Youngstown State University
Big Red Invitational
Bowling Earns Runner-Up Finish at Big Red Invitational
3/1/2020 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team pushed third-ranked Nebraska to seven games in the championship match on Sunday and finished as the runner up at the Big Red Invitational.
The No. 8 Penguins qualified in second place for Sunday's bracket play, and that's where they finished in the tournament at Hollywood Bowl in Lincoln, Neb. Youngstown State dropped its first best-of-seven match to Nebraska 4-1, but it rebounded to beat No. 5 Arkansas State in six games to force a winner-take-all rematch against the Huskers.
Youngstown State won the first game of the title match 223-167, then fell behind 2-1 with 202-187 and 247-224 losses in the next two games. The Penguins then posted their best total of the day in a 245-235 win to even the match, and YSU took a 3-2 lead with a 226-192 win in game five. Nebraska took the next two games 234-193 and 236-196 to win its home tournament.
"The ladies continued to elevate their game all weekend," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "The shot-making, communication, and energy were at their best on Sunday in crunch time, and I love the confidence we have flowing. Even though it was a tough loss in the title match, we bowled very well and had a lot of fun out there. After a much-deserved day off tomorrow, we'll dig into our notes, get back after it, and look to continue elevating our game."
Youngstown State averaged 204.5 in its 18 games on Sunday, which is the second-best bracket performance in program history. YSU averaged 206.6 per game for the tournament, which was a program best by more than seven pins.
Youngstown State will bowl in its final regular-season tournament next weekend at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic.
