Cold shooting dooms YSU women as Valparaiso cruises to 86-43 win

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Valparaiso shot 51.8 percent while holding the Youngstown State women’s basketball team to a season-low 23.7 percent in an 86-43 victory on Saturday in the Horizon League opener for both teams.

Tiara Scott scored 13 points while Jaquetta Westley had nine to lead YSU. Ashley Varner scored 14 points to lead four Crusaders in double figures.

Valpo had a balanced offense as seven different players scored at least eight points. The Crusaders outscored the Penguins 40-20 in the paint and hit seven more 3-pointers.

YSU took better care of the basketball than in recent contests, committing its second-lowest turnover total of the year with 15.

The Penguins outshot the Crusaders 82.4 percent to 69 percent from the free-throw line.

Valparaiso went on a 13-0 run early in the first half and never looked back as it built a 43-20 halftime lead. The Crusaders shot 51.7 percent and scored 22 points in the paint in the opening period. YSU was held to 26.7 percent in the first half.

Westley scored the first five points for YSU, which gave the Penguins a 5-3 advantage. Valpo then hit on seven of its next nine from the field while YSU missed six straight shots.

Scott’s jumper with 10:50 left cut the margin to deficit to 16-11, but Valpo went on a 19-4 run to seize a 35-15 edge at the 4:34 mark.

Westley and Scott had seven points apiece for the Penguins in the first half while Varner led all scorers with 11.

Starting point guard Macey Nortey and center Nikita LaFleur got into early foul trouble for YSU. Nortey played nine minutes in the first half while LaFleur, the Horizon League’s top rebounder entering the contest, played just four minutes.

Valpo held a 25-11 edge on the glass in the opening period and finished the game with a 48-29 advantage.

YSU will stay on the road to battle Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday at 7 p.m. The Penguins will return home on Thursday when they will host Milwaukee in a 5:15 p.m. contest. It will be the first game of a doubleheader as the YSU men will play UIC at 7:35 p.m.