Recharged Penguins ready to cash in

October 31, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State’s womens basketball team gets to swing the good part of the double-edged sword this season.

Guards Nikki Arbanas and Sarah Cash return to a Penguins team that has grown up while playing without the team’s leading scorers from the 2015-16 season.

“I definitely have an appreciation for the frustration the coaches have on the sideline of not being able to help whenever they know that someone is doing something wrong,” Arbanas said. “That’s something I definitely appreciate and understand now.”

Arbanas never got on the court last year because of a torn ACL and Cash only appeared in seven games as she dealt with her own knee injury. Arbanas is ready to go for the team’s season opener while Cash is still being eased back into action.

“In practice, (coach John Barnes) limits how much we do up and down stuff on the court and the full-contact drills so he can save us for the five on five stuff at the end of practice,” said Cash, a Lordstown graduate.

The happiest person to see those two back on the court? Point guard Indiya Benjamin.

“I’m very excited to play with Nikki and Sarah,” Benjamin said. “I haven’t played a full season with them since my sophomore year. When we played together we did big things and had good chemistry.”

When the trio was intact, YSU was 21-13 and played in the Womens Basketball Invitational. The Penguins went 9-21 last year when it wasn’t. Count Barnes as a fan of the pair of redshirt-juniors.

“Nikki was a vocal leader and a captain and we struggled without her,” Barnes said. “Sarah Cash isn’t as much of a vocal leaders, but does a good job of leading by example. She does a good job of taking players aside and helping them that way.”

Being thin in the depth department in 2016 translates to a better team in 2017.

“Provided we stay healthy, this is the deepest roster we had. There’s a number of players we can put in a game where we won’t have a dropoff or a letdown,” Barnes said.

Some of those contributors that had to step up include junior Alison Smolinski, who led the Penguins in scoring last year with 12.5 points per game.

Sophomore Mary Dunn returns as the Horizon League’s Freshman of the Year. She lead the league in freshman scoring with 11.3 points per game and in field goal percentage at 62 percent.

“I was extremely proud of Mary last year and everything she did. She always asks me questions about what she should be doing and when I tell her, she actually applies them,” Cash said. “I’m excited that we can actually play together.”

The Penguins travel to Pittsburgh Nov. 10 for their season opener.