Youngstown, Ohio — Youngstown State's women's basketball team had its best offensive performance in a conference game this season and led for the final 28 minutes in a 75-66 victory over Northern Kentucky on Wednesday evening.
The Penguins held scoring edges in each of the first three quarters, and they were 9-for-12 from the free-throw line in the fourth period. YSU completed a regular-season sweep of the Norse while improving to 8-10 overall, 3-5 in Horizon League play and 7-2 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
Jewel Watkins scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the first half, and Malia Magestro and Sophia Gregory both scored 15. Watkins was 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, and the Penguins finished 22-for-27 as a team on foul shots.
NKU went 7-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half behind four 3s from Kalissa Lacy was 4-for-4 on her own. YSU limited the Norse to one make on four attempts from beyond the arc in the second half, and Lacy finished with a team-best 19 points.
Watkins led the way with 16 points in the first half, and eight different Penguins scored in the first 17 minutes of the game as YSU built a 40-35 halftime advantage.
Both teams were hot over the final 12 minutes of the opening half, and they combined to go 13-for-23 from long distance. The Penguins led 9-7 after a Gregory basket at the 4:13 mark, and the score remained that over the next three minutes before the pace took off.
Lacy made her first of four 3-pointers in the first half to give NKU a 10-9 lead at the 1:29 mark, and Erica King countered with a triple on YSU's next possession to put the Penguins up 12-10. Youngstown State led 15-12 after Magestro's 3-pointer on its final attempt of the period.
NKU's only lead of the second quarter was 18-17 on another Lacy 3, and Watkins converted a three-point play on YSU's next trip down the floor to give the Penguins a 20-18 lead. Watkins then hit a 3-pointer with 4:30 on the clock to give the Penguins a 31-24 advantage, and YSU's largest lead of the half was 40-32 after her two free throws with 1:32 left. NKU made a late 3-pointer, its seventh of the first half, to cut the margin to 40-35.
Youngstown State was 7-for-10 from the field in the second period, and it shot 46.7% in the third as it added four points to the lead. The Penguins started the quarter on an 8-3 burst, and Gregory scored four points in 16 seconds to give YSU its first double-digit advantage at 48-38 with 8:06 on the clock. The margin was 10 again on a Magestro bucket with just over a minute left, and a free throw by Lacy with 30 seconds remaining made the score 59-50 at the end of the quarter.
Both teams slowed to 25% shooting in the fourth, and Magestro hit a big 3 at the 5:12 mark for the first field goal of the fourth period. The Penguins went back up by 10 on a Watkins bucket with 3:07 remaining, but NKU scored seven straight points to get within a possession with 1:10 left. Faith Burch made a big play on the ensuing possession by running down a loose ball in the frontcourt, and she converted a layup on a pass from Magestro to push the lead back to five. YSU made eight free throws in the final minute to protect the lead.
Youngstown State's next game will be against Robert Morris at 2 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
