Youngstown, Ohio — The Youngstown State women's basketball team got a huge second-half effort from several players, and it won for the fifth time in its last six home games by beating Milwaukee 73-66 on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
The Penguins were able to keep pace in a high-scoring first half, and they limited the Panthers to 32.1% shooting over the final 20 minutes to come away with the victory. Youngstown State improved to 9-14 overall and 5-8 in Horizon League play, and they gave Milwaukee just its second loss in its last eight contests. The Panthers are now 13-11 overall and 7-6 against conference opponents.
Dena Jarrells scored her 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer with 1:46 left in the quarter, and YSU's other four starters each scored in double figures. Malia Magestro scored a game-high 23 points, Haley Thierry finished with 13, Shay-Lee Kirby had 12, and Emily Saunders had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Saunders was held scoreless in the first half, and she had 10 points and eight rebounds in the second half.
Milwaukee reserve Grace Crowley scored 21 points and went 10-for-10 from the field, and Kendall Nead scored 18.
Crowley had 14 points in the first half as Milwaukee led for more than 14 out of the first 20 minutes. The Panthers shot 57.1% from the field in the first half, and they scored 12 points from their seven offensive rebounds. The Penguins, though, trailed by just two at halftime with the help of forcing 10 first-half turnovers.
Kirby hit two 3-pointers in a span of three possessions to give Youngstown State an 8-5 lead early in the first quarter, which saw four of the game's five lead changes. YSU's final lead in the period came when Haley converted a three-point play to make the score 11-11, and Crowley scored her 10th point of the opening session to give Milwaukee a 15-11 advantage. Kirby hit a pull-up jumper to cut the margin in half in the final minute, and Magestro drove to the lane to beat the buzzer and tie the score on the final possession
Milwaukee's Angie Cera hit a 3 on the first possession of the second quarter, and the Panthers held the lead for the next eight minutes. The visitors led by five on seven different occasions before a 3-pointer by Paige Shy tied the game at 35 with 1:28 on the clock. Nead hit a jumper from an offensive rebound to put the Panthers ahead 37-35 on their next possession, and that was the tally at halftime.
Magestro had 10 points in the quarter to carry the load as Saunders and Kirby sat with two fouls.
The Penguins scored the first five points of the second half, and they did not trail for the final 19 minutes of the contest.
Kirby scored after an offensive rebound to tie the score at 37, and Magestro made two free throws at the 8:23 mark to give YSU its first lead since the score was 11-9 with three minutes left in the first. A Magestro steal then led to a three-point play by Thierry, and the Penguins remained ahead for the duration of the quarter. The lead reached eight at 52-44 on a three-point by Magestro with 2:56 left, but Milwaukee went on a 7-0 run over the next 70 seconds to get right back in the game and trail just 52-51. YSU's advantage was 57-54 heading into the fourth.
Nead hit a 3 at the 7:29 mark of the fourth to tie the score at 59, but Mady Aulbach hit one of the biggest 3s of the game on YSU's next possession on a pass from Saunders to put the Penguins back up. A 3-pointer by Milwaukee's Jada Donaldson tied the score at 64 with 5:56 left, and the score remained that for more than two minutes until Thierry scored on an offensive rebound at the 3:57 mark to give YSU a 66-64 lead. Crowley answered with a putback on the other end to tie the score at 66 with 3:20 left, but Milwaukee did not score again in the contest
Saunders scored on YSU's next possession to give YSU a 68-66 lead, and Jarrells hit a jumper at the 1:55 mark that upped the margin to 70-66. Milwaukee had two misses and a turnover on hits next three possessions, and it had to foul Magestro with 33 seconds left to try and extend the game. Magestro went 1-for-2 or the only miss at the free-throw line for either team in the contest, and the Panthers missed two more 3-point attempts on their next trip. Saunders grabbed her 10th rebound with 15 seconds left, and she made two free throws to get to 10 points for the final tally.
Youngstown State shot 47.3% overall, and it was 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. The Penguins were 14-for-15 from the free-throw line, and Milwaukee was 9-for-9.
Youngstown State will play its next three contests on the road, and it will play two games in Michigan next week. The road trip will start with a game at Oakland on Thursday at 7 p.m.
