Fresh off its first postseason victory in 15 years, the Youngstown State women's basketball team will travel to Toledo to play the Rockets in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament on Saturday. Tipoff at Savage Arena is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.

The Penguins beat Indiana State 63-51 in the opening round of the WNIT on Thursday behind a gritty defensive effort and balance on the offensive end. YSU held the Sycamores to 32.3-percent shooting, and five Penguins scored in double figures and accounted for 60 of the team's 63 points. Brandi Brown registered game highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds to notch her 23rd double-double of her senior campaign, and Shar'Rae Davis (12 points, nine rebounds) and Karen Flagg (10 points, nine rebounds) were also close to double-doubles. YSU shot just 36.4 percent and was 3-for-20 from 3-point range, but it out-scored the Sycamores by 11 at the free-throw line and limited them to 10 points in the final 10 minutes.

YSU is in the postseason for the first time since the 2000 NCAA Tournament, and the Penguins' win over the Sycamores was their first postseason victory since upsetting Memphis in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. YSU's 23 wins are tied for the third-most in school history, and the Penguins have won 13 more games than they did in 2011-12. Going even further back, YSU is just three years removed from an 0-30 season in 2009-10. Reigning Horizon League Player of the Year Brandi Brown was a freshman on that team, and Horizon League Coach of the Year Bob Boldon was hired following that campaign. Brown is also a First-Team Academic All-American and ranks in the top 15 in the NCAA in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles. Shar'Rae Davis is a Horizon League All-Newcomer Team selection.

If YSU prevails against Toledo, it will play either Illinois or Eastern Illinois in the third round.

#YSUWBB Summary

• YSU is in its 38th season in 2012-13 and its third under head coach Bob Boldon.
• The Penguins have their most wins in a season since 1997-98.
• YSU is playing in its first postseason tournament since 1999-2000. The Penguins were in the NCAA Tournament in 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1999-2000.
• The Penguins entered the WNIT ranking ninth in the country with 8.2 3-pointers per game.
• YSU is plus-6.3 in scoring margin this season. That's a 9.2-point improvement from last season and a 32.1-point improvement from three years ago.
• Opponents are scoring 57.7 points per game against YSU, the lowest since 1978-79. They averaged 67.5 points last year.
• YSU has more wins this season than in the last four combined (19).

A Win Would

• Give YSU 24 victories, tying for its second-highest win total in school history.
• Be the 99th of Bob Boldon's head-coaching career.
• Improve YSU to 4-0 against MAC teams and 8-1 against Ohio teams.

Game Recap vs. Indiana State

YSU held Indiana State without a field goal for more than 12 minutes in the first half and held off a Sycamore push in the second half in a 63-51 win in the WNIT on Thursday in Youngstown.

The Penguins trailed 13-6 before Indiana State went from 14:20 to 2:07 without a field goal. That helped YSU go on a 17-4 run, and the Guins led for the final 29 minutes.

Indiana State cut the margin to one possession five times in the second half but could never catch the Penguins.

• YSU had five players in double figures for the first time since Nov. 25 at Miami (Ohio).
• The Penguins played at full strength for the first time in a month as Heidi Schlegel returned from a knee injury. Schlegel had 12 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
• Brandi Brown led all players with 16 points and 10 rebounds and registered her 23rd double-double of the season.
• Shar'Rae Davis filled up the box score again with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists. She was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, including 6-for-6 in the final 90 seconds.
• YSU played in its school-record 32nd game of the season.
• YSU was held to a season-low three 3-pointers and shot a season-worst 15 percent from beyond the arc.
• YSU matched its season high with 28 free-throw attempts. The Penguins out-scored the Sycamores by 11 at the free-throw line.
• The Penguins limited Indiana State leading scorer Racheal Mahan to six points in 18 minutes because of foul trouble.
• The Penguins' 63 points were eight points more than Indiana State was allowing on average entering the contest.
• Indiana State's 32.3 percent shooting was the worst by a YSU opponent since Detroit shot 27.6 percent on Feb. 7.

Scouting Toledo

Toledo was one of the first teams left out of earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Rockets were 27-2 in the regular season but got upset in the MAC Semifinals by eventual champion Central Michigan. UT is 28-3 now following a 63-49 win over Butler in the WNIT on Thursday. The Rockets are 14-1 at home with the only loss being to Central Michigan on Jan. 10. Toledo is 10th in the country in scoring defense and 28th in turnover margin. It won the WNIT in 2011.

Last Time vs. Toledo

Youngstown State scored 22 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to cut a 22 point deficit to six, but the Penguins came up just short in falling 69-61 at Toledo on Tuesday at Savage Arena.

The Penguins trailed 61-39 with 4:55 remaining before outscoring the Rockets 22-8 the rest of the way. Toledo went on a 24-6 run earlier in the half that turned a 37-33 lead into the 61-39 advantage.

Jaquetta Westley scored a career-high and game-high 20 points to lead the Penguins.

