YSU can’t build on its early lead

By Jon Moffett

The Penguins led by six points late in the first half, but UIC pulled away.

YOUNGSTOWN — The 2009-10 season for the Youngstown State women’s basketball team has been a catch-22 through as many games.

It seems like when one element of the game excels, another suffers because of it.

Take Saturday’s 72-53 loss to UIC at the Beeghly Center, for instance.

YSU had more rebounds and a better free throw percentage than UIC, but shot only 25 percent from the field.

YSU coach Cindy Martin said a couple of baskets that were in and out could’ve affected the figure.

“I think that we just had an off night, scoring-wise,” she said. “I think we took some very, very good shots and the ball just didn’t bounce in. They were open looks, and if we could replay them again, I would say most of them we should take again.”

The Penguins (0-22, 0-11 Horizon League) played a solid first half and had a six-point lead with 4:20 left.

But the Flames (10-12, 7-4) were able to score seven points to take a 25-24 lead into halftime.

“The first half we were fine,” Martin said. “It was a one-point game at halftime and I thought we controlled the tempo and crashed the boards hard ... I think the first half wasn’t our problem, I think our problem was the second half.”

The Flames scored the final seven points of the first half on a free throw, layup and two jump shots and stole whatever momentum YSU had going into halftime.

UIC opened the second half on a 12-3 run in the first five minutes.

Martin said the Penguins have to do a better job of limiting runs in critical moments of the game.

“Up by a few, down by a few, that doesn’