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YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team has suffered its share of injuries this season.
The Penguins are 11-9, 4-5 Horizon League, tied for sixth with Milwaukee, but only two games behind third-place Green Bay which had to go to double overtime to beat YSU on Friday.
The Penguins look to snap a two-game losing streak tonight at Illinois-Chicago (2-18, 1-8), starting at 8 p.m.
"We feel pretty good about where we are and to be in the position we're in," said YSU coach John Barnes who has just nine active players.
Taylor Petit just came off an upper body injury a couple of games ago. McKenah Peters, who suffered a foot injury Jan. 4, at Wright State, hopes to return soon. There are signs 6-4 junior Emma VanZanten could come back as well. She suffered a fractured foot Nov. 20 at Akron.
Peters, who played post for YSU, averaged just less than 11 points and more than six rebounds a game before leaving earlier this month.
"That's a lot to lose after Mary's (Dunn) 17 points and six rebounds," Barnes said. "Every time we get a player back, it's a huge help."
The team's lone senior, Mary Dunn (6-3), averaged 17 points a game the first four contests before going out with meniscus injury on Nov. 16. There has been no official word on her return or if she'll apply for a medical redshirt at the end of the season.
YSU is at UIC tonight and league-leader IUPUI (14-6, 8-1) on Saturday. After this two-game road trip, the Penguins are at home for five straight.
"It might be that time where everyone gets healthy, we get on the same page and can make a run at the end of the year," Barnes said. "That's when you want to be playing your best basketball and your strongest. All these young players getting tons of minutes will give us great depth when those other players do get back."
Barnes said he wants his team to limit an athletic UIC team from driving to the basket, keep them shooting jumpers. The Flames shoot less than 25 percent from 3-point range.
As for IUPUI, the Jaguars are led by 5-5 senior guard Holly Hoopingarner and 6-2 junior post Macee Williams, who averages 16 points and nine rebounds per game. Hoopingarner averages more than 10 points a game and leads IUPUI with 73 assists and 29 steals.
YSU gave the Jaguars their only conference loss, 75-73 on Dec. 28. Since then, IUPUI has won eight straight. The teams meet Saturday at 2 in Indianapolis.
"They're kind of rolling right now," Barnes said. "The good thing about that is there's no pressure on us. We need to show up and play. They kind of have to win because they want to keep that margin to not lose that first place.
"Plus, our kids believe. We beat them once before, why not do it again?"