brown is the only Horizon League player averaging a double-double, but Detroit’s Yar Shayok is the closest player to equaling that. Brown is averaging 11.3 points and 10.7 rebounds overall and 11.9 points and 11.2 rebounds in league games. Shayok is averaging 11.6 points and 9.9 rebounds overall and 11.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in league play. Middlebrooks Scoring Well at Home Sophomore guard Kenya Middlebrooks has an impressive scoring streak at Beeghly Center entering the final home game. Middlebrooks has scored at least 11 points in six straight home games dating back to Jan. 14. In fact, eight of her 11 double-digit scoring games have come at Beeghly Center. She averages a team-high 10.2 points at home and 6.5 points on the road. Middlebrooks scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high-tying nine rebounds against Wright State. Brown Assembling Notable Year Through the first 26 games of the season, freshman Brandi Brown has established herself as one of the best posts in the Horizon League. She has recorded 12 double-doubles, nine of which have come in league play. Brown leads the Horizon League with 10.7 rebounds per contest and ranks 16th in scoring. Her 11.3 points per game is the highest among league newcomers. Brown also has a chance to be the first Penguin in school history to ever lead the team in scoring, rebounding and steals in the same season. She is averaging 5.4 more rebounds more than her closest teammate, but the other two categories are much closer. She has four more steals than Macey Nortey and Kenya Middlebrooks, and she is averaging 0.5 points more than Bojana Dimitrov. Only six players have averaged a double-double in school history: Linda Fredericks (1976-77), Wanda Grant (four times), Holly Seimetz (twice), Dorothy Bowers (twice), Donna Djorovic (1992-93) and Jen Perugini (2004-05). Nortey Ranking Among League Leaders Sophomore point guard Macey Nortey has posted 113 assists through 26 games for an average of 4.3 assists. That rate ranks her fourth in the Horizon League. Nortey has the seventh-most assists by a sophomore in school history. Assuming she keeps up her average of 4.3, she’ll get to at least 130 depending on YSU’s finish in the Speedway Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship. That would rank her fourth on the class chart. Up Next The Penguins wrap up the regular season with road games at Green Bay and Milwaukee. |
| Guins Struggle Shooting in 57-38 Loss to Wright State |
| Thursday, February 25 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- Youngstown State played well enough defensively to win, but the Penguins shot 29.2 percent and were outscored 21-1 off turnovers in a 58-37 loss to Wright State on Thursday evening at Beeghly Center. Sophomore Kenya Middlebrooks was a rebound shy of collecting her first career double-double, finishing with a game-high 12 points and nine rebounds. She was matched in scoring by Wright State's LaShawna Thomas and Maria Bennett. Wright State led for more than 38 minutes and trailed just once when Macey Nortey's free throw gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Wright State scored the next five points and went ahead by 10 for the first time on a Molly Fox jumper with 12:21 remaining in the first half. The Raiders were 8-for-12 from the floor at that point. YSU chipped away and cut the deficit to 18-14 on two Nortey free throws with 8:21 remaining, but Wright State went on a 10-2 run to go ahead 28-16 on a Bennett bucket. Bennett made the score 34-21 just before the first-half buzzer with her second banked triple of the period. The Raiders scored the first four points of the second half, and the lead ranged from 14 to 19 points in the period. Bennett scored 10 of her dozen points in the first half to lead all scorers. Wright State shot 43.3 percent and 37 percent in the second half and ended at 40.4 percent. The Penguins shot 34.8 percent in the first half, but they were just 6-for-25 in the second half and finished at 29.2 percent. Nortey finished with nine points, making 3-for-7 from the field, to go with her four assists and four steals. Wright State also outscored YSU 34-14 in the paint, and the Raiders' bench outscored YSU's substitutes 22-2. The Penguins will play their final home game of the season on Saturday against Detroit. The contest will start at 4:35 p.m. and will be the second half of a doubleheader with the YSU men. Seniors Kaitlyn March and Rachael Manuel will be honored for their contributions to the YSU program prior to the contest. |
