YSU seniors finish strong

March 24, 2019 at 12:05a.m.

Penguins again topped 20 wins

Nearly everything that Youngstown State’s women’s basketball team drew up worked.

A lot went right for the Penguins’ to go 22-10 this season. It was an upgrade on last year’s 16-16 mark and the program earned its third bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in school history. For the third time in six years under coach John Barnes, the team has won 20-plus games.

“They had a really good year. For [seniors] Sarah Cash, Alison Smolinski and Melinda Trimmer to go out with 22 wins, a top three finish in the conference and a trip to the WNIT, it’s something to be really proud of. It’s something they can hang their hat on,” Barnes said after last Tuesday’s season-ending 76-62 loss to Cincinnati in the opening round of the WNIT. “I always talk about the legacy they’ll leave as seniors and they definitely leave us in a great place and gave us something to build on.”

When looking at what things that worked in YSU’s favor, those three seniors are a good place to start.

The basketball gods haven’t been kind to Barnes’ team in the past two seasons, which have featured a key player or two missing an extended amount of time due to injuries. Forward Amara Chikwe missed three games with a concussion this year, but other than that, the Penguins went largely unscathed despite having only nine available players.

It wasn’t just good fortune, it was a good managing of minutes from the coaching staff, which allowed Cash (12.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game) to play at a high level throughout the season despite a history of knee issues stretching back to her days at Lordstown.

Only a small number of women’s basketball players across the nation made more 3-pointers than Smolinski’s 109 this season. Her ability to string together long-distance shots lifted the Penguins multiple times throughout the year.

Trimmer deserves a lot of credit for being a steady presence as the team’s backup point guard. After three years as a reserve player, she got the most playing time of her career and had an assist-to-turnover ratio that was among the nation’s best. As of Thursday, the NCAA has Trimmer as tied for the 41st in that stat at 2.23.

YSU needed a bounce-back season from Mary Dunn (12.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and she responded by becoming the Horizon League’s Sixth Player of the Year and a first-team All-League selection. She doubled her scoring output from her sophomore season, one that saw her drop from a starting role she had as a freshman. If she improves as defender, she could be an even bigger contributor her senior season.

Out of necessity due to a lack of depth, Barnes made sophomore Chelsea Olson switch from forward to point guard and once again, the team got it right. She was the team’s leader in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and assists (4.5 per game) in addition to putting up 10 points a game. Combine that production with the defensive prowess of fellow sophomore McKenah Peters and YSU should be set for the next two years for a starting back court.

It’s also worth mentioning that while the team was putting together a winning season, it was handling its business in the class room with a 3.75 cumulative grade point average — the highest by any YSU team. Every player had a GPA higher than 3.0.

Barnes surpassed 100 wins this season and finished with 104, making him the second coach in program history to pass the century mark. The program is in good hands and has good players with good heads on their shoulders.

ON HER WAY OUT

Forward Madison Mallory has entered her name into the NCAA’s transfer portal, YSU confirmed on Saturday. When an athlete enters their name in the portal, coaches from other schools may contact them to arrange a transfer.

The Geneva, Ill., native was a reserve for the Penguins during her freshman season, appearing in 22 games and averaging eight minutes per contest and averaged 1.1 points per game. Mallory’s final game was when she played for one minute during a 67-47 win against Milwaukee on Feb. 17.