Kalamazoo, Mich. – The Youngstown State's women's basketball team struggled offensively for the second straight game and dropped a 62-54 decision at Western Michigan on Tuesday evening.
Following a 44-point night at Akron on Tuesday, Youngstown State shot 29.1% overall and 16% from beyond the arc against the Broncos. It was the middle quarters that plagued the Penguins again as YSU combined for 36 points in the first and fourth periods and 18 combined in the second and third.
The Penguins scored 21 points in the fourth quarter as they tried to rally, and they got as close as two twice. Dena Jarrells' three-point play capped an 8-0 run that got YSU to within 43-41 with 7:14 remaining, and Lilly Ritz made a free throw two minutes later to make the score 46-44. After that Ritz free throw, Western Michigan went on a 9-0 run and led by at least six the rest of the game.
Ritz finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds, but WMU held her to 5-for-14 from the field. Jarrells scored a season-high 12 points and added four assists, and Malia Magestro finished with nine points. No other Penguin had more than five points.
Three Broncos reached double figures, led by Taylor Williams' double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Lauren Ross had 17 points, and Maddie Watters added 11 points. Western Michigan shot 40.8% overall, and it was 10-for-27 on 3-point attempts.
The Penguins have lost three straight games and are 1-3 this season. Western Michigan improved to 1-3.
Youngstown State scored the first four points of the game, and it scored the final eight points of the first period to take a 15-13 lead through 10 minutes. Magestro scored the first five points in that run, and Megan Callahan hit a 3 before the buzzer to finish the burst. That ended up being the Penguins' final advantage in the game.
Williams scored the first six points of the second quarter to put Western Michigan ahead 19-15, and she finished with 11 points in the period. Her 3-pointer at the 2:49 mark put the Broncos up 27-18, but the Penguins didn't back down and shaved six points off the deficit before halftime. Ritz and Jarrells each made two free throws, and Haley Thierry scored a bucket with 1:11 remaining.
The Penguins had seven turnovers in the first six minutes of the third period, and Western Michigan's margin grew to 38-26 when Williams made a layup with 4:18 on the clock. Jarrells hit a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds later to spark a five-point spurt, and YSU trailed 41-33 at the end of the quarter.
After Ross scored the first points of the fourth period to up WMU's advantage to 43-33, YSU scored the next eight points to get within 43-41 on a three-point play by Jarrells with 7:14 remaining. Watters hit a quick 3 to push the lead back to five, but a layup by Ritz with 6:02 on the clock and a free throw by the senior forward at the 5:13 mark made it 46-44. That's when WMU went on its eight-point run that allowed it to regain momentum.
Watters hit a 3 with 4:42 on the clock, and Hannah Spitzley converted a YSU turnover into a bucket to make it 51-44. Spitzley missed her ensuing free throw, and Watters hit another 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to push the margin to 54-44. Watters added a free throw 20 seconds later to up the advantage to 11.
Youngstown State got as close as six at 60-54 on a Ritz basket with 43 seconds left as Western Michigan battled misses at the free-throw line, but that's as narrow as the gap would get. YSU missed a 3-pointer in the final 40 seconds that would have made it a four-point game, and Ross made a free throw for the final margin.
Youngstown State will try to snap its three-game skid on Saturday as it will host St. Francis Brooklyn at 7 p.m.
