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Penguins tie school record for 3s in victory
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Youngstown State senior guard Kenya Middlebrooks (5) goes up for a shot during an Horizon League basketball game Thursday against Detroit at YSU’s Beeghly Center. The Penguins dropped the Titans, 80-67, behind Middlebrooks, who scored a career-high 30 points, including a school-record eight 3-pointers.
Penguins tie school record for 3s in victory
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Let’s get this out of the way first: Practice. Pregame meal (chicken, salad, green beans, baked potato and water). Shower. Nap. Shooting.
“Pretty simple,” YSU senior guard Kenya Middlebrooks said. “Pretty boring.”
Middlebrooks didn’t walk backward to Beeghly Center, or wear her socks (or goggles) inside out or eat a pickle-and-mayonnaise sandwich.
She just did the same thing she does before every game.
Then she went out and did something no Penguin had ever done.
Behind a career-high 30 points, including a school-record eight 3-pointers, Middlebrooks and the Penguins rolled past the Horizon League’s second-best team, dropping Detroit 80-67 on Thursday night.
“She was spectacular,” YSU coach Bob Boldon said of Middlebrooks. “I thought across the board we were pretty good.
“When we’re playing good we move the ball well, we find open players and we really don’t care who shoots it. They’ve done a good job of getting the ball to the hot player and tonight that was Kenya.”
Middlebrooks, whose previous career-high was 27, made 8 of 10 3-pointers, and one of those misses came on a 30-footer with one second left on the shot clock. The Penguins also tied a school record by making 15 3-pointers in 25 attempts.
“This was a big test for us,” said Boldon, whose team had lost four straight. “I felt like we were in the best mental mindset that we’ve been in for maybe two weeks.
“I’m happy for them that their hard work paid off.”
Shareta Brown had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Detroit (9-11, 5-3) but Boldon couldn’t complain considering the 6-foot freshman is built like former Steelers standout Jerome Bettis and is just as hard to stop.
“I don’t know that you can stop her,” he said. “You just hope she travels.”
YSU sophomore Melissa Thompson made her first career start and responded with a career-high 14 points. (“I was so happy for her,” said Middlebrooks. “She did a great job offensively and defensively.”)
The 80 points were YSU’s most in a Horizon League game since scoring 84 against Loyola on March 5, 2011.
More impressive, YSU’s performance came with junior Brandi Brown limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Brown, who fouled out with 5:27 left, still managed 16 points and four rebounds for the Penguins (9-10, 3-5).
“We always need Brandi to an extent but I thought it was a good challenge for us because just last Saturday she got in foul trouble against Milwaukee and we looked like we didn’t even know how to play basketball without her,” Boldon said. “Every time I take her out I get a little bit nervous as to what’s going to happen. I thought tonight they really responded.
“That goes a long way toward talking about their maturity, when you’ve just had a situation that you failed miserably. To be able to respond the very next opportunity, which happens to be your next game, I thought that shows a lot of about their character.”