Friday, November 15, 2002
The Penguins play host to Ohio Girls Basketball Magazine Legends Saturday at 7.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The 2002-03 women's basketball season tips off for Youngstown State when it plays host the Ohio Girls Basketball Magazine Legends in an exhibition game Saturday at 7 p.m.
Coach Ed DiGregorio begins his 20th season at YSU with a career record of 313-219. He was won five league championships, three tournament championships, made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and coached four conference players of the year.
The Penguins return eight letterwinners and two starters from last season's 12-16 team, which finished tied for fourth in the Horizon League with an 8-8 league mark. Returning for Youngstown State are starters Maggie Johnston and sophomore Jen Perugini. Other returning letterwinners are juniors Jessica Forsythe and Devin Novak, sophomore Barb Fabianova, Tara Fleming, and Melissa Tarrant.
Perugini, the 2002 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, was a second team preseason All-Horizon League selection. Last year, Perugini averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.
Last year
The Penguins and Legends squared off in an exhibition game last season and YSU came away with an 89-84 victory. Maggie Johnston scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and drilled four 3-pointers.
For the fourth straight year, YSU will open the regular season season against Bowling Green. The Penguins visit the Falcons on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
Fourteen YSU women's games will be broadcast on WNIO-AM (1390).
Steve Sefner, who handles the sideline reporting for YSU football games, will call the play-by-play action for the Penguins. All broadcasts will begin with the "Pizza Hut Pre-Game Show", feature the "Option Care Halftime Report" and conclude with the "Giant Eagle Post-Game Report."
The games that will broadcast are: Niagara (Nov. 27, 7 p.m.); Toledo (Dec. 7, 5:15 p.m.); at Kent State (Dec. 15, 2 p.m.); at Ohio State (Dec. 20, 7 p.m.); Akron (Dec. 22, 1 p.m.); Loyola (Jan. 2, 7 p.m.); at Cleveland State (Jan. 8, 7 p.m.); UW-Milwaukee (Jan. 11, 7 p.m.); at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne (Jan. 27, 7 p.m.); Wright State (Feb. 1, 7 p.m.); Cleveland State (Feb. 12, 7 p.m.); at Butler (Feb. 22, 2 p.m.); at Wright State (Feb. 24, 7 p.m.), and at Illinois-Chicago (March 1, 7 p.m.).