Saturday, November 29, 2008
YSU defeated Weber State 67-60 in the first round of the Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Tournament.
Special to the Vindicator
PITTSBURGH — The Youngstown State University women’s basketball team’s post players combined for 27 points in the second half in Friday’s 67-60 victory over Weber State.
The Penguins rallied from a 15-point deficit at the Petersen Events Center.
Senior center Nikita LaFleur had career-highs with 24 points and 17 rebounds while Tiara Scott added 14 points.
LaFleur had 14 points in the second half, Scott had 12, and the pair combined to go 12-for-13 from the line in the final 20 minutes.
The win is the first for Coach Cindy Martin at the helm of the Penguins (1-3). Weber State, which defeated Pac-10 member Washington earlier in the year, fell to 2-2.
“Our posts really stepped up inside today,” Martin said. “Our guards did a good job of getting the ball inside, and our defense really stepped up and led us to this win. Our coaches also came up with a great scouting report and had us ready for what we would see.
“This win feels really good,” Martin said. “The ladies celebrated like they just won a national title, and they should have. We’ve been through a lot since April, and I really want them to enjoy this.
Today at 4:15 p.m., the Penguins will play Pittsburgh in the finale of the Pitt Thanksgiving Tournament. The Panthers defeated Elon 84-49 in Friday’s other game.
Eight minutes into the game, Weber State led by 15 after making 11 of its first 12 shots. From that point, YSU outscored the Wildcats 55-33.
“We took a timeout right at the 12-minute mark and found a way to motive everyone,” Martin said. “We changed our defense, upped our intensity and the ladies really responded.”
Trailing 38-32 at the half, the Penguins forced four turnovers in the first four minutes and tied the game at 43-43 on a three-point play by LaFleur with 16:05 remaining.
Macey Nortey’s jumper with 14:28 remaining gave the Penguins their first lead.
Two free throws by Caitlin Anderson put Weber State back on top with 4:26 left, but YSU held the Wildcats scoreless for the next three minutes and built a 60-55 lead.
Tonya Schnibbe hit a trey with 1:33 remaining to get Weber State within two, but Scott came up with a big offensive rebound on YSU’s next possession, and the Penguins made seven of their eight free throws down the stretch.
Ali Thorderson had 12 points for WSU through the first 20 minutes while Caitlin Anderson had 10.
LaFleur had 10 points at halftime for YSU, which was just four points off her career-high.
Weber State shot 51.7 percent in the first half, making four of their final 17.
YSU shot 43.3 percent. The Penguins also committed just four turnovers in the first half.
The Penguins held Weber State to 26.9 percent from the floor in the second half and outscored the Wildcats 17-6 at the free throw line.