Box Score
Youngstown State senior guard Chelsea Olson scored her 1,000th career point, and the Penguins had three players score at least 19 points in a 77-66 victory over UIC on Friday afternoon at Credit Union 1 Arena.
Olson's milestone moment came on a free throw with 52.6 seconds remaining in the fourth period. The Westby, Wis., native finished the game with 20 points, bringing her career total to 1,001. She is the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Olson scored 14 of her 20 points from the free-throw line, and she added three field goals. The 14 free throws ranks tied for the third-most for a game in YSU history.
Olson had plenty of help in the scoring column from two other seniors as McKenah Peters also had 20 points, and Mary Dunn scored 19. That trio combined for 59 of YSU's 77 points as the Penguins earned their second straight win.
Lindsey Rogers scored all of her team-leading 17 points for UIC in the first half.
Youngstown State led for nearly 36 minutes, but the Flames stayed well within striking distance throughout the contest. The teams were tied at 35 at halftime, and it was a one-possession game with fewer than four minutes left. Dunn scored on an assist from Olson at the 3:38 mark of the fourth period to put YSU up 65-60 and begin a 10-2 run that allowed YSU to pull away in the final minutes.
Peters had a putback on the next possession that gave the Penguins a 67-60 lead, and she and Olson went a combined 10-for-10 from the free-throw line over the final 2:12.
Youngstown State shot 47.2 percent overall, which included an 8-for-16 effort from beyond the 3-point line. UIC shot 46.3 percent, but it was hurt by going 2-for-12 from 3-point range in the second half.
Dunn had a dozen points in just over six minutes to help YSU take a 16-12 lead with 3:48 left in the first period. After UIC tied the score, Olson's third and fourth free throws and a 3-pointer by Malia Magestro helped the Penguins lead 21-16 at the end of the first period.
Peters caught fire early in the second period with eight quick points, and her 3-pointer at the 8:06 mark gave YSU a 29-20 advantage. The Penguins went cool over the next seven minutes as UIC went on a 15-3 run to go up 35-32, but a three-point play by Dunn with 54 seconds left in the half allowed YSU to tie the score at 35 at the break.
Maddie Schires' 3-pointer with 8:38 left in the third capped a 5-0 run to start the quarter, but UIC didn't let the margin increase beyond that and took its final lead of the day at 50-49 on a three-point play by Daijah Smith with 1:31 remaining. Olson made two free throws 19 seconds later, and Peters hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to give YSU a 54-50 lead at the end of the third.
The Penguins held the upper hand the entire fourth quarter, and the 11-point difference at the final buzzer matched the largest lead.
Youngstown State will go for the weekend sweep on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern. The game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO and ESPN+.
