43
YSU women’s problems continue in 66-42 defeat
Photo
YSU - KENT - (13) Macey Nortey of Youngstown State tries to drive on (24) Jena Stutzman during their game Saturday afternoon.
By Pete Mollica
The Penguins shot poorly and committed 32 turnovers as Buffalo handed them their second straight loss.
YOUNGSTOWN — Unless the Youngstown State women’s basketball team can get things straightened around quickly, it might be a long season.
YSU fell to 0-2 Wednesday night with many of the same problems it had in its season-opening defeat at Kent State last Saturday.
The Penguins shot poorly (29.4 percent), had way too many turnovers (32) and were outrebounded 40-30 as they suffered a 66-42 home opening loss to Buffalo before an announced crowd of 1,222 at Beeghly Center.
First-year head coach Cindy Martin is well aware of her team’s problems and still feels the Penguins can get things turned around soon.
“I’ve always been told that it’s not how you start the year, but it’s how you finish,” Martin said. “We’ve got some work to do, and hopefully this group will get it done.
“Turnovers again were a big part of our problem and we’ve been working since day one on the fundamentals of taking care of the basketball and we’ll continue to do so.”
The Penguins had a horrible first half, shooting just 25.9 percent and scoring just seven field goals while falling behind 33-15.
But they came out in the second half with some full-court pressure and pulled themselves back into the game, only to have another lapse in the final 10 minutes and never threatened again.
“I have a way of raising my voice at halftime and it might have got their attention,” Martin said. “We came out and pressured them very well, but then I think that we just ran out of gas.”
Senior Tiara Scott was the only Penguin to finish in double figures as she tossed in 13 points, including 11 of the team’s 15 points in the first half. She and senior Nikita LaFleur each finished with a team-high six rebounds.
But the turnovers were costly as YSU had 15 in the first half and 17 more in the second. The Bulls (1-2) committed 27 turnovers, but they shot 49.1 percent from the field.
“We’re not a team that’s going to score a lot of points, so we’ve got to get it done with defense and much better ball handling,” Martin said.
The Penguins couldn’t even come close from 3-point range as they missed all 13 of their attempts. Buffalo only attempted three, but made two of their long range shots. The Bulls scored 36 points in the paint to the Penguins’ 24.
The Penguins held their own with the Bulls over the first 12 minutes, trailing just 13-11 after Scott converted on a three-point play. But then the Penguins went completely cold from the field.
Over the final eight minutes YSU scored just two baskets and were outscored 20-4. The Penguins were 2-for-12 over that stretch.
But YSU opened the second half with pressure and forced five quick turnovers by the Bulls and with 12:02 remaining in the game had cut Buffalo’s lead to seven points 40-33.
Then the Penguins ran out of gas and scored only two field goals the rest of the game. At one point the Bulls had a 19-0 run and pulled to a 59-35 lead before Ashley Pendleton made a pair of free throws with 5:25 remaining.
“I told the girls after the game that they have to still hold their heads up high and their shoulders back and get ready for our next game,” Martin added. “We did some good things tonight and I told them so, but we’ve just got to get it together and go on from here.”
The Penguins will be at home again on Saturday night when they take on Niagara in the first game of a doubleheader at Beeghly Center at 5:15 p.m. The YSU men will meet Allegheny in the second game at 7:35.