Bench powers YSU to win
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Chelsea Olson, right, guards Ohio Valley's Ayanna Ford.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's McKenah Peters, right dribbles on Ohio Valley's Ariel Johnson
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Mary Dunn, left, and Melinda Trimmer, right, put the squeeze on Ohio Valley's Alyssa Murray.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Josie Fisher, right, guards Ohio Valley's Ayanna Ford.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Chelsea Olson, right, guards Ohio Valley's Ayanna Ford.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's McKenah Peters, right dribbles on Ohio Valley's Ariel Johnson
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Mary Dunn, left, and Melinda Trimmer, right, put the squeeze on Ohio Valley's Alyssa Murray.
Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo YSU's Josie Fisher, right, guards Ohio Valley's Ayanna Ford.
Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- John Barnes stood there with his arms folded, standing near the orange Gatorade cooler full of water, propped up on a table with a red tablecloth and a picture of Pete the Penguin on the front.
He had a piece of rolled up paper protruding out of his folded arms, occasionally biting his lip.
As the Youngstown State women's basketball coach looked on, he occasionally paced up his bench wearing his navy blue jacket and brownish pants. His vantage point had the angle he needed as his team cruised to an 86-59 victory Monday over Ohio Valley -- a Division II school from Vienna, W. Va. (near Marietta, Ohio).
Barnes could make his assessments as his team saw most of his bench in action against a feisty opponent. It was a great time to see what the Penguins could do without Sarah Cash, who only played a couple of first-half minutes. The redshirt junior from Lordstown is still troubled with ongoing knee issues.
Alison Smolinski, who had 16 points, knew getting the ball into Mary Dunn was the key to Monday's game. Dunn had career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
She took advantage of her 6-foot-3 frame and went over the smaller Fighting Scots lineup, which had no one taller than 6-1.
YSU (2-2) had 60 of its points from the bench as 15 players saw time.
"That's crucial for down the road," Barnes said.
Even the YSU men's basketball team, which hosts Westminster tonight at 7 p.m., was hanging out in the northeast corner of Beeghly Center, watching Monday's game unfold.
Barnes wasn't there for the high-quality H2O in the cooler. His vantage point was for a reason. He wanted his players to be more vocal, which is sometimes hard for this group to do.
Barnes saw Cash, who loves news conferences and being interviewed as most people relate to root canals, talking to her teammates. The soft-spoken Lordstown graduate is vocal during practices and games. Fellow redshirt junior Nikki Arbanas, who exudes leadership, along with backcourt mate and senior Indiya Benjamin gave Barnes some hope.
"They were huddling up more than they usually do," Barnes said. "That's what we need."
Dunn and Morgan Olson, another post player, had to deal with smaller, scrappy players.
YSU took a handful of charges, which pleased Barnes.
"That's outstanding," he said.
Ohio Valley (0-3) shot 13 of 28 from the floor in the second and third quarters, not something Barnes was proud to see.
"We could've played better defense, but we got the win," Dunn said.
Friday, YSU hosts Bucknell, starting at 1 p.m.