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Freshman point guard provides spark in YSU victory
By Joe Catullo Jr.
YOUNGSTOWN
It’s no secret that the Youngstown State women’s basketball team has weak spots to fill, especially with finding a point guard.
The Penguins may have found an answer for the time being with Shar’Rae Davis out. Coach John Barnes switched things up Friday night against Ohio Valley with true freshman Jenna Hirsch starting.
“When you’re losing games, you got to make some changes,” Barnes said. “I thought [Jenna] played very well tonight. We really need to get Liz [Hornberger] off the point if we can, so we’ve been kind of working towards that.”
Hirsch finished with a team-high 15 points and five assists during the 84-52 victory. It was her first collegiate start.
“Liz has been doing everything she can to step in there and help out,” Barnes said. “It’s been hard because Jenna is a true freshman who has growing pains, but she learned a lot tonight. She’ll get a lot of minutes on Monday and hopefully keep progressing.”
Leading up to the game, Hirsch said she needed to work on her confidence level and role. The Penguins (2-6) have been helping her every step of the way, namely Hornberger and Heidi Schlegel.
“As a true freshman having to play a lot, it’s a big difference,” Barnes said. “Everything’s faster. The players are a lot bigger, faster and stronger. She’s just been making strides every practice and getting a little better every day.”
Along with Hirsch, Monica Touvelle started for the first time this season. She finished with 13 points (four 3-pointers). The Boardman graduate missed five weeks with a foot fracture. Playing against a Division II school like OVU (3-8) helped her regain her shot.
“She played quite a few minutes tonight and did a really nice job,” Barnes said. “I thought she hung her shot and kind of got back in the flow of an actual game.”
With Hirsch and Touvelle starting, Karen Flagg scored 11 points and had a team-high six assists off the bench. The other starter, Melissa Thompson, dressed but did not play.
Schlegel, averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with nine points and collected eight rebounds though she only played 17 minutes. Latisha Walker scored 11 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds, her second double-double this season.
Along with the confidence booster, Barnes was also happy to see that the turnovers were down. YSU finished with 14 turnovers (five in the first half). Most of those came during the second half after Hornberger and Schlegel sat for the remainder of the game.
The turnovers reflected how well the Penguins played together, something that’s been missing early this season.
“We’ve been struggling with that, and it just felt good to come together,” Hirsch said. “It’ll just boost all of our confidences and get ready for the next game.”
The Penguins will remain in Youngstown to host Malone on Monday beginning at 11:05 a.m.