Women's Basketball Hosts Cleveland State in Critical League Tilt

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Feb. 22, 2008

Women's Basketball Hosts Cleveland State in Critical League Tilt

    The Youngstown State women’s basketball team (12-12, 7-6 Horizon League) returns home to begin a critical three-game homestand against in-state rival Cleveland State on Saturday, Feb. 23.
    Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center and will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN-AM and the Horizon League Network.
    The Guins are going for their third straight victory and are looking to snap a two-game losing streak to the Vikings.
Cleveland State, who is in second place in the Horizon League standings, is coming off three straight league losses.

Last Time Out
Four players scored in double figures and Youngstown State shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from behind the 3-point line en route to a 66-58 win over Wright State last Saturday at the Nutter Center.
Senior Heather Karner led the Penguins with a game-high 19 points while senior Lauren Branson scored 17 points. Tiara Scott added 12 points and senior Jessica Schloemp contributed 10 points.

The Series
This will be the 38th meeting between the Penguins and Vikings in a series that dates back to 1976. The Guins lead the all-time series 30-17 but the Vikings have won the last two outings, including a 77-64 victory on Jan. 26, 2008. However, Youngstown State has won the last four meetings played at the Beeghly Center. The last time Cleveland State won at the Beeghly Center was a 56-51 win on Feb. 5, 2004.

Last Time Against the Vikings
Three players reached double figures but Youngstown State shot just 35.5 percent in the second half and dropped a disappointing 77-64 loss to Cleveland State on Jan. 26 at the Wolstein Center. Junior Kelsey Gurganus led the Penguins with 14 points while junior Tiara Scott added 12 and senior Heather Karner contributed 10 points.

Scouting The Vikings
Cleveland State carries a 14-10 overall mark and an 8-5 league record into Saturday’s contest. The second-place Vikings have lost three straight and are coming off a 68-57 loss to Detroit last Saturday. Leading the Vikings is sophomore Kailey Klein, who ranks second in the league in scoring with 19 points per game.

A Win Will
• Mark YSU’s 13th victory of the season.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 44th career victory.
• Mark YSU’s 31st win over the Vikings.
• Snap a two-game losing skid to Cleveland State.
• Give YSU its eighth Horizon League win of the year.
• Mark the 467th win in program history.

Hill Ties Mark
The victory over Wright State last Saturday marked the Guins’ 12th win of the season and tied the mark for most wins in a season under Head Coach Tisha Hill. The last time the Guins won 12 games was during the 2004-05 season. The last time YSU won more than 12 games in a season was 22 during the 1999-2000 campaign.

Karner Climbing Single-Season Chart
With five 3-pointers against Wright State last Saturday, senior Heather Karner became the sixth player in school history to make at least 60 3-pointers in a season. Karner has made 62 treys this season and ranks sixth on the single-season list. She also needs two more to move into fifth place on the list past Dianne Rappach (63, 1990-91). Karner has also attempted 185 3-pointers, which ranks second on the single-season chart.

Great Scott
Junior Tiara Scott has been tearing up the league since the start of the new year. The Denver, Colo., native leads the Penguins with 16.6 points per game against Horizon League foes. As well as averaging 6.9 rebounds per game, Scott has scored in double figures in 12 of 13 league games and has scored at least 20 points four times, including two of the last three games. Scott also ranks third in the league in scoring, fourth in rebounds and is fifth in field-goal percentage (.569).

Branson Hangin Tough
After breaking her nose in the closing minutes against Detroit on Feb. 14, senior guard Lauren Branson turned in a gutsy performance and helped the Guins to a 66-58 win over Wright State on Feb. 16. Branson, who scored 17 points, hit two key second-half 3-pointers and went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line over the last three minutes of the game. For the game, Branson went 11-of-12 from the charity stripe, dished out four assists and tallied three steals.

Karner Joins Century Club
In less than two seasons, senior Heather Karner moved into the top 10 all-time for 3-pointers made and became the 10th player in school history to make at least 100 3-pointers in a career. Karner ranks ninth with 114 3-point baskets.

Charity Stripers
Since league play began, Youngstown State has been impressive from the free-throw line. The Guins are shooting 75.3 percent from the line and have six players shooting at least 75 percent or better. Junior Kesley Gurganus leads the Guins with 88.9 percent while senior Lauren Branson is shooting at a 81.8 percent clip. Junior Tiara Scott and senior Heather Karner are shooting 81.1 percent and 80.9 percent, respectively, while senior Jessica Schloemp and junior Toni Rosoce are both shooting 75 percent. YSU is also 7-4 in league games when it shooting at least 70 percent from the free-throw line.

Branson Moves Into Fifth
Senior guard Lauren Branson continues her move up the YSU all-time assist chart. With four assists against Wright State on Feb. 16, Branson moved into fifth place on the all-time list with 449 career assists.

Need To Lead
The Penguins have led at halftime in 14 of 24 games this season and own an 10-4 record in those games.

Schloemp Streak at 97
Senior Jessica Schloemp owns a games played streak of 97 straight. Schloemp has also played in 107 of 108 career games.

Assist Me, Please
Senior Lauren Branson continues to prove her value as a point guard. This season, the 5-foot-6 guard has tallied 123 assists to just 54 turnovers in 33.9 minutes per game. She leads the Horizon League with 5.1 assists per game and is second with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Branson Nets Academic Award
Senior Lauren Branson was named Academic All-District IV by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Branson, a 2006-07 Academic All-Horizon League pick, carries a 3.93 grade-point average in special education and is the fourth Youngstown State student-athlete in 2007-08 to earn academic all-district laurels.
    She joins football players Bob Perez and Tom Zetts and volleyball player Jessica Fraley as YSU student-athletes to earn that distinction.
    She also becomes the fifth Youngstown State women’s basketball to pick up the CoSIDA award.
    The last women’s basketball player to earn academic all-district honors was Jen Perugini in 2004-05.

Karner Nabs Preseason Laurels
Senior Heather Karner was named to the Horizon League Preseason All-League Second-Team in a vote of the circuit’s head coaches, sports information directors and select media. Karner led the Penguins with 10.9 points per game and was named to the all-newcomer team last season.

Up Next
The Guins continue their three-game homestand against Butler, Thursday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.