Youngstown -- Youngstown State made a valiant second-half run behind a swarming pressure defense for the second straight game before falling 65-51 to Niagara on Saturday evening at the Beeghly Center.
    The Penguins trimmed a 13-point second-half deficit down to three with just under six minutes to go, but the Purple Eagles responded with a 9-2 run and tacked on free throws at the end for the final margin.
    Junior forward Jaquetta Westley scored a career-high 12 points while Macey Nortey posted nine. The Penguins cut down their turnovers from their previous game by 13, and they had a double-digit steals total for the third straight game.
    Kristina Walton had 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead Niagara. The Penguins held Jennifer McNamee, who came into the game averaging 16 points, to seven points on 1-of-13 shooting.
    YSU forced Niagara to make just four of its first 20 shots in the second half as it steadily trimmed the margin. After Grace Cunningham's layup at 16:47 put Niagara up 41-28, YSU held the Purple Eagles without a field goal for 6-1/2 minutes. Nikita LaFleur made a jumper to get the Penguins within 10, and Kenya Middlebrooks had a steal and fast-break jumper to make the score 43-36 with 10:25 left.
    Rachele Folino ended the drought for Niagara off a timeout, but YSU went on an 8-2 run to get within three on two Westley jumpers on back-to-back possessions with 5:55 remaining.
    Jaclyn Konieczka's bucket with 2:14 remaining put Niagara back up by 10, and the Purple Eagles hit five free throws once YSU started fouling to increase the final margin.
    Youngstown State scored the first five points of the game after a 3-pointer by Kaitlyn March and a put-back by Macey Nortey with 18:30 to go.
    The Penguins held a 9-8 lead on a March jumper at the 14-minute mark before the Purple Eagles scored 17 straight points to take a 25-9 advantage at the 6:05 mark.
    Niagara also held the Penguins scoreless for nearly nine minutes before Kelsey Gurganus hit a jumper with 5:05 left to stop the scoring drought and cut the deficit to 14 points at 25-11.
    The Penguins, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, scored eight of the last 12 points of the half to cut the deficit to 35-24, at the intermission.
    The Penguins take on Weber State, Friday, Nov. 28, as part of the University of Pittsburgh Tournament. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Peterson Events Center.