Youngstown -- Once again the Youngstown State women's basketball team had a strong first-half showing at home. However, Wright State came out hot in the second half as the Penguins had to settle for 68-51 loss on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
    Youngstown State trailed 26-25 at halftime behind a solid defensive showing that forced WSU into 13 turnovers. It marked the fourth straight home game where the contest was within two points or fewer at the break.
   The Penguins started the second half on a good note as Tiara Scott and Kelsey Gurganus each scored.
   Trailing 29-28 at the the 18:50 mark of the second half on Gurganus' basket, the Raiders (11-15 overall and 7-8 in the Horizon League) scored 13 straight points. Wright State built a 41-29 lead by the 13:44 mark.
    To start the second half, WSU scored 20 of the first 26 points, building a 46-31 lead with 11:38 left in the game. Wright State outscored Youngstown State 42-26 in the final 20 minutes.
    Wright State matched its first half total of 26 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as it started 10-for-15.
    The Raiders held a 44-25 edge in rebounds, including a 15-7 lead on the offensive end.
    Leading the way offensively for YSU was freshman guard Macey Nortey. Nortey set a career high with 14 points eclipsing her previous best of 13 she had in the season-opener at Kent State. Nortey was 6-of-14 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. She also handed out six assists, which matched her career-high, and picked up two steals.
    For the game, the Penguins shot 39.6 percent, making 19-of-48 attempts. Wright State made 49 percent from the field (25-of-51).
    Ta-myra Davis scored a game-high 16 points to lead three Raiders who reached double figures.
    YSU drops to 2-23 overall and 0-14 in the Horizon League. The Penguins have lost 15 straight. With the win, Wright State snapped a five-game losing skid.
    In the first half, YSU led 15-11 with 5:46 remaining but Wright State answered with a 9-0 run to go ahead 20-15 on a jumper by Tatianna Hall just three minutes later.
    Ashley Pendleton's layup stopped the run momentarily, but the Raiders led 23-18 with just under two minutes remaining. However, the Penguins closed the stanza on a 7-3 run to get within 26-25 at the break when Jaquetta Westley made two free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining.
    For the half, the Guins shot 34.6 percent making 9-of-26 shots from the field. Wright State shot 42.1 percent connecting on 8-of-19 tries, but struggled from the free-throw line making just 8-of-16 tries.
    The opening half featured two ties and four lead changes. The Penguins turned up the defensive pressure forcing 13 Raider turnovers while having just six miscues themsleves.
    Wright State scored the initial five points of the game, but YSU answered scoring eight straight, in six consecutive by Nortey.
    At the 9:28 mark the contest was tied at 11 before the Guins struck for four straight points.
    The Penguins head back out on the road looking for their first league win of the season on Thursday at Loyola. Tipoff at the Gentile Center is set for 8 p.m. Eastern time.