Series With Toledo

Toledo and Youngstown State are tied 9-9 in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. The Penguins won the first three meetings and three straight from 1990 to 1997. The teams played eight straight years from 1997 to 2004, and Toledo went 5-3 during that stretch. Toledo beat YSU 69-61 the last time the teams played on Dec. 30, 2008, and YSU has not beaten the Rockets in Toledo since Dec. 28, 1999.

YSU Earns First Postseason Win in 15 Years

• Youngstown State beat Indiana State 63-51 on Thursday for its first win in a postseason tournament since upsetting Memphis the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
• Youngstown State is playing in its first postseason tournament since 1999-2000 and its fourth since joining the Division I ranks.
• The Penguins earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament three times in five years in the 1990s, making the field in 1996, 1998 and 2000.
• The Penguins had not allowed fewer than 83 points in any of its postseason games before Thursday night.
• YSU is in the WNIT for the first time in school history.

Best Season Since 1997-98

• With 23 wins, Youngstown State has its most victories in a season since going 28-3 in 1997-98, which was 14 years ago. The Penguins were 10-20 last year, 6-24 in 2010-11 and 0-30 in 2009-10.
• YSU advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2001-02. In fact, the Penguins won for just the second time in the conference tournament with their 69-62 win over Cleveland State on March 13.
• YSU's 11 conference wins were the most in 12 seasons in the Horizon League. The Penguins previously won a high of eight league games in 2001-02 and 2007-08.
• The 10 non-conference wins tied the 1997-98 team for the most in school history.
• The Penguins set a school record with 14 wins at Beeghly Center. YSU had 11 wins at home over the previous four seasons combined.
• YSU's nine road wins are the most in the last 13 years. The Penguins had seven road wins combined in the last four years.

Among the Nation's Most Improved In...

• RPI – The Penguins have improved their RPI from last season by 176. That is the second-best improvement in the country, behind only Mercer (177 spots). YSU was 257 last year and is 81 this year.
• Wins – At the end of conference tournament week, YSU had 12 more wins in 2012-13 than it did in 2011-12. Only Texas Southern (15) and Mercer (14) have a greater win increase this season.
• Scoring defense – YSU is allowing 9.8 fewer points per game in 2012-13 than it did in 2011-12. After conference tournament week, only 11 teams in the country had improved its scoring defense by more. YSU is allowing 57.7 points per game this season, down from 67.5 in 2011-12.

Boldon Named Horizon League Coach of the Year

• As the orchestrator of Youngstown State's improvement this season – and over the last three – YSU's Bob Boldon was voted the Horizon League Coach of the Year.
• The Penguins have 13 more wins than last season and finished second in the regular-season standings. YSU was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll.
• Boldon became YSU's head coach after the 2009-10 season, which saw the Guins finish 0-30 and lose games by an average of 25.8 points. YSU was 6-24 his first year and 10-20 last year.
• YSU's last conference coach of the year was Ed DiGregorio in 1998-99 in the Mid-Continent Conference.

Brown is Horizon League Player of the Year

• Youngstown State senior Brandi Brown was rewarded for a banner year with the Horizon League Player-of-the-Year Award, which was voted on by the league's coaches, women's basketball sports information directors and select media.
• Brown led the conference in rebounding and double-doubles while finishing second in scoring during the regular season.
• Just as important, Brown has led the Penguins to an 13-win improvement from last season and a second-place finish in the Horizon League standings.
• Brown is YSU's first conference player of the year since Brianne Kenneally was the Mid-Continent Conference's top player in 1999-2000. Brown is also the first YSU player to be a first-team all-conference honoree since Jen Perugini in 2004-05. Perugini is YSU's only other first-team selection since the Penguins joined the conference in 2001-02.

Davis Earns All-Newcomer Team Honors

• YSU freshman Shar'Rae Davis was voted onto the Horizon League's All-Newcomer Team.
• Davis ranks second the conference with 4.4 assists per game. She also ranks 25th in scoring, seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio, 12th in steals and 13th in free-throw percentage.
• Among newcomers, Davis ranked first in assists, fourth in scoring, and seventh in rebounding.
• Davis is the first Penguin to be on the all-newcomer team since Brandi Brown in 2009-10.

Success Versus the MAC

• YSU went 3-0 against teams from the Mid-American Conference this season, beating Buffalo, Miami and Akron.
• The Penguins are 6-1 against MAC foes over the last two years. They beat Ohio, Western Michigan and Akron last year while losing to Bowling Green.
• Horizon League teams are 16-7 against MAC opponents in 2012-13 and went 19-9 against them last season.

YSU On One Day's Rest

• YSU has struggled this season when having just one day of rest between games.
• Six of YSU's nine losses this season came with just a day in between games. In fact, YSU has won just three of its last 17 games on one day's rest.
• The Penguins are 3-6 this season on one day's rest and lost their last eight such games in 2011-12.

