Youngstown State University
2-8
Clarion
3-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion | 24 | 23 | 47 |
| Youngstown State | 30 | 28 | 58 |
Strong Second-Half Start Paces Penguins to 58-47 Win
12/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Youngstown -- Youngstown State got off to a strong start to the second half and made clutch free throws down the stretch in a 58-47 victory over Clarion Thursday night at the Beeghly Center.
YSU's Nikita LaFleur notched her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Heather Karner scored a team-high 15 for the Penguins.
The win improved YSU's record to 2-8 while Clarion fell to 3-5.
Leading 30-24 at the break, YSU held Clarion to just two points in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half to take a 10-point advantage at the 12:13 mark. The Golden Eagles cut the margin to six on back-to-back free throws by Jessica Albanese with 5:54 remaining and stayed within nine.
April Gratton got Clarion within five with 1:26 remaining with two free throws, but YSU scored the next eight points all on free throws en route to victory.
Albanese finished with a game-high 20 points, and Gratton added six assists.
The Penguins were held to a 29.2 percent effort from the floor, but the Golden Eagles shot just 32 percent overall and 22.2 percent in the second half. YSU held the rebounding advantage 47-31.
Clarion took an early 4-0 lead on two of Albanese's 16 first-half points, but YSU went on a 9-0 run over the next four minutes to take a five-point lead with 14:03 remaining. A Lauren Branson bucket gave the Penguins their largest lead of the half at 13-6 at the 11:06 mark, but a 6-0 Clarion run knotted the score at 16. The teams remained tied at 20 before YSU closed the half on a 10-4 run and held a 30-24 lead at the break thanks to a Karner trey just before the buzzer.
The Penguins held a 26-11 rebounding advantage through the first 20 minutes but were outshot 43.5 percent to 32.3 percent.
YSU will open Horizon League play against Wright State on Dec. 28 at 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
