Box Score
The Youngstown State women's basketball team made eight first-half 3-pointers and led by double digits for more than 35 minutes in an 80-40 victory over Salem International on Monday evening at Beeghly Center. The win was the 200th in YSU Head Coach John Barnes' career.
The Penguins led 28-10 after a period and 51-16 at halftime en route to improving to 8-1 overall and 5-0 at Beeghly Center. YSU also won for the 13th consecutive time against a non-Division I opponent.
Freshman forward Marissa Brown came off the bench to score a game and career-high 16 points in 18 minutes, and YSU's reserves accounted for 50 of the team's 80 points. Kelley Wright added 12 off the bench, and starters Nikki Arbanas and Janae Jackson had 10 points apiece in limited action.
Eleven of YSU's 12 players scored, and Alison Smolinski was the only starter to play more than 14 minutes.
Brown was 8-for-11 from the field to score her 16 points, and YSU shot 51.6 percent for the game. That mark was 60.6 percent at halftime, and the Penguins finished with 10 3-pointers. Four of those triples were by Wright, and Arbanas and Smolinski both made a pair. Melinda Trimmer had a game-best five assists, and she had two of YSU's 12 steals. Brown and Jenna Hirsch both had three blocks.
TaShay Smith scored 16 points to lead the Tigers, who scored 23 of their points off of YSU's 24 turnovers.
Salem International led 4-2 after a bucket at the 7:57 mark, but YSU scored 24 of the next 26 points to go up 26-6 six minutes later. The Penguins hit five 3-pointers in six attempts during that stretch, with two each coming from Arbanas and Smolinski and another from Wright.
The lead reached 30 for the first time at the 4:46 mark of the second period on another 3-pointer by Wright.
A Sarah Cash basket increased the Penguins' lead to above 40 for the first time at 59-18 with 7:13 left in the third period, and Salem International worked the deficit down to 64-38 with eight minutes remaining in the game. The Penguins scored 16 of the final 18 points for the final margin.
Youngstown State will play host to Lake Erie on Wednesday in the Third Annual Kids Field Trip Game, presented by Chick-fil-A. Tipoff against the Storm will be at 11 a.m.
