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YSU hopes to revert to good
Penguins stumbled down the stretch
By STEVE WILAJ
YOUNGSTOWN
There has been two types of Youngstown State women’s basketball teams this season.
On one hand, there’s the Penguins team that started 11-2, found every way possible to win and could seemingly do no wrong.
Then there’s the YSU team that finished the season 7-9, was bruised and battered and struggled to win the close game.
Heading into their opening game of the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday against No. 7 Oakland (15-14) at 8:30 p.m., the No. 6 Penguins (18-11) are hoping to bring one particular team to the Kress Events Center in Green Bay.
“Hopefully it’s the YSU that was winning all those games at the beginning of the season,” senior forward Janae Jackson said Monday. “Ultimately, our goal has been to revert back to that — get in that mindset when we were winning all those games and taking care of the ball and rebounding and doing all those things.
“That’s the team we’re expecting to come out to be. Nothing less than that.”
YSU seemed to be shifting back to those ways in late February when it won three of four games from Feb. 13-28. But the Penguins dropped games at Northern Kentucky on Thursday and at Wright State on Sunday to close the regular season.
“It was things that we can control,” Jackson said of YSU’s past two losses, which included committing 21 and 17 turnovers. “Once we get it figured out and take care of the ball, knock down shots and attack the basket, we should be good.”
Speaking of “good,” that’s one way to describe how YSU’s seeding for the conference tournament played out.
Sitting in the six-seed, the Penguins get an Oakland team that it has already beaten twice. Also, YSU is a combined 7-1 against the four teams on its side of the bracket (Oakland, No. 3 Wright State, No. 10 UIC and No. 2 Milwaukee).
“The sixth seed turned out pretty decent for us,” third-year head coach John Barnes said. “But, ultimately, when it comes to tournament time, it’s anybody’s game. You have to show up and play well and get the job done.”
YSU beat Oakland, 96-77, all the way back on Nov. 28. The Penguins then downed the Golden Grizzlies, 67-63, on Feb. 4. Should the Penguins defeat Oakland a third time, it would play either Wright State or UIC on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
To win the entire tournament, YSU would have to win four games in four days. It’s a new structure, as the top two seeds (Green Bay and Milwaukee) received double-byes, don’t play until Saturday and only have to win two games.
Barnes isn’t in favor of the format — he voted down the idea in the offseason, although it still passed — but know’s there’s only way for YSU to approach it.
“Basically just approach it one at a time,” he said. “Oakland’s gonna give us everything we can handle and more. So we’re just focusing on them. Once we can get by them, then we’ll focus on the next one. It’s too overwhelming to focus on playing four games in four days.”
Unfortunate for YSU considering the possible loaded-schedule, starting freshman guard Alison Smolinski exited Sunday’s game with an injury after just two minutes. Barnes called her “day-to-day” and isn’t sure if she’ll be available for Thursday.
“It’s unfortunate with the injury because we need as many players and to be healthy going into the tournament,” Barnes said. “So we’ll see how she is.”