| Brown Picks Up Another Double-Double in Front of Penguin Alumni |
| Saturday, February 20 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team welcomed home almost 20 former players on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Brandi Brown made the former Guins in attendance proud as she picked up her league-leading 12th double-double of the season in a 68-38 loss to Cleveland State at the Beeghly Center. Brown finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. With the defeat, YSU now falls to 0-25 overall and 0-14 in the Horizon League. Cleveland State improves to 13-12 and 8-6. For the game, the Penguins made 15-of-55 shots (27.3 percent) while the Vikings hit at a 43.9 percent (29-of-66) clip. Only one CSU player reached double figures while 10 found their way into the scoring column. Brown picked up her double-double with 12 minutes left in the contest. She grabbed a rebound on a miss on a 3-pointer by Angel Rogue and drove the length of the court for a fastbreak layup. Kenya Middlebrooks scored 11 points for the Guins and she finished with eight rebounds. In the first half, the Penguins tied the contest three times and grabbed a brief lead seven minutes into the game at 8-6. The Guins tied the contest 10-all on a Boki Dimitrov basket at the 10:42 mark. After a Jessica Rogue basket gave the Vikings a 12-10 cushion, Middlebrooks' free throw cut the deficit to one. Angel Rogue drained a 3-pointer as CSU went up 15-11 before Brown cut the deficit to 15-13 at the 7:29 mark. However Cleveland State scored the next 16 points to forge ahead 31-13 with just under two minutes left before the break. Brown, who had six points and seven rebounds in the opening frame, stopped the run with a layup at the 1:33 mark. Leading the way offensively for Cleveland State was Angel Rogue who had 11 points. Angel Rogue made three 3-pointers in the first half, while her teammates failed to connect on seven other attempts. For YSU, Middlebrooks had seven points and five rebounds in the opening half. The Vikings shot 42.4 percent from the field in the first half (14-of-33) while the Guins connected on 7-of-29 shots from the floor. The Penguins continue their three-game home stand on Thursday when they entertain Wright State. Tipoff for the contest is set for 5:15 p.m. as part of a men's-women's doubleheader. |
| Guins Host Alumni Activities, Cleveland State Today |
| Saturday, February 20 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team will welcome previous players across three decades for its annual alumni day on Saturday when the Penguins take on Cleveland State at 2:05 p.m. The contest will open up a three-game home stand for the Guins, who will be home the rest of February and on the road for all of March. The Vikings have lost four out of six since defeating YSU 57-43 on Jan. 22 in Cleveland. YSU had its best defensive outing of the season in that contest, holding the Vikings to 28.3 percent shooting. Alumni Day Festivities Student-athletes from three decades of YSU women's basketball teams will come together for the annual alumnae game at Beeghly Center at 11 a.m. The contest will go for an hour and be officiated by the women's basketball support staff. The former student-athletes will also be honored at halftime of YSU's game against Cleveland State. Following the contest between the Penguins and Vikings, fans are welcome to join the current and former student-athletes in the Coaches Court in Beeghly Center for a reception. Scouting Cleveland State Cleveland State sits tied for fifth in the Horizon League standings as the conference schedule has three weeks remaining. The Vikings are tied with Loyola and one game behind UIC, but both of those teams play Thursday evening. Senior Kailey Klein is the defending conference player of the year, and she leads the circuit in scoring with 17.3 points per game, which is nearly two points more than any other player. Junior Shawnita Garland ranks ninth in scoring with 13.2 points per game, and she leads the league with 2.7 steals per contest. Looking for Repeat Performance on Defense Youngstown State had, by far, its best defensive outing of the season at Cleveland State on Jan. 22. The Penguins limited the Vikings to 57 points and 28.3 percent shooting, both of which were season lows by opponents. The