The Youngstown State women's basketball team endured a defensive battle to outlast Milwaukee 61-51 at the Klotsche Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Penguins, who were coming off an emotional three-point win at Green Bay on Friday, swept the Horizon League's Wisconsin teams on the road for just the third time since joining the conference in 2001-02. YSU improved to 14-5 overall, and it ends the first-half of Horizon League play in a three-way tie at the top of the standings at 8-2.
Lilly Ritz led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds to collect her 11th double-double, and three other starters scored in double figures for the Penguins. Megan Callahan scored 15 points, and she grabbed the biggest rebound of the game when it was just a four-point margin in the final 20 seconds. Malia Magestro scored 13 points and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, and Dena Jarrells scored 10 points to go along with four assists.
Milwaukee, which is now 7-11 overall and 5-5 against the conference, was led by Kendall Nead's 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Penguins led for nearly 30 minutes and didn't trail in any of the final three quarters, but Milwaukee kept them from pulling away and made enough runs to keep the game close.
Callahan's first 3 came at the 2:39 mark of the opening quarter to spark a 10-0 run that flipped a 9-3 deficit into a 13-9 lead. After that burst, YSU remained ahead or was tied the rest of the afternoon.
The Penguins led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, and their advantage grew to as much as eight in the second period when Ritz made the score 26-18 with 1:25 left on the clock. Nead scored for Milwaukee on its next possession to make it a six-point difference at halftime.
YSU's lead grew to eight again twice in the third quarter, the second time coming when Ritz scored at the 6:20 mark to put the Penguins ahead 35-27. Milwaukee kept the Guins scoreless for nearly five minutes and without a field goal for nearly six minutes as it rallied to tie the score at 35 and 37. Ritz scored with 37 seconds left in the quarter to give the Penguins a 39-37 advantage, and YSU went on to outscore the Panthers 22-14 in the fourth.
Callahan hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth, and Ritz scored one-on-one in the post with 5:47 left to push the margin to 51-42. That was YSU's largest lead up to that point, but Milwaukee scored nine of the next 11 points to get within two at 53-51. Jarrells' long two with 3:21 remaining accounted for YSU's only points during the four-and-a-half-minute stretch in which Milwaukee went on its run.
Ritz went one-on-one again to score on the low block with 1:10 left to put the Penguins up 55-51, and YSU went on to score the final eight points of the game. Milwaukee missed a 3 on its next possession, and two big offensive rebounds allowed YSU to stretch the lead. Magestro rebounded a Ritz miss with 25 seconds left, forcing Milwaukee into a fouling situation.
Ritz missed two attempts with 18.8 seconds remaining, but Callahan chased down the long rebound near the YSU bench to keep possession. She made both of her attempts to put YSU up 57-51, and Magestro went 2-for-2 at the foul line with 12.8 and 4.8 seconds left for the final margin.
Youngstown State shot 42.9% for the game, and it was 20-for-39 after making just one of its first 10 attempts from the field. The Penguins were 6-for-20 from 3-point range, and YSU was 13-for-15 on free-throw attempts. YSU outrebounded Milwaukee 33-28, and it held a 28-16 scoring edge in the paint.
YSU held Milwaukee to 34% shooting from the field, including 29.6% in the second half.
Youngstown State will begin the second half of Horizon League play at home this Thursday as it hosts Wright State. Tipoff against the Raiders will be at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN. Ticket information and YSU's promotional schedule are available on YSUsports.com