Schlegel Returns from Injury

• Heidi Schlegel returned from a seven-game absence to have 12 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench in Thursday's win over Indiana State.
• Schlegel injured her knee in the second half of YSU's game against Cleveland State. The Penguins won that game but were just 4-3 in the seven games she was out.
• Schlegel has come off the bench in 20 of her 21 games and is averaging 10 points and 4.6 rebounds. Her 1.6 steals per game lead the team.

Back at Full Strength

• For only the second time this season, YSU head coach Bob Boldon had 10 players available at his disposal. The only other game was at West Virginia on Dec. 16.
• Heidi Schlegel has missed 11 games, and Ashley Lawson was unavailable for 21 games. In the four games where both of those two were healthy, Liz Hornberger and Amanda Barger both missed a game apiece.
• Brandi Brown was YSU's only active post player for four games from Feb. 28-March 7, and she missed the final 27 minutes of the game at Detroit on March 7 due to an injured ankle.

Winless to 23-and-counting

• In 2009-10, Youngstown State endured an 0-30 season. Three seasons later, it has 23 wins and counting.
• Six other teams have had winless seasons since 1999-2000. Half of them have not had a winning season since, and only Tennessee State had a winning record within the next three years with 18 victories.
• Senior Brandi Brown was a freshman on that 0-30 team, and junior Melissa Thompson was a true freshman who redshirted.
• YSU has won at least 20 games for the eighth time in school history.
• The first 20-win season came in 1980-81 when the Penguins were 20-5 under head coach Joyce Ramsey. The other six 20-win seasons came under coach Ed DiGregorio from 1990-91 to 1999-2000.
• YSU had five straight 20-win seasons from 1995-96 to 1999-2000. The Penguins went 22-9 in 1999-2000, which was their last winning season prior to 2012-13.

Responding from Losses

• A key to YSU's success so far has been responding from losses with emphatic wins. The Penguins are 9-0 following losses.
• Following losses, YSU has won its next game by an average of 15 points.
• Of the nine bounce-back wins, eight have come at Beeghly Center. Three of the victories came against Cleveland State.

The Winning Formula

• YSU is 23-1 when shooting at least 35 percent from the field and 16-0 when opponents shoot less than 40 percent.
• The Penguins are 18-2 when allowing fewer than 60 points and 19-1 when they at least match their opponents in points in the paint.
• The Guins are 14-0 when at least tying in rebounding margin. Along the same lines, they are 14-1 when at least tying in second-chance points.

Racking Up Conference Wins

• YSU finished with 11 league wins, its most since joining the Horizon League in 2001-02.
• The Penguins won six straight Horizon League games from Jan. 24 to Feb. 14 for the first time in school history.
• The Penguins led by at least 11 points in 10 of their 16 conference games.
• YSU was plus-5.6 in scoring margin in conference games. Its previous best scoring margin since joining the Horizon League was minus-2.4 in 2007-08.

Brown Named espnW National Player of the Week

• Brandi Brown was named the espnW National Player of the Week on March 4. She was also named the Horizon League Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week.
• Brown averaged 40.5 points and 17 rebounds in leading YSU to wins over UIC and Wright State the previous week.
• Brown was named the Horizon League Player of the Week four times this season.

All About Brandi Brown

• Brandi Brown is the only player in Youngstown State and Horizon League history with 2,000 points and 1,200 rebounds. She surpassed 2,000 points on March 4 against Valparaiso and 1,200 rebounds against Detroit on March 7.
• On "Brandi Brown Appreciation Day" at Beeghly Center on March 2, Brown accomplished a rare 40-20 game with 42 points and 21 rebounds against Wright State. The last time a player went for 40-20 in a game between two Division I teams was Feb. 27, 2007. It was the first time ever in a Horizon League game and only the second time in school history (Wanda Grant, 1981) that a player had a 40-20 contest.
• Brown also broke YSU's career rebounding record against Wright State. Grant held the previous record at 1,178. Brown has set school career records for rebounds, games started, games played, minutes, free throws made and free throws attempted this season.
• According to the NCAA record book, Brown is one of fewer than 40 players in Division I history to score in double figures at least 100 times. She scored at least 10 points in her first 28 games before an injury kept her out the final 27 minutes against Detroit on March 7.
• Brown ranks third in Horizon League history with her 2,053 points. She also ranks second in rebounds with 1,225, 61 behind the record.
• Also solid in the classroom with a 3.75 GPA, Brown became YSU's first female to earn First-Team Academic All-America honors.

Among D-I Leaders in 3's Per Game

• Through games played in conference tournaments, YSU ranked seventh in Division I with 8.2 3-pointers per game.
• The Guins ranked fifth nationally last year with 9.2 3-pointers per game and set school and Horizon League records for 3-pointers made in a season last year with 275.
• YSU's 256 3-pointers made and 833 attempted both rank as the second-most for a season in school history, trailing only last season's totals.
• Since Coach Bob Boldon took over in 2010-11, only six teams in the country have made more 3-pointers, and only four have more 3s per game.