The Youngstown State women's basketball team battled through eight ties and 14 lead changes but held on to beat Detroit Mercy 64-56 on Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall.
The Penguins trailed the Titans 54-53 with 3:20 left in the game but closed out the game on an 11-2 run. Lindsey Linard's three-point play sparked an 8-0 spurt that finished with another and-one by leading scorer Lilly Ritz, which put the Penguins up 61-54 with 39 seconds remaining. YSU went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line to keep the game out of reach.
Ritz scored 11 of her game and career-high 25 points in the fourth period as she went 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line in the quarter. Chelsea Olson finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two blocks
Irene Murua had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Sydney Searcy finished with seven points and six steals to lead the Titans.
Youngstown State improved to 4-0 overall, 3-0 on the road and 2-0 in Horizon League play with Saturday's victory. Detroit Mercy fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
Paige Shy made three of YSU's four 3-pointers in the first period to help the Penguins take an 18-12 lead at the end of the quarter. Her third came at the 4:40 mark of the period, and it started a 10-0 run to close the quarter.
The Penguins didn't make another 3-pointer the rest of the game, and Detroit Mercy had six steals in the second period to tie the game at 35 at halftime. YSU went 8-for-12 from the floor in the second period, but the Titans cashed in YSU's seven turnovers into 10 points.
The entire third period was played within two points, and the margin didn't reach two possessions until Ritz scored a pair of buckets in a 40-second stretch to put the Penguins up 51-47 early in the fourth. The Titans scored the next five points to go up 52-51 with 5:22 remaining, and the teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before Linard's three-point play sparked YSU's late run.
The Penguins shot 46.3 percent overall, and they were 4-for-18 from 3-point range and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line. The Titans shot 35.6 percent, and they finished 5-for-22 from beyond the arc despite making three of their first four. Detroit Mercy went 9-for-16 at the free-throw line.
With the struggles from the 3-point line, YSU pounded the ball inside and outscored the Titans 42-28 in the paint. The Titans held scoring edges of 22-11 off turnovers, 11-5 on offensive rebounds and 17-5 in transition points.
Youngstown State will step out of conference play to host LIU on Friday at Beeghly Center. The game against the Sharks on Black Friday will tip at 1 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
