Penguins Close Out Regular Season in Chicago, Visit Loyola

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March 5, 2008

Penguins Visit Loyola Seeking First Victory at the Gentile Center

    The Youngstown State women’s basketball team (12-15, 7-9 Horizon League) looks to snap a three-game losing streak and pick up its first ever win at the Gentile Center when it visits Loyola (6-21, 4-12 Horizon League), Thursday, March 6.
    Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EDT) at the Joseph J. Gentile Center in Chicago, Ill. It will also be broadcast live on the Horizon League Network.

Last Time Out
    Senior Heather Karner scored a game-high 21 points and senior Jessica Schloemp posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds but the Youngstown State women’s basketball team fell to Valparaiso, 70-59, on March 1 at the Beeghly Center on Senior Day.
    The Penguins, who shot just 29.9 percent in the second half, held a three-point halftime lead, 37-34, but Valparaiso’s Agnieszka Kulaga hit a jumper and Aimee Litka made a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders a two-point lead, 39-37, at the 18:47 mark.
    The teams battled through three more ties and five lead changes over the next seven minutes before the Crusaders took the lead for good on Whitney Farris’s jumper midway through the half. Karner hit a jumper at the 11:29 mark to give the Guins a 52-51 lead, their last of the game.
    Valparaiso built its lead to as many as 12 points and Penguins would score just seven points over the last 10 minutes of the game.

The Series
This will be the 15th meeting between the Ramblers and Penguins and the eighth time the school will meet in the Gentile Center. Loyola owns a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series and the Guins have never won at the Gentile Center. YSU has won the last two contests, including a 70-58 win on Jan. 5 at the Beeghly Center, and three of the last four, but all at the Beeghly Center.

Last Time Against the Ramblers
Youngstown State used a strong second-half effort to beat Loyola 70-58 on Jan. 5 in the Beeghly Center. The victory gave the Penguins a 2-0 conference start for the first time since joining the Horizon League seven years ago.
Junior forward Tiara Scott and senior guard Heather Karner each scored 17 points. Velissa Vaughn and Jessica Schloemp also reached double figures for YSU. Vaughn had 14 points while Schleomp contributed 12. The Guins played just seven players in the contest.

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 72 3-pointers, ranks second on the single-season list and needs seven 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 203 3-point attempts also rank second on the single-season list. She needs 15 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 fifth win over the Ramblers.
• Mark YSU’s first win at the Gentile Center.
• 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 Doubles Up
Senior Jessica Schloemp turned in a spectacular senior day posting a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. It marked Schloemp’s eighth career double-double.

Vaughn 20-20 Vision
For the first time in her career, junior Velissa Vaughn has scored at least 20 points in consecutive games after dropping in 21 against Butler on Feb. 28. The Clairton, Pa., native went 6-of-18 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 7-of-9 from the 3-point line. Last Saturday, Vaughn scored a career-high 28 points against Cleveland State. Over the last two games, Vaughn is averaging 24.5 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

Schloemp Streak at 100
Senior Jessica Schloemp owns a games played streak of 100 straight. Schloemp has also played in 110 of 111 career games. Schloemp also ranks tied for ninth all-time with 110 games played and will move into a tie for seventh 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 highlight 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 124 3-point baskets.

Branson Nearing 470
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 468 assists. Branson needs 25 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 Second-Team 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 close out the 2007-08 regular season against UIC, Saturday, March 8, at 4 p.m.