Akron, Ohio – The Youngstown State women's basketball team built an impressive early lead, but Akron roared back to earn a 61-44 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena on Friday night.
Lilly Ritz led the way offensively scoring a game-high 23 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
The Penguins fall to 1-2 early on the season following the defeat while Akron improves to 2-1.
In the first half, the Penguins dominated the first quarter while the Zips made a big rally in the second half.
In the opening period, YSU scored the game's first 11 points keeping Akron scoreless for the first 5:52.
Ritz scored the contest's first six points while Emily Saunders chipped in three points as YSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Ritz's fourth field goal of the early going pushed the lead to 11-0 before the Zips were able to get on the scoreboard when Molly Neitzel was able to connect on a 3-pointer.
With the contest 11-3 YSU added nine straight points to build its advantage to 17. Paige Shy's 3-pointer gave the Guins a 15-point cushion before Ritz's fifth basket of the quarter gave YSU a 20-3 lead. YSU missed its final 18 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the first, YSU shot 56.3 percent making 9-of-16 shots while Akron was just 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) with both field goals coming from beyond the 3-point arc.
Unfortunately, the Penguins' fortunes turned in the second as the Zips outscored YSU 17-4. The Guins were only able to connect on two field goals in 12 attempts while Akron was 6-13.
In the first half, YSU shot 39.3 percent making 11-of-28, but made 10 shots on 19 attempts inside the 3-point line. Akron was 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) from the field and was able to cut into the lead on the strength on four 3-pointers.
Akron took its first lead of the game just 30 seconds into the third as Dominique Camp converted a three-point play at 26-24. YSU tied the contest on a basket by Megan Callahan, but the Zips went on a 10-0 run to take control.
UA was red-hot in the third quarter outscoring YSU 23-6 grabbing a 46-30 lead. The Zips were 9-of-15 from the field while the Guins fired up 21 shots but were able to connect on just three. Over the course of the second and third quarters, Akron made 15-of-28 attempts from the field.
The Guins struggled to connect from deep making just one shot in 20 attempts. The Zips were able to make 7-of-25 shots from beyond the arc and outscored the Penguins 12-5 from the free-throw line. YSU outrebounded the Zips in the game, 39-36.
Leading the way for Akron were Camp and Layne Ferrell, who each finished with 15 points.
The Penguins return to action on Tuesday evening when they visit Western Michigan. Tipoff for the contest against the Broncos is set for 7 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Mich.