previous lows were 66 points by Valparaiso and 36.1 percent shooting by ULM. The Horizon League’s leading scorer, Kailey Klein, was held to five points in the contest. YSU also had 18 steals, which was the most by the Penguins since having 18 against Wright State on Jan. 24, 2002. Brown, Dimitrov Are Top Scoring Newcomers Freshman Brandi Brown and junior Bojana Dimitrov continue to lead all Horizon League newcomers in scoring. Brown averages 11.3 points, which ranks 16th in the circuit, and a league-leading 10.8 rebounds. Dimitrov would rank 17th with 11 points per game, but she is one game played shy of qualifying after missing seven contests with various injuries. |
| Valpo Celebrates 'Pink Zone' Contest With Win Over YSU |
| Saturday, February 13 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Valparaiso, Ind. -- Valparaiso shot 53.3 percent and got 21 points from Lauren Kenney as the Crusaders celebrated its Pink Zone game with an 80-28 win over Youngstown State on Saturday at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Valpo's Lauren Kenney scored 21 points, made 10-of-13 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds in 18 minutes to lead all scorers. Laura Richards added 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Brandi Brown scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead YSU. Valpo made 32-of-60 from the field and 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. YSU was 9-for-54, including 0-for-9 from 3-point range, and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line. Brown hit two free throws out of a media timeout to make the score 9-4 in the first half, but Valparaiso scored the next 11 points and led 20-4 when Kenney completed a three-point play with 12:37 on the clock. The Crusaders went up by more than 20 for the first time when Kenney made a lay-up for her 13th point of the half at the 5:18 mark. Kaitlyn March hit a jumper to make the score 31-12, but Valpo scored the next seven points and held a 40-16 lead at the end of the half. Valpo sank nine of its first 17 shots while YSU started 2-for-17 as the Crusaders played zone for most of the half. The Crusaders finished 17-for-35 in the first half while YSU was 7-for-30. Brown and Jenkins had six points apiece to lead YSU. Early in the second half, the Penguins scored four straight points to get the deficit to 42-20 in just over a minute into the second half, but Valpo scored the next 22 points in just over six minutes to go up 64-20. YSU will play its next three games at home, starting with a contest against Cleveland State on Feb. 20. Tip-off against the Vikings is set for 2:05 p.m. |
| Brown Gets 11th Double-Double as Penguins Lose at Butler |
| Friday, February 12 2010 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Indianapolis -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team got off to a slow start offensively, and Butler was hot the entire night as the Bulldogs won 82-36 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday. YSU freshman Brandi Brown notched her 11th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Butler's Melanie Thornton also recorded a double-double with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rachael Manuel added eight points on 4-for-9 shooting, and Macey Nortey had six assists for the Penguins. The Bulldogs also got 16 points from Chloe Hamilton and 10 from freshman Claire Freeman as they won for the sixth time in seven games. YSU was outshot 53.3 percent to 26.3 percent, and Bulldogs were 6-for-13 from 3-point range despite missing its final six attempts from behind the arc. Butler outscored YSU 46-18 in the paint and 23-6 off turnovers, although YSU committed just 15 miscues. The Penguins hit five field goals in the first 4:06 of the second half after having just six in the first 20 minutes. YSU, though, had one field goal in the final 8:18 of the second half after playing the first 12 minutes relatively even with the Bulldogs. Youngstown State struggled in the first half as it shot 20.7 percent to Butler's 55.9 percent. The Penguins went scoreless for six minutes twice in the period, and Butler hit on six of its first seven attempts from 3-point range to build a 47-15 lead at halftime. After Kaitlyn March hit a triple at the 16:52 mark to put the Penguins ahead 5-4, Butler scored the next 20 points. Rachael Manuel ended YSU's six-minute scoring drought with a jumper at the 10:34 mark. The Penguins went scoreless for another six minutes later in the half until Kenya Middlebrooks hit a jumper with 2:53 remaining. By that time, Butler led 45-11. Brown and Manuel both picked up two fouls in just over 12 minutes, and YSU was forced to play with five guards for two minutes. Thornton scored 10 of Butler's first 24 points, and five Bulldogs had at least six points in the first period. Butler had a 25-14 rebounding edge behind eight boards from Thornton. Youngstown State will play at Valparaiso on Saturday at 2:35 p.m. Eastern. |
