Rochester, Mich. — Jewel Watkins scored 11 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Youngstown State's women's basketball team stopped Oakland on its final possession to hold on for a 52-51 win on Saturday at OU Credit Union O'rena.
Watkins scored YSU's final 11 points of the game, and she hit a big 3-pointer with 2:40 left on the clock to put the Penguins up 52-48. Macy Smith brought the Golden Grizzlies to within one on a 3-pointer with 56.9 seconds remaining, and Oakland had the ball last with a chance to tie the game.
Maddy Skorupski, who scored 15 second-half points for the Golden Grizzlies, inbounded the ball with 7.7 seconds remaining and got it right back on a handoff 40 feet from the bucket. YSU switched defensively, and the guard became forward Sophia Gregory's responsibility.
Gregory kept up laterally on the left-handed drive and cut off Skorupski at left block, and Haley Thierry came over to trap and force a pass. Skorupski passed high toward the middle of the key, and the ball was loose as the final buzzer sounded.
Watkins provided the late scoring boost, and she added four steals while going 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Gregory had another notable performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her third straight double-double, and she did it by going 7-for-11 from the field.
Gregory added two blocks to bring her total to 30, which ties Jen Perugini's freshman record for blocks that was set in 2001-02.
Thierry contributed 11 rebounds, four points and four assists while making her second consecutive start, and she helped the Penguins hold a 39-31 edge in rebounding.
Skorupski and Smith both finished with 17 points apiece for Oakland, which is now in a three-way tie in the Horizon League standings with YSU and IU Indy at 6-12. The Penguins improved to 11-17 overall, while the Golden Grizzlies dropped to 8-19 overall.
Youngstown State led for more than 30 minutes in the contest, and it did not trail from the 4:17 mark of the first quarter until Skorupski's three-point play with 3.7 seconds left in the third quarter.
Watkins, Thierry and Gregory scored during a 6-0 run that put YSU up 15-8 with 1:36 left in the opening period, and the lead was 17-10 heading into the second quarter after another Gregory bucket. Gregory then got to double figures on YSU's first possession of the second quarter to give the Penguins their largest lead of the afternoon at 19-10.
Smith hit two 3-pointers in a 75-second span to bring Oakland to within three points, but Watkins hit a 3-pointer off an Abby Liber offensive rebound to push the lead to 26-20 at the 4:27 mark. YSU went on to miss 11 straight field goals after that 3-pointer, its final five of the first half and its first six of the second half, as Oakland chipped away.
Youngstown State led 29-22 at the break, and Skorupski got hot in the third to score 12 of Oakland's 14 points. Her 3-pointer at the 2:36 mark tied the score at 33, and Xoe Rosalez's layup put YSU up 35-33 15 seconds later. That was the Penguins' final score of the period, and Skorupski put Oakland ahead 36-35 with a three-point play with 3.7 seconds on the clock.
Gregory made two free throws 24 seconds into the fourth quarter to put YSU up 37-36, and the margin was within two points until Watkins' 3-pointer put gave the Penguins their 52-48 lead with 2:40 left. In between, Watkins had a big steal that led to a transition layup that put YSU up 47-45, and she went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line with 3:12 on the clock to make the score 49-48.
Smith's 3-pointer that brought Oakland to within a point was her third triple of the game, and the Golden Grizzlies forced turnovers on three straight possessions to set up the final sequence.
Youngstown State's next game will be another impactful one on the Horizon League standings as it travels to Robert Morris on Wednesday. Tipoff in Moon Township, Pa., is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
