Feb. 3, 2010

Penguins Hope to Open Second Half on High Note vs. Loyola

Youngstown -- Youngstown State opens its second half of Horizon League play against Loyola on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Beeghly Center. The Penguins are hoping leading scorer Bojana Dimitrov returns this week from a knee injury to give a boost to their offense. YSU has not scored more than 48 points in the five games she’s missed. Loyola has lost its last two games since upsetting No. 14/18 Green Bay on Jan. 21.

Fans can buy a general admission ticket for $1 as part of a special "Dollar Day" promotion at Beeghly Center. Hot dogs and popcorn will also be a dollar at concession stands.

Scouting Loyola
Loyola enters the second half of league play at 10-10 overall and 4-5 in conference contests. The Ramblers handed No. 14/18 Green Bay its first loss of the year on Jan. 21, but they’ve lost to Milwaukee and UIC at home since. Loyola has scored 50 points or fewer four times, but it has also scored at least 65 points 12 times. Senior guards Keisha Collins and Maggie McCloskey average 11 and 10.2 points, respectively, to lead Loyola.

Defense Starting to Shape Up
Youngstown State has improved defensively over the past three weeks. In the five games over that span, opponents have registered the three lowest scoring totals against YSU this season. Cleveland State scored a season-low 57 points against YSU on Jan. 22, Wright State scored 65 points on Jan. 30 and Valparaiso scored 66 points on Jan. 14. The Penguins have also held three straight opponents under 48 percent shooting for the first time this year. Cleveland State was held to 28.3 percent on Jan. 22.

Free-Throw Shooting Improving
Youngstown State had its best free-throw shooting night of the season against Detroit on Jan. 28, making 17-of-20 attempts for 85 percent. Through the first half of Horizon League play, Youngstown State is shooting 71.0 percent from the free-throw line, which ranks fifth in the conference. The Penguins made just 59 percent in their 11 non-conference games. YSU has shot at least 64 percent from the free-throw line in 11 of its last 13 contests, which is something it did only twice in its first seven games.

Steals Increasing in League Play
Youngstown State is averaging 9.8 steals in Horizon League play, which ties them for second place in the league rankings. The Penguins were averaging 10.6 steals before having three at Wright State. YSU had a season-high 18 steals at Cleveland State on Jan. 22, which was its highest since 2002. The Guins also had 10 at Detroit on Jan. 28. Overall, YSU is averaging 8.2 steals, which is up from 7.1 last season. In fact, the 8.2 steals per game is the highest since the Penguins averaged 9.6 steals in 2001-02.

Middlebrooks Money From Free-Throw Line
Sophomore guard Kenya Middlebrooks has made 25 consecutive free throws dating back to Dec. 5, 2009. That is tied for the sixth-longest streak in school history. Middlebrooks is a perfect 20-for-20 in Horizon League games. She started the season 7-for-15 from the line.

Nortey Near 08-09 Points
Sophomore guard Macey Nortey needs 10 more points to surpass the 169 she scored as a freshman last season. When she reaches 170 points, she’ll become the fourth out of five returners from last year’s squad to set a new career high in points for a season.

Brown Approaching Freshman Records
Brandi Brown has a chance to have one of the best seasons for a freshman in YSU history. Brown has grabbed 220 rebounds, which ranks fourth among freshmen in school history. If she keeps up her average of 11.0, she’ll pass Jen Perugini’s record of 239 caroms on Saturday. If she maintains her scoring average of 11.6 points, she’ll also pass Caroline McCombs scoring record of 346 points.

Up Next
The Guins will remain home to play UIC on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. YSU will participate in the WBCA Pink Zone to help raise awareness and donations for the fight against breast cancer.