Box Score
Junior McKenah Peters scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Youngstown State women's basketball team to a come-from-behind 75-73 victory over IUPUI on Saturday afternoon at Beeghly Center in the Horizon League opener for both schools.
Peters went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half, and she posted 19 points and seven rebounds in the final 20 minutes. She helped the Penguins rally from an early 9-0 deficit and a margin that reached 14 in the second period.
Chelsea Olson added 15 points before fouling out, and Ny'Dajah Jackson came off the bench to score 13 points while also contributing four assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Defending Horizon League Player of the Year Macee Williams scored 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead IUPUI. Sydney Roule scored all 16 of her points in the first half for IUPUI, which went 6-for-15 beyond the 3-point line in the first half but 2-for-13 in the second half.
While the Jaguars cooled from the 3-point line, Youngstown State caught fire. The Penguins missed their first six attempts from long distance but made 11 of their last 14 to finish 11-of-20.
IUPUI had a big size advantage in the game as the Penguins had just one player taller than 5-foot-10 to guard Williams and four other Jaguars at least six-feet tall. IUPUI held a 41-26 rebounding advantage and converted 22 offensive rebounds into 19-0 edge in second-chance points.
YSU didn't score until a Quinece Hatcher basket more than seven minutes into the game, but it kept he Jaguars from pulling away and trailed just 13-6 at the end of the first period. Roule scored IUPUI's first eight points in the second period, and two Williams free throws at the 6:59 mark pushed the Jaguars' lead to its largest point at 23-9.
Olson hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to start her own seven-point run, and a Jackson basket at the 3:30 mark capped a 16-5 spurt for the Penguins that got them within 28-25. Jackson then tied the score at 33 with 52 seconds left on a basket in the paint, and Roule's fourth triple of the first half gave the Jaguars a 36-33 lead heading into the locker room.
Peters scored on the first possession of the second half, and she went on to score 17 more points before the game's end. Her 3-pointer at the 7:07 mark gave the Penguins their first lead at 41-39, and the score was within three points until Hatcher hit a desperation 3 at the end of the shot clock to give YSU a 54-50 lead with 1:50 left. Peters' fourth triple of the third quarter put YSU ahead 57-51 heading into the fourth.
IUPUI scored the first six points of the fourth period to tie the score and eventually reclaimed the lead when a three-point play by Williams at the 5:48 mark made the score 64-62. A basket by Taylor Petit and a 3-pointer by Mady Aulbach on the next two possessions put YSU up 67-64, and the Penguins' final deficit came at 71-70 when Holly Hoopingarner scored on a fast break with 2:21 remaining. That was IUPUI's final field goal of the game, and the Jaguars went 2-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 80 seconds.
After the Hoopingarner basket, Olson scored on YSU's next possession to put the Penguins back up 72-71. Destiny Perkins split two free throws 21 seconds later to tie the score, and Petit scored on a floater with 36 seconds left to put YSU ahead 74-72.
Rachel McLimore then split two free throws for IUPUI with 26 seconds left, but a YSU turnover gave the Jaguars another chance to take the lead. IUPUI missed two shots, and Jackson grabbed a contested rebound with the possession arrow favoring the Penguins. Aulbach was fouled with four seconds remaining and split two free throws, and McLimore's 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the rim for IUPUI.
Youngstown State will conclude the 2019 calendar year and its four-game homestand by hosting UIC on Monday at 7 p.m. in another Horizon League contest. The game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO and ESPN+.
