WOMEN'S BASKETBALL YSU loses exhibition in OT in Coach Hill's first game

The Penguins committed too many turnovers against the Ohio Premier All-Stars.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- It wasn't the start Tisha Hill hoped for in her first game as coach of the Youngstown State women's basketball team.
The Penguins lost, 96-84, in overtime, in an exhibition game to the Ohio Premier All-Stars Sunday at Beeghly Center.
What probably bothered Hill more than the loss was the way the Penguins played, committing 25 turnovers, a trend that led the Penguins to a 6-22 record last season.
Hill, who took over the YSU women's program this past spring after 20-year veteran head coach Ed DiGregorio resigned, hopes the team will learn from its mistakes.
Have to improve
"We have to take this game and work on a few things to make us a better team," she said. "We need to work on defending in the post and to make an entry to the post and our guards need to step it up and take care of the ball better against pressure."
The Penguins were without their leading returning scorer and rebounder, 6-foot-3 junior Jen Perguini, who was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer Saturday.
"We rushed her to the emergency ward on Saturday morning and they told us she needed at least 24 hours to get it settled down," Hill said.
The Penguins also lost red-shirt freshman point guard Ashley Russo in the second half, when she re-injured the ankle that kept her out of all of last season.
The former Boardman High standout is expected to return to practice before the Penguins' regular season opener Nov. 22 against Bowling Green.
The bench helps
One thing Hill did find out Sunday was that she has help with some depth. Sophomores Aliyah Sabree and Michelle Holmes both came off the bench to aid the Penguins.
"Aliyah came in and gave us help defensively, shutting down Tomeka Brown, and she also contributed offensively," Hill said.
Sabree, who played sparingly last year as a freshman, scored eight points and had four assists, while the 6-3 Holmes had a perfect shooting night, making all four shots from the field and 4-for-4 at the foul line. She also had seven rebounds.
Senior Jessica Forsythe led the Penguins with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while junior Cathy Hanek, who missed all of last season with illness, and Holmes, added 12 points each.
The Premier All-Stars, made up of former college standouts mostly from Ohio State, were led by Jamie Lewis with 29 points, while Lisa Cline added 22 and Brown had 18.
Test for team
"They might be a bunch of Ohio State has-beens, but they're still pretty good and they really brought out our weaknesses," Hill said.
The Penguins shot well during regulation, making 50 percent of their shots, but in overtime they were just 1-of-8 and turned the ball over four times.
The All-Stars took their biggest lead, 25-18, with 7:38 remaining in the first half, before the Penguins went on 10-4 run to close the gap to one point, 29-28. YSU held a 38-36 halftime lead on Sabree's basket in the final seconds.
Led most of half
The Penguins led 43-42 with 16:12 remaining and stayed in control most of the half, leading 67-60 with eighth minutes remaining. YSU led 77-73 with three minutes to play.
The All-Stars tied the score at 77, and after YSU went ahead, 81-79, Lewis stole the ball and drove in for a layup to tie it with 11 seconds remaining. Hanek's final shot at the buzzer missed. In overtime, the Penguins could not find the range and quickly fell behind, 89-84, and the All-Stars scored the final seven points.
mollica@vindy.com