Led by Malia Magestro's career-high 24 points, the Youngstown State women's basketball team defeated St.Francis Brooklyn 70-41 at Beeghly Center on Saturday.

Magestro made six 3-pointers, and Megan Callahan made five as Youngstown State had its best night of the season from beyond the arc. The Penguins were 5-for-45 over their last two contests from 3-point range, but they were 13-for-28 on Saturday against the Terriers.

St. Francis Brooklyn scored the first seven points of the game, but Youngstown State went on a 37-7 run and never looked back. A Magestro 3-pointer at the 4:09 mark of the first period gave Youngstown State its first lead at 8-7, and Callahan buried a triple with 50 seconds on the clock to put YSU ahead 15-12. The Penguins then made their first six attempts from beyond the arc in the second period as they opened up what started as a close game.

Callahan finished with 16 points and was 5-for-6 in 3-point tries, and Lilly Ritz posted her fourth double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ritz added a game-high five assists as she passed out of traffic in the post to open shooters on the perimeter.

Angena Belloso led the Terriers with 10 points off the bench while Tyra Myers added nine.

The Penguins improve to 2-3 on the season and stopped a three-game slide while St. Francis falls to 1-6.

Myers hit a 3 with 7:28 on the first-period clock to put St. Francis Brooklyn ahead 7-0, and YSU got a spark from Tenleigh Phelps off the bench to get going. The redshirt freshman scored the Penguins' first two points at the free-throw line with 6:40 remaining, and she grabbed an offensive rebound on YSU's next possession to set up a 3 by Magestro. Magestro's go-ahead triple followed 80 seconds later, and YSU did not trail again.

Callahan made two 3s in the first three minutes of the second quarter to push the margin to 24-12, and Magestro's made two 3s and a driving layup in the net three minutes as the Penguins built a 37-14 advantage. Her basket with 4:13 remaining in the second quarter capped a blistering stretch where YSU scored 37 points in 12-and-a-half minutes. The Penguins led 39-19 at halftime.

Ritz scored six points, and Magestro, Callahan and Paige Shy each hit a 3-pointer in the third period as Youngstown State's lead ballooned to as much as 34 at 53-19 with 5:37 remaining. Magestro hit a 3 at the buzzer to put YSU ahead 60-27 at the end of the quarter, and the largest advantage of the night came when a Lindsey Mack 3-pointer made the score 68-32 with 3:41 left in the fourth. That was the Penguins' final field goal of the night, and Emily Saunders made two free throws with 1:30 on the clock for the final YSU points.

Youngstown State shot 42.1% overall and 46.4% from 3-point range, while St. Francis Brooklyn shot 30.6% overall and went 33.3% from long distance. Youngstown State held a 43-30 edge in rebounding, and it outscored the Terriers 19-0 on offensive rebounds.

The Penguins will begin Horizon League play with road games at Northern Kentucky and Wright State next week.