CSU spoils homecoming for YSU

The Vikings defeated the Penguins on Youngstown State’s women’s basketball Alumni Game day

By JON MOFFETT

Vindicator sports staff

YOUNGSTOWN — Not even the presence of several former Penguin stars was enough to snap the losing streak for the Youngstown State women’s basketball team and get the team out of its current 25-game funk.

About a dozen Penguins, many of whom were responsible for several championship banners hanging in the Beeghly Center rafters, were honored at halftime of YSU’s game against Cleveland State on Saturday at the Beeghly Center.

Cleveland State won the contest 68-38.

The Penguins (0-25, 0-14 Horizon League) shot only 27 percent from the field and the Vikings (13-12, 8-6 Horizon League) were able to sink 43 percent of their shots.

Only four players scored for the Penguins.

Freshman Brandi Brown led the team in scoring with 16 points, and brought down 11 rebounds to earn her 12th double-double of the season.

Brown broke the freshman rebound record earlier this year.

Also scoring for the Penguins were sophomore Kenya Middlebrooks (11 points, eight rebounds), junior Bojana Dimitrov (nine points) and senior Rachel Manuel (two points).

YSU coach Cindy Martin said it is hard to win when only half of the team — which dresses only eight players due to injury — scores points.

“For us to win right now with our limited numbers ... we need all eight of our girls in the scoring column,” Martin said. “We need them all to have their best game offensively.”

Conversely, the Vikings seemed able to score almost at will.

Of the 11 players dressed for the game, 10 scored, with the 11th playing for only two minutes.

Part of the reason Cleveland State was so successful was its ability to shoot the 3-pointer effectively.

The Vikings scored 15 points on the long ball, nine of which came off the hands of senior guard Angel Roque, who led her team with 11.

Cleveland State continued to shoot 3-point goals, even with a comfortable lead late in the game.

When asked if the gesture upset her, Martin said it’s just what the Vikings do.

“Cleveland shoots a lot of 3s and makes layups, that’s what they do,” she said.

After the game, the team had a reception for current and former players in the Beeghly Center’s Coaches Court. The team, along with fans, enjoyed refreshments and the chance to talk basketball with each other.

Ann Marie Martin, who played for the Penguins from 1994-98 and was enshrined into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2008, said it was nice to be able to come back and watch the program.

Martin said she has watched a few game this season, and despite the struggles, was complimentary of the Penguins’ play.

“I think defensively they’re not that bad, and offensively they just need to work on hitting those open shots,” she said.

And more importantly, the Hall of Famer said, is getting the roster back to full strength.

“Playing eight girls for 40 minutes is tough,” she said. “This conference is tough, and a lot different than when I played. But that’s what they really need to do is get some fresh bodies.”

One positive, Martin said, is the presence of young talent like Middlebrooks and Brown.

Martin said Brown is one of the players she likes to watch most.

“She’s always around the ball,” she said. “Her hands are there, she’s looking for the ball, and calling for the ball. Defensively, she’s doing the little things that sometimes you can’t coach, and she seems to have that.”

Brown, a native of Pomona, Calif., has already made waves in her first season at YSU.

Brown’s 271 rebounds this year are almost double the total of the runner-up (Manuel, 138) and are an ongoing school record for a freshman.

Brown said she is proud of her achievement and credited her team for helping her along the way.

“It means a lot to me,” Brown said. “I’ve been working really hard and the team has been working hard, and I just hope it all pays off in the long run with some wins.”

That elusive “W,” Brown said, is the most important stat and hopes she can help her team gain some.

jmoffett@vindy.com