Skid-snapper is a gift-wrapper: YSU women upend Akron, 58-52

By Pete Mollica

The Penguins played perhaps their most complete game of the season in improving to 2-8.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State women’s basketball coach Cindy Martin received an early Christmas present Saturday. Her wish list includes many more.

The Penguins (2-8) snapped a five-game losing streak and won at home for the first time this season by posting a 58-52 victory over Akron before an announced crowd of 1,278 at Beeghly Center.

The Penguins played perhaps their best all-around game of the season but still got considerable help from the Zips (3-7), who were terrible at the free throw line and committed 23 turnovers while losing for the fourth time in the last five games.

“That was right at the top of my Christmas wish list,” said Martin, who is in her first season at the helm of the Penguins. “It was very exciting, our first win at home and it was probably the best complete game we’ve played this year.

“I think the key word today was ‘aggressive’ and that’s the way we played,” Martin said. “A lot of times teams who are not use to winning play not to lose down the stretch, but I told them during a timeout that we have to keep being aggressive and if the shots are there to keep taking them.”

But the Zips still gave them plenty of help. Akron made just 10 of 26 free throws and were 9-for-22 in the second half alone.

The Penguins weren’t a whole lot better from the line as they finished 10-of-19 and were 5-of-12 in the final three minutes.

The YSU defense, sparked by senior Kelsey Gurganus, junior Jaquetta Westley and freshman Macey Nortey, came up with big plays down the stretch. Also contributing were senior inside players Tiara Scott and Nikita LaFleur.

“I don’t think defense has been our big problem this year; most of our problems have been on offense and we made some big inroads here today,” Gurganus said.

The Penguins shot well from the field, hitting on 22-of-49 field goals (44.9 percent). They held the Zips to 18-of-48 shooting (37.5 percent). Akron outrebounded the Penguins 39-32.

Scott, who surpassed the 500-point benchmark in her two-year career with the Penguins, led the way with 16 points, while Gurganus added 12

“Getting to 500 points was great, although I really wasn’t aware of it until they told me, but the win was way better,” Scott said.

Akron jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Penguins scored the next six points, although it took them 10 trips down the court and more than five minutes to do it.

Akron’s last lead in the first half was 9-8 with 10 minutes remaining. The Penguins went on a 17-9 run to build a 25-18 lead. Akron cut the margin to 28-23 at intermission.

The Penguins went up 35-28 early in the second half on a 3-point shot by Camisha Alexander, but the Zips came back to within one point 35-34 and then went stone cold at the foul line.

Over the next seven minutes, Akron made just 5-of 11 free throws and still battled to a 42-42 deadlock, mainly because YSU went scoreless for over five of those minutes.

The Penguins took the lead for keeps on a jump shot by Nortey with 4:36 remaining, 50-48, and led by as many as seven, 55-48. The Zips cut it to four, 55-51, but the Penguins never let them get any closer with good defense even though they hit just 5 of 9 free throws in the final minute.

The Penguins are idle until Dec. 30 when they return to the road to take on Toledo in a 7 p.m. contest.

mollica@vindy.com