Youngstown, Ohio — Detroit Mercy shot 51.5% from the field and made 19 free throws over the final three quarters to rally for a 65-58 victory over Youngstown State's women's basketball team on Wednesday evening at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins suffered their first loss of the Horizon League season and are now 2-1 in conference play, and YSU also lost for the first time on its home floor. YSU is 6-6 overall, while the Titans improved to 7-2 overall and 2-0 against league opponents.
Malia Magestro led Youngstown State with 16 points, and Sophia Gregory posted 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in her first start on Rosselli Court. Jewel Watkins added 10 points for YSU, and Faith Burch scored nine. All but eight of YSU's points came from its starters.
Detroit Mercy's two fifth-year senior guards carried them in the scoring column, combining for 44 points overall and 39 points over the final three periods. Aaliyah McQueen scored a game-high 24 points while adding nine rebounds, and Emaia O'Brien scored 20 points. That tandem also went 15-for-19 from the free-throw line as the teams combined to attempt 50 free throws.
The first period was largely in favor of the Penguins as they built a 23-8 lead. YSU held the advantage for nearly 33 minutes in the game, and the Titans didn't take the lead until the 7:09 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Penguins scored the first six points of the game, and their margin hit 10 at 12-2 when Burch made a free throw at the 4:58 mark. YSU scored the final five points of the period on a Gregory free throw and two-pointers by Magestro and Erica King. Gregory had nine points on her own in the quarter and went 4-for-5 from the field.
The lead grew to 29-13 with 5:44 remaining in the second on a Magestro 3-pointer, but YSU made just two field goals the rest of the half and eight the rest of the game.
The Penguins' defense kept them ahead 34-24 at the break, and the lead was 45-44 at the end of the third. Youngstown State was 1-for-8 from the field in the third period, and it was 9-for-12 at the free-throw line.
Gregory's field goal just over a minute into the fourth gave YSU a five-point cushion at 49-44, but the Penguins went scoreless for more than four minutes as the Titans went on an 8-0 run. O'Brien scored four points at the free-throw line during that run, and McQueen scored in transition at the 7:09 mark to give the visitors their first lead of the evening at 50-49.
Magestro's second 3-pointer of the night tied the score at 54 with 2:31 on the clock, but Detroit Mercy answered by scoring in the paint on its next three possessions. McQueen's three-point play with 44 seconds left gave the Titans a 61-54 lead, and Detroit Mercy went 4-for-6 at the free-throw line down on its final three possessions to protect the lead.
Youngstown State will play its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday by hosting Point Park at noon.
