YSU WOMEN Penguins lose lead in loss to Kent St.

The Golden Flashes rallied to upend YSU 74-70.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
KENT -- Christmas came early for the Kent State women's basketball team and Youngstown State played Santa Claus.
The Penguins gave away a nine point lead in the final eight minutes of Sunday's game, allowing Kent State to post a 74-70 victory in front of 1,078 fans at the MAC Center.
The Penguins committed 27 turnovers -- 12 in the final nine minutes.
"We've got to learn how to win," said YSU coach Ed DiGregorio. "You can't turn the ball over like we did and expect to win."
Kent State's full-court pressure bothered the Penguins (2-5), especially in the second half.
"It's not like we've never seen that press before," DiGregorio said. "It's the same one we use and we work against it every day in practice.
"Nobody wanted the ball out there today," he added. "We have nobody stepping up to take a leadership role."
Leaders
Junior guard Devin Novak, who was 5 of 7 from 3-point range, led the Penguins with 19 points.
Senior Maggie Johnston added 15 and sophomore Jen Perugini scored 12, while junior Jessica Forsythe had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Golden Flashes (3-4) were led by senior Valerie Zona with 18 points, including three crucial free throws in the final 10 seconds when Kent State led 71-70.
Jamie Rubis and Lindsay Shearer added 17 and 16 points, respectively, and Christi Shibata chipped in with 11.
The Penguins held a 61-52 lead with 7:41 remaining in the contest, but turned the ball over their next four times down the floor, including twice without getting across the 10-second line.
Kent State tied the score at 63 with 3:34 remaining, then pulled to a 69-63 advantage with 2:14 remaining as the Penguins made three more turnovers.
Johnston and Novak each made a pair of free throws, and then with 39 seconds remaining Johnston tossed in a 3-point goal to make it 71-70.
YSU regained possession with 15 seconds to go following a missed shot, but Jessica Olmstead committed her fifth foul on the rebound. Zona sank both free throws and one more with 1.8 seconds to ice the victory.
Taking control
The Penguins started slowly, falling behind 23-10 during the first eight minutes, but then caught fire.
Novak started the rally with a 3-pointer and the Penguins went on a 19-2 run to take a 32-27 lead with 5:25 left in the half.
Kent State tied the game at 35 before Novak scored again. The Penguins led 37-36 at halftime.
YSU shot 45.4 percent (25-of-56) and was 11-of-23 from 3-point range, two short of the school record of 13.
The big difference was at the foul line. Kent State made 27-of-38 while the Penguins were just 8-of-10. Kent State also held an edge in rebounds 50-39. Shearer had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 16 points.
The Penguins will play three games in the next seven days, beginning Wednesday night, when they play host to Buffalo at 7 p.m. at Beeghly Center. YSU travels to Ohio State Friday and then plays host to Akron Sunday at 1 p.m.
mollica@vindy.com