WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Penguins open season with rare win at BGSU

Jessica Olmstead's 3-pointer in the final minute put Youngstown State on top.
By JAYME RAMSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BOWLING GREEN -- The Youngstown State women's basketball team opened the season with a 70-64 win over Bowling Green on Friday at Anderson Arena.
The Penguins had not won at Anderson Arena since 1990 and the Falcons had won nine of the last 10 games in the series.
Senior Maggie Johnston and junior Jessica Forsythe led Youngstown State in scoring with 14 points apiece. Sophomore Barb Fabianova had 13 points and sophomore Jessica Olmstead had 12 points.
Olmstead's 3-pointer with 44 seconds left in the game broke a 64-64 tie. Olmstead was three of four from 3-point range.
After making only two 3-pointers all of last season, she became a threat from behind the arc Friday. Olmstead also had a career high seven assists.
Big plays
"To their [Youngstown State's] credit, they made the big plays. Olmstead stepped up and made three 3-pointers tonight but a big one with less than a minute to go," Bowling Green coach Curt Miller said. "That shows a lot of guts and courage and I give that kid a lot of credit."
Olmstead said she barely remembered her shot that put the Penguins in the lead for good and only remembers being open, knowing her team needed to sink a big shot, and making that shot.
"By the way, she's not our best 3-point shooter," YSU coach Ed DiGregorio said of Olmstead. "We don't set her up for 3-point shots.
"But she is a competitor," he added. "You saw her on the boards tonight and playing defense and scrapping for the ball and just hustling all the time."
Closing minute
Bowling Green's Stefanie Wenzel had a chance to score with less than 40 seconds left in the game but missed a shot under the basket. Olmstead got the rebound and was immediately fouled.
Youngstown State went to the foul line with three seconds remaining after Bowling Green's coach was whistled for a technical foul. The Penguins cemented their lead by making three of their last four free throws.
Youngstown State's defense was able to control Bowling Green's up-tempo offense. YSU's defense held Wenzel, one of Bowling Green's top scorers, to 10 points. Wenzel scored 26 points in an exhibition game against The Premier All-Stars last week.
"We knew we had to stop [Francine] Miller and we knew we had to take her and Wenzel out of the game. Those two kids are great players," DiGregorio said.
Olmstead held Miller to 16 points.
"Olmstead is the player of the game today. She made the big play, she had the big defensive assignment for the majority of the game," Miller said.
3-pointers
The Penguins started firing 3-pointers as soon as the game started and made six of 10 in the first half and were six for 13 in the second half. They shot 44.6 percent from the field, while Bowling Green was held to a 33.9 field goal percentage.
After leading 37-36 at halftime, the Penguins opened the second half with an 8-0 run. The Falcons tied the game with 10:40 left and held onto the lead until Forsythe made a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left in the game.
DiGregorio was pleased with how his young team played and is optimistic about the season.
"We've had a lot of injuries and the kids overcame those injuries," DiGregorio said. "I think we can be a real good ball club. We just got to get well and play a little tougher and do a lot of work in practice so we get that right chemistry."
Lakeview graduate Karen Stocz added nine points for Bowling Green.