Box Score
Youngstown -- Brandi Brown scored a game-high 28 points and Kenya Middlebrooks added 23 as the Youngstown State women's basketball team was able to withstand a furious Valparaiso comeback attempt and earn a 79-76 win at the Beeghly Center on Saturday.
The Penguins (4-20 overall and 2-11 in the Horizon League) led 73-64 with 1:12 remaining following to Brown free throws. But the Crusaders found their shooting touch to make it a one-possession game at the end.
Valpo's Ashley Timmerman scored eight points in the final minute, and she had a shot at the buzzer that went off the rim. She hit a jumper with 1:01 left to cut the margin to seven, and, following a steal off an inbounds pass, Laura Richards split a pair of free throws with 53 seconds left.
Another turnover led to a Timmerman triple that made the score 73-70 with 49 seconds left. YSU got two free throws from Tieara Jones, but Timmerman hit another triple with 40 seconds remaining.
Bojana Dmitrov hit a runner in the lane to put the Guins up 77-73 at the 14-second mark, but Richards hit Valpo's third straight 3-pointer with eight seconds left to cut the margin to one.
Dimitrov was fouled on the inbounds pass, and she hit both free throws with 5.5 seconds left for the final points.
Middlebrooks scored 18 of her points in the second half on six 3-pointers. She hit seven for the game, tying the school record for 3-pointers in a game for the second time this season. Only Leslie Majewski has matched Middlebrooks' feat of making seven 3-pointers twice in a career.
YSU shot exceptionally well in the first half building a 44-34 at the break.
The Penguins came out making 11 of their first 13 shots and seized the early momentum by taking a 22-10 lead eight minutes into the game.
Valpo went on a run, scoring 11 of the next 13 points pulling within 26-21 with 8:18 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Richards.
The Crusaders crept within four on two occasions, the second time at 30-26, but the Guins answered with a 7-0 flurry to go back in front 37-26 with 4:51 remaining.
YSU took its biggest lead of the first half, 42-28, two minutes later when Brown connected on a 3-pointer.
Brown had 19 points in the first half on 9-of-10 shooting. As a team, the Guins made 20-of-32 field-goal attempts (62.5 percent) and were 16-of-21 from inside the 3-point line. The 44 points at the break were the most for YSU since it scored 44 points at Valparaiso on Jan. 31, 2008.
Gerardot had 16 points and Betsy Adams had 11 for Valpo. The Crusaders shot 39.4 percent (13-of-33) before the break.
The Penguins also had two players score at least 20 points for the first time since a double-overtime game on Feb. 9, 2008, against Milwaukee. That game, Tiara Scott had 24 points and Heather Karner and Ashley Pendleton had 20 points apiece.
YSU slowed down in the second half but still shot 48.3 percent for the game. The Penguins posted a season high in points, and they outrebounded the Crusaders 37-34. Valpo shot 43.8 percent for the game and 48.4 percent in the second half.
The Penguins return to the road on Thursday when they visit Detroit. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Calihan Hall.