| Offensive Off-Day Outweighs Solid Effort in 72-53 Loss to UIC |
| Saturday, February 6 2010 |
| Courtesy of: |
| Youngstown -- An off day on the offensive end outweighed a solid rebounding effort for the Youngstown State women's basketball team as the Penguins fell 72-53 to UIC on Saturday at the Beeghly Center. The Penguins shot 25.4 percent, but they were able to hang with the Flames for 34 minutes because of their hustling. YSU outrebounded the Flames 42-35, and 22 of those 42 boards were on the offensive end. Sophomore Kenya Middlebrooks scored a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers, and Macey Nortey added 12. Middlebrooks scored 11 of her points from the charity stripe. YSU's top two scorers, Brandi Brown and Bojana Dimitrov, combined to go 3-for-29 in the contest. Brown, however, grabbed 14 rebounds and broke YSU's freshman record for rebounding. She now has 244 rebounds this season, which surpassed Jen Perugini's record of 239 that was set 2001-02. Shameia Green scored 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting for UIC, and Jessie Miller added 13. UIC shot 50.9 percent and outscored the Penguins 50-8 in the paint. YSU used its 22 offensive rebounds to score 22 second-chance points. The Penguins led for most of the final eight minutes of the first half, but UIC scored the final six points to go into the locker room ahead 25-24. UIC scored the game's first six points and led 10-3 on a Cassie Johnson layup with 15 minutes remaining. Dimitrov hit a triple to cut the score to two, and Kaitlyn March's 3-pointer at the 8:35 mark put the Guins up for the first time at 15-14. That was part of a 16-4 run that gave the Penguins their largest lead at 24-18 when Middlebrooks hit two free throws with 4:20 left. UIC, though, did not allow another point in the half and went ahead 25-24 on a Green jumper with nine seconds left. YSU never lead in the second half, but the Flames did not go up by double digits until Green hit two free throws with 5:18 remaining. UIC ended up going on an 11-0 run to go up 62-42 with 3:45 left. YSU goes back on the road to play at Butler on Thursday at 7 p.m. |
| WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UPDATE |
| Saturday, February 6 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team will try to carry momentum from a solid outing on Thursday when it hosts UIC on Saturday at 2:05 p.m.. The Guins lost 63-59 on Thursday against Loyola in their closest game of the season. YSU will participate in the WBCA Pink Zone to help raise awareness and donations for the fight against breast cancer. Promotions * The Penguins will join more than 1,500 teams and organizations in participating in the WBCA Pink Zone. YSU will wear pink warm-ups and have a station located in the front lobby of Beeghly Center where fans can receive information on breast cancer awareness or make donations. All money collected will be donated to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. * Fans will receive a free 2009-10 YSU women's basketball team photo, compliments of 570 WKBN and Buffalo Wild Wings. The squad will sign autographs following the game. Scouting UIC UIC is 9-12 overall and 6-4 in Horizon League play after a 62-51 loss at Cleveland State on Thursday. The Flames beat Green Bay and Loyola in the two games prior. UIC lead the league and ranks 19th nationally in blocks. The Flames, though, are ranked ninth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 64.3 points per contest. Senior Jessie Miller averages a team-high 13.9 points, which ranks seventh in the conference. Four Score in Double Figures against Loyola Youngstown State matched its season high by placing four players in double figures against Loyola. Bojana Dimitrov scored a team-high 14 points in her return from a five-game absence, Brandi Brown had 13, Rachael Manuel scored 12 and Kenya Middlebrooks had 11. The Guins also had four score in double figures at Akron. Brown, Manuel Post Double-Doubles Posts Rachael Manuel and Brandi Brown both recorded double-doubles against Loyola on Thursday, marking the first time this season that two players had a double-double in the same game. Brown had 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, and Manuel had 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. YSU also had two players record a double-double in the same game once last year, but before that the most recent time was 2003. Better on Boards Versus Horizon Teams Youngstown State has done much better on the boards during Horizon League play. The Penguins have outrebounded their opponents four times in 10 league games, including each of the last two games. YSU outrebounded only one non-conference opponent (ULM). The Penguins have a minus-3.8 rebounding margin in Horizon League contests. YSU was outrebounded by an average of 13.5 in its 11 non-conference games. Brown Approaching Freshman Records Brandi Brown needs 10 rebounds today to break Jen Perugini’s freshman record of 239 that was set in 2001-02. Brown is also on pace to break Caroline McCombs’ freshman scoring record of 346 points, but that will likely come down to the wire at the end of the season. Up Next YSU goes back on the road to play at Butler on Thursday at 7 p.m. |
| Valiant Penguin Effort Falls Just Short Against Loyola, 63-59 |
| Friday, February 5 2010 |
| Courtesy of: YSU |
| Youngstown -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team put forth a solid all-around effort but came up just short in a 63-59 loss to Loyola on Thursday night at the Beeghly Center. YSU had four chances late to overcome a two-point deficit, but misfired each time in a 16-second span. Loyola's Elyse VanBogaert broke a 59-59 tie with 31 seconds remaining on her sixth bucket of the second half, and Maggie McCloskey made two free throws with six seconds left for the final margin. Four Penguins scored in double figures, highlighted by Rachael Manuel's first career double-double. The senior forward scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while making 4-for-9 from the field. Freshman Brandi Brown also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, marking her 10th double-double of the year. Bojana Dimitrov led YSU with 14 points in her return from a knee injury, and Kenya Middlebrooks added 11. Loyola led by as many as eight in the second half at 38-30 when McCloskey hit a triple with 19:01 left. Two Manuel free throws tied the score for the first time in the half, and the Penguins would end up knotting the score four times in the half. Macey Nortey capped a 6-0 run to tie the score at 53 with 6:50 remaining, and Brown's jumper in the key tied the score at 59-59 with 2:32 left. The Guins missed their last seven shots of the contest, including three that would have given them the lead. VanBogaert's go-ahead bucket with 31 seconds remaining came after two Loyola offensive rebounds. YSU got offensive rebounds on three of its next shots, but Nortey's tying effort was forced into a jump ball by Monica Albano, and McCloskey was fouled on the in-bounds pass. VanBogaert led all scorers with 18 points, and AAlbano added 15. McCloskey added 10 points and nine assists. VanBogaert was 6-for-9 in the second half. The two teams played a back-and-forth first half that featured six lead changes. Loyola scored the first five points of the contest before the Penguins regrouped scoring nine of the games next 11 points. YSU took its biggest lead of the midpoint of the first half at 13-10 on a Brown layup. The Guins led 15-14, but a seven-point spurt by the Ramblers gave them a 21-15 lead at the 6:11 mark on a three-point play by Keisha Collins. YSU quickly cut the deficit to 21-20 on two Kaitlyn March free throws before Loyola used a 9-0 run to build it biggest lead of the half at 31-21 on a Brittany Boeke jumper at the 2:05 mark. The Penguins scored seven of the final nine points in stanza to trail just 33-28 at the break. For the first half, YSU shot 41.7 percent (10-of-24) while Loyola hit at a 51.7 percent clip (15-of-29) The Penguins return to action on Saturday when they play host to UIC. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. Against the Flames, YSU will be participating in the WBCA Pink Zone to help raise awareness and donations for the fight against breast cancer. All fans are encouraged to wear Pink to the Beeghly Center. |