Indianapolis, Ind. – The Youngstown State women's basketball team outscored Cleveland State by 10 in the fourth quarter as the second-seed Penguins defeated the third-seed Vikings, 60-55, in the semifinals of the Barbasol Horizon League Championships at the Corteva Coliseum.
With the win, YSU advances to the Horizon League Championship for the first time in school history. The Penguins (24-8) will take on top-seed Green Bay (24-8) on Tuesday at Noon for a chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The game will be live on ESPN2 and 570 WKBN.
Danielle Cameron led the way offensively with 16 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter and helped spark the victory. Erica King added 13 points while Sophia Gregory had 11 points and nine rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, YSU trailed 46-42 with 6:34 remaining before Cameron's triple, a minute and 10 seconds later cut the deficit to one.
After two straight defensive stops, Gregory was fouled and her two free throws put the Penguins ahead 47-46 with 4:09 left. A huge sequence with 3:24 left went in YSU's favor.
Casey Santoro drilled a 3-pointer right in front of the Penguins' bench and on the play King was fouled as CSU's Colbi Maples tried fighting through a screen. YSU retained possession and was able to add a Gregory free throw making the score 51-46.
Following a pair of CSU free throws with 2:33 left, King knocked down a 3-pointer as YSU went in front 54-48 at the 2:11 mark.
However, Cleveland State went on a 7-0 run grabbing a 55-54 lead on an and-one by Maples with 35.5 seconds remaining. That would be the last points the Vikings scored in the contest as the Guins closed on a 6-0 run.
After a YSU timeout, Gregory found a wide-open Cameron who drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 22.3 seconds left putting the Guins back on top at 57-55. CSU moved the ball into the front court and with 19.3 seconds remaining, Maples lost the ball out of bounds, but it was awarded to the Vikings. The Penguins' appealed the called and after video review, the ball went off Maples' knee and was a turnover.
Santoro was quickly fouled by CSU and she made two free throws with 18.4 seconds left. The Vikings missed a desperation 3-pointer and Cameron grabbed the rebound. She was fouled with 12.7 seconds and split her free throws to make it a 60-55 game. CSU's last two attempts were wayward, setting off a wild Penguin celebration.
In the fourth period, YSU was 7-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. CSU was 6-of-16 and missed all five of its 3-point tries. The Guins outscored the Vikings 25-15 in the period.
YSU led 14-12 after the first quarter before scoring the first six points of the second quarter to lead 20-12 at the 7:34 mark. However, Cleveland State closed on an 11-4 run to pull within 24-23 at halftime.
In the first half, the Penguins were 10-of-29 from the field (34 percent) and 11 of those misfires came behind the 3-point line. Cleveland State was 9-of-24 (38 percent) but made 4-of-8 3-pointers. YSU capitalized with eight points off eight Vikings turnovers.
Neither team was able to score in the final 2:19 of the second quarter while the Guins were scoreless the last 3:23 of the period. In the first half, YSU trailed just 14 seconds.
Cleveland State opened the second half on an 8-0 spurt turning a 24-23 deficit to a 31-24 lead. After three, the Guins trailed 40-35 setting the stage for a rally in the fourth.
For the game, YSU was 21-of-63 (35 percent) and made 9-of-28 (32 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. CSU made 21-of-53 shots and was 4-of-16 from the 3-point range.
