Penguins collapse for biting OT defeat

Photo

LaFleur

By Pete Mollica

YSU couldn’t hold onto a five-point lead over St. Francis in the final minute.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State women’s basketball team got its first taste of overtime Wednesday night.

The Penguins didn’t like it.

The Penguins (1-5) blew a five-point lead in the final seconds of regulation, then were outscored 11-5 in overtime to suffer a 61-54 loss to St. Francis at Beeghly Center.

“This was a young team that was put into an overtime session for the first time and we didn’t handle it very well,” YSU coach Cindy Martin said.

The victory was the first for the Red Flash (1-5) and snapped a 15-game losing streak dating to January. The win evened their series with the Penguins at one game apiece.

YSU held a 49-44 lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation. The Penguins gave up a basket to St. Francis’ Brittany Lilley with 13.7 seconds remaining. They had a chance to put the game away when junior Kaitlyn March was fouled with 9.7 seconds left.

But she missed the front end of a one-on-one and the Red Flash went right down the court to score an easy layup by Samantha Leach to tie the game just before the buzzer.

The Penguins didn’t shoot the ball well all night, but in overtime they missed their first three shots and committed two turnovers.

The Red Flash jumped out to a 55-49 lead in the extra session and never looked back. YSU finished the overtime period 1-for-8 from the field, the only bucket being a 3-point shot by senior Kelsey Gurganus.

“I told the ladies that this is not the end of the world and hopefully we learned from our mistakes, and any time you can learn in this game you can become better at it,” Martin said.

The Penguins, who have not won at home this season, will go on the road for six of their next seven contests. Martin said she’s not concerned.

“We’re not playing any better at home than on the road,” Martin said.

The Penguins put two players in double figures led by senior Tiara Scott with 16 points. She also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.

Gurganus added 12 points. Senior Nikita LeFleur just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, but the Penguins were still outrebounded 50-47.

Lilley led all scorers for the Red Flash with 23 points, while Allison Daly pulled down 13 rebounds.

The Penguins had a horrible shooting first half, making just seven of 33 attempts for 21.1 percent, yet they trailed just 24-19 at intermission.

The game was tied just once in the first 20 minutes and YSU never led in the half.

The Penguins came out and scored the first eight points of the second half and took their first lead on Gurganus’ basket with 16:48 remaining 25-24.

The Penguins still led 31-28 before the Red Flash went on a 13-1 run and pulled back in command 41-32 with 8:21 remaining, their biggest lead of the game.

Scott, who scored eight of her 16 points in the final five minutes of regulation, put the Penguins back in the lead 46-44 on a basket with 2:12 remaining. She added another with 1:37 left for a 48-44 lead and LeFleur made one of two free throws with 54.9 seconds left for a 49-44 lead.

After Daly hit a free throw with 53.9 seconds left the Penguins turned the ball over and allowed Lilley an open jumper from the key with 13.7 seconds. The Red Flash quickly fouled March, who missed the free throw, and then raced up the court with Leach driving uncontested to the hoop for the game tying bucket.

The Penguins will play at Bowling Green on Saturday in a 2 p.m. tip off.

mollica@vindy.com