The Youngstown State women's basketball team couldn't overcome scoring struggles in the final 30 minutes and an overwhelming amount of foul trouble as it fell 69-63 to IUPUI on Wednesday morning at The Jungle.
The Penguins made seven of their first eight field goal attempts as both teams had a high-scoring pace at the outset, but they shot 26.7% over the final three quarter. YSU led 16-15 after five minutes, and it held a 21-20 advantage with two minutes left in the opening quarter. The Jaguars scored the final five points of the quarter, and they held the upper hand the rest of the day.
Youngstown State was whistled for 30 fouls, its most in a contest since a double-overtime game against Milwaukee on Feb. 9, 2008, and IUPUI went 32-for-39 at the free-throw line. Six different Penguins had at least four fouls, which made lineup combinations a challenge throughout the contest.
Four Penguins scored in double figures, and Emily Saunders posted her second double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Malia Magestro scored 14 points and made her 150th career 3-pointer, Shay-Lee Kirby scored 13 points, and Haley Thierry added 11.
In addition to her 11 points, Thierry had six rebounds and a game-high six steals as the playmaker in YSU's defense. The Penguins forced 21 turnovers and held the Jaguars to 36.7% shooting from the field, but 32 of IUPUI's 69 points came at the charity stripe.
After the scorching start where it was 7-for-8, YSU finished making 33.9% of its attempts from the field while going 5-for-22 from 3-point range. YSU was 16-for-20 from the free-throw line as the teams combined for 59 free-throw attempts.
Katie Davidson scored 20 points and went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, and Jazmyn Turner added 15 points while going 13-for-14 on her attempts from the line to lead IUPUI.
Youngstown State was whistled for eight more fouls than IUPUI in the opening quarter, and Dena Jarrells and Lindsey Linard had two apiece in the first five minutes as the teams were in a close battle. Neither team led by more than two until Magestro's milestone triple gave the Penguins a 19-16 lead with 3:48 left in the opening quarter. IUPUI scored the next four points to take a 20-19 advantage, and YSU's final lead of the contest came on the next possession on a Saunders putback with 2:09 on the clock. The Penguins missed their final three shots of the quarter, and they went 3-for-16 in the second period.
The Penguins played well defensively despite their offensive struggles, and IUPUI was only able to add two points to its lead in the second quarter and held a 39-33 advantage at halftime.
IUPUI held 11-point leads twice in the third quarter, the second time coming at 48-37 on an Abby Wolterman bucket with 4:36 left. YSU shaved five points off the deficit and got within 52-46 when Saunders scored on a pick-and-roll from Magestro at the 1:14 mark, but IUPUI scored the final four points of the quarter to push the margin back to 10. Davidson made two free throws, IUPUI's seventh and eighth of the quarter, and Wolterman scored on an offensive rebound just before the buzzer.
In the fourth, Saunders' putback with 5:37 on the clock brought the Penguins to within a possession at 58-55, but they went more than four minutes after that without a field goal. The defense was up to the task and kept the game close, and a 3-pointer by Kirby with 1:11 left brought YSU to within 64-61. Mady Aulbach then forced a turnover on the inbounds pass to give YSU another possession, and Saunders made two free throws with 59 seconds remaining to make the score 64-63.
Turner made two free throws for IUPUI to up the margin back to three, and YSU had a turnover trying to throw the ball inside to Saunders on its next possession. The Penguins had to foul, and Turner made both of her attempts to push the margin to five. YSU then missed a 3 and had a turnover on its final two possessions.
Youngstown State will try to regroup as it heads back home to host Milwaukee on Saturday at noon. It will be the Penguins' annual pink game, and they'll wear pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer.
