Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State guard Lindsey Mack battles for a rebound Sunday at Cleveland State. YSU is looking to snap a two-game skid as it hosts Oakland on Thursday.

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s not a position Youngstown State is accustomed to, but certainly one the Penguins have dealt with before.

YSU (16-7, 10-4 Horizon League) entered last week tied for first place in the conference, but losses to Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State set the Penguins back into third place as they welcome Oakland to the Beeghly Center on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN+, 570 AM WKBN).

But, of course, Youngstown State suffered a three-game losing skid in the early goings of this season before rattling off seven consecutive victories, giving the Penguins a bit of a learning tool as they look to get back on track now.

“We’ve been through it before,” said YSU coach John Barnes. “We had a couple tough road games, and both these teams that we just lost to are very good at home and good teams. So there’s nothing to hang our heads about or panic over, we just kind of revisited fundamentals and the little things that helped get us 11 of 12. So we’ll fine tune those things and hopefully get back on a roll heading into the tournament and be playing our best basketball.”

That, Barnes says, begins with the team’s defense, which struggled on the road last week. Purdue Fort Wayne shot an efficient 48.1 percent from the field (26-of-54), well above the 36.6 percent average YSU currently holds defensively. Meanwhile, the 81 points CSU scored were the most the Penguins have given up all season.

“We didn’t buckle down and defend like we normally do, and we have to do that against any team, no matter where they are,” Barnes said. “That’s how we win games — playing really good, tough, hard-nosed defense, and we didn’t do that in either game this past weekend.”

Against the Golden Grizzlies (11-12, 6-8 Horizon League), that begins with defending star freshman Brooke Quarles-Daniels. The guard is sixth in the conference in scoring average (13.9 points per game), fifth in assists per game (3.3) and second in steals (2.2). She also grabs 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, third in the league.

Quarles-Daniels also has scored in double figures in each of Oakland’s last 10 games, and scored 18 against YSU back on Jan. 7.

“She’s been way more aggressive,” Barnes said. “And I think they’re running a lot more stuff to her now that she’s shown she can really get the job done for them. So we’re really going to have to have a bunch of eyes on her to not let her get going.”

YSU guard Mady Aulbach added, “She does not play like a freshman. … She’s just super talented, and she plays super hard. So just making sure we know what she likes to do, because she does have tendencies just like any other player. But she’s really good, so just playing hard and knowing our scout will help us.”

In addition to Quarles-Daniels, Alexis Johnson adds 11 points per game and shoots 3-pointers at a 32.3 percent clip, while Breanne Beatty tacks on 10.7 points per game. Each of the three averages at least five rebounds per contest.

And, of course, Oakland has been a tough matchup for YSU in recent series history. The Golden Grizzlies topped YSU twice a year ago, including in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals, and nearly beat the Penguins in the initial matchup this season — a 68-67 overtime win for YSU.

“They’re long, athletic and physical,” Barnes said. “They lead the league in offensive rebounding (15.4 per game), and I think they’re third in steals. They play hard, they’re well-coached — the coach (Jeff Tungate) has been there for 10 years, which is kind of rare at this level. I think they do what they do and stick with it, which makes them scary because when they do it well, they can get you.”

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com