Beatdown at Beeghly: YSU women blast Detroit

Three Penguins scored in double
figures.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — It took the Youngstown State women’s basketball team a little while to get going Saturday, but once the Penguins started there was no stopping them.

The Penguins rallied for 43 points in the second half and ran away from Detroit 74-55 in a Horizon League game at Beeghly Center.

YSU (9-8, 4-2 HL) won for the second straight game and remained unbeaten in four league games at home this year.

After struggling through the first half with a one-point lead the Penguins gradually pulled away and did most of their damage from the free throw line where they finished 23-of-31.

The Penguins shot 41 percent from the field (21-of-51), compared to the Titans’ 33.3 (21-of-63), but Detroit (3-13, 0-5) outrebounded the Penguins 48-35.

YSU put three players in double figures, with junior Velissa Vaughn leading the way with 19 points. Junior Tiara Scott added 17 points and 12 rebounds and senior Heather Karner scored 13.

Detroit’s Sandi Brown took game scoring honors with 24 points and added 10 rebounds, but she was ejected for fighting with YSU Anjalia Lyons in the game’s final seconds. Lyons was also ejected.

“It was just one of those games that you knew was going to be tough one,” said YSU coach Tisha Hill. “We were kind of tight in the first half, but we shot the ball better and were consistent on offense.”

The Penguins never trailed in the second half. They slowly built the lead to eight points (38-30) on two free throws by Scott, and to nine (47-38) with 11:41 remaining.

Detroit cut the score to 49-44 with 9:34 left, but the Titans didn’t score another basket until there was less than three minutes remaining.

In the meantime the Penguins went on a 19-1 run and put the game out of reach, 68-45. Karner put the final touches on the run with back-to-back 3-point goals.

Detroit came out red hot to open the contest, hitting its first four shots and six of its first eight to take a 14-4 lead.

The Titans’ Sandi Brown opened the game with back-to-back 3-point goals and scored the team’s first eight points.

Vaughn kept the Penguins in the game by scoring YSU’s first seven points, and her second 3-point goal brought YSU to within three points (16-13) with 10:40 left in the half.

Still trailing 20-13 with 9:20 left, YSU ran off nine unanswered points to take its first lead of the contest (22-20) with 6:57 left. Scott had five points in the run.

The game was tied twice more, the final time at 26 before the Penguins took a 29-28 lead at the intermission.

The Titans cooled off after their fast start and shot 42 percent (13-of-31) from the field, while YSU was 11-of-30 (37 percent). Detroit outrebounded the Penguins 26-15 in the half.

The Penguins are off until next Saturday when the travel to Cleveland State for a 5 p.m. start.

mollica@vindy.com