March 8, 2008

Women's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season at UIC

    The Youngstown State women’s basketball team (12-16, 7-1 Horizon League) closes out the 2007-08 regular season when it visits UIC (10-18, 6-11 Horizon League) on Saturday, March 8.
    Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. (EDT) at the UIC Pavilion. It will also be broadcast live on the Horizon League Network.
The Penguins are trying to avoid a five-game losing skid while the Flames are coming off a 93-80 victory over Cleveland State on Thursday evening.

Last Time Out
    Junior Tiara Scott scored 18 points and senior Jessica Schloemp scored 17 but the Youngstown State women’s basketball team could overcome a hot-shooting Loyola ball club and dropped a 86-70 decision to the Ramblers on Thursday evening at the Gentile Center.
    The Penguins fall to 12-16 overall and 7-10 in the Horizon League while the Ramblers improve to 7-21 overall and 5-12 in the league.
    Loyola, which shot 52.5 percent for the game, shot 60.7 percent from the field in the second half and quickly turned a six-point halftime lead into an 11-point advantage, 43-32, less than a minute into the second half.

The Series
This will be the 18th meeting between the Flames and Penguins and the ninth time the schools will meet in the UIC Pavilion. UIC leads the all-time series, 10-7, but the Penguins won the most recent meeting, 73-62, on Jan. 3, at the Beeghly Center. Youngstown State won the last meeting at the Pavilion, 67-62, in 2007, and has won a total of three times at the Pavilion.

Last Time Against the Flames
    Four players scored in double figures as the Youngstown State women’s basketball team earned a 73-62 victory over UIC in the Horizon League opener for both schools on Jan. 3 at the Beeghly Center.
    Senior guard Heather Karner led the way with 19 points for the Penguins while junior Tiara Scott had 18, junior Velissa Vaughn added 12 and junior Kelsey Gurganus contributed 10.
    The Penguins won their conference opener for the second time since joining the league seven years ago the other coming in the 2004-05 campaign. It was the Guins’ first win at the Beeghly Center over UIC since 2002.

Karner Reaches 70
Senior Heather Karner tied a career high with five 3-pointer made against Valparaiso on March 1, and, in doing so, became just the third player in school history to make at least 70 3-pointers in a season. Karner, who has made 73 3-pointers, ranks second on the single-season list and needs six more to tie and eight more to break the single-season mark of 79 held by Tiffany Adams (1992-93). The last player to make at least 70 3-pointers in a season was Leslie Majewski, who made 70 in 1999-2000. Her 205 3-point attempts also rank second on the single-season list. She needs 13 more attempts to break the record of 217, also held by Adams.

A Win Will
• Mark YSU’s 13th victory of the season.
• Give Head Coach Tisha Hill her 44th career victory.
• Mark YSU’s eighth win over the Flames.
• Give YSU its eighth Horizon League win of the year, which ties the mark for most league wins in a season.
• Mark the most wins (13) since the 1999-2000 season.
• Mark the 467th win in program history.

Schloemp Steps Up
Senior Jessica Schloemp has really turned her play up a notch over the last two games. Schloemp is averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting .667 (14-of-21) from the field and .600 (.600) from the 3-point line.

Schloemp Streak at 100
Senior Jessica Schloemp owns a games played streak of 101 straight. Schloemp has also played in 111 of 112 career games. Schloemp also ranks tied for seventh all-time with 111 games played and will move into seventh place by herself in her next game.

Vaughn Turns In Career Night
Junior Velissa Vaughn turned in the best performance of her career in the 82-66 loss to Cleveland State on Feb. 23. Vaughn scored a career-best 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers. Her 11 field goals made was also a career-best.

Branson, Karner Nationally Ranked
Seniors Lauren Branson and Heather Karner continue to hightlight the NCAA Division I women’s basketball national statistics. Branson ranks sixth in the country with a 2.25 assist-to-turnover ratio and 30th with 5.3 assists per game. Karner ranks 16th nationally with 2.7 3-pointers made per game.

Karner In 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 125 3-point baskets.

Branson Nearing 480
Senior guard Lauren Branson continues her move up the YSU all-time assist chart. With five assists against Cleveland State on Feb. 23, Branson eclipsed the 450 career assist plateau and now has 473 assists. Branson needs 20 more tie move into a tie for fourth place on the all-time assist chart with Caroline McCombs (493, 1994-98).
 

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 host Detroit, Monday, March 10, at 7:05 p.m. in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.