Staff file photo / Greg Macafee Youngstown State forward Lilly Ritz hoists a shot against Northern Kentucky earlier this season.

YOUNGSTOWN — Between a recent skid and a quick turnaround ahead of a massive game, there certainly is cause for concern.

But, YSU coach John Barnes says, the Penguins certainly aren’t panicked as they visit IUPUI tonight (7 p.m., ESPN+, 1390 AM WNIO).

“I’m not really (concerned),” Barnes said after YSU’s loss to Green Bay on Sunday, its fourth in six games. “We lost road games (to Purdue Fort Wayne and league leader Cleveland State), and Milwaukee’s coach told me they played the best game they played all year. It’s not very good luck. You lost to Green Bay, who’s the number one team in the (in a tie with CSU). I think we just have to execute better.”

Indeed, in each of the four losses in the last three weeks, something has been off. One game, the Penguins have trouble defending, the next game shots aren’t falling, others YSU (18-9, 12-6 Horizon League) is giving away too many turnovers.

Against Green Bay, it was a slow start and poor shooting day, much like the loss at Cleveland State. The Penguins fell behind 18-6 early and let that deficit balloon to as high as 25 points in the second half before rallying back to within 10 points in the fourth quarter. That comeback attempt came despite a miserable 5-for-29 day from 3-point range.

Against Milwaukee, it was a combination of giveaways and a poor day of defense. YSU shot reasonably well — 21-for-53 overall and 9-for-26 from deep — but coughed up 17 turnovers and allowed the Panthers to go 29-for-56 overall and a blistering 14-for-24 from 3-point range.

That was along the same lines as the PFW game, in which YSU gave up 12 turnovers and allowed the Mastodons to shoot 48.1 percent from the field (26-of-54), well above their season average.

In order to top IUPUI (15-12, 11-7 Horizon League), consistency is a must. The Jaguars, which topped YSU 64-61 on Jan. 16 at the Beeghly Center, rank second in the Horizon League in points per conference game at 72.0.

But, the Jaguars are ninth in scoring defense at 71.2 points allowed per game. In order to take advantage, however, YSU will need to finish shots better than in the first meeting, a game in which the Penguins missed more than their fair share of layups. YSU was a solid 8-for-20 from deep, but just 13-for-34 from inside the arc.

“IUPUI is a really good team. They beat us here,” Barnes said. “They have one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league and a really good post player, so that’s going to be a challenge.”

Jazmyn Turner leads IUPUI at 14.1 points per game, while Destiny Perkins adds 13.7 points per game. Perkins scored 18 in Youngstown. Rachel Kent also is in double figures at 12.7 points per game.

A win would clinch the three seed for YSU, while a loss drops the Penguins into fourth place due to IUPUI then owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.

While the Horizon League Tournament is drawing near, Barnes and Co. say the focus remains on finishing out the regular season strong.

“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time,” Barnes said.

Forward Lilly Ritz added, “We can’t afford to lose another one, so we just have to go out there, play hard and get one.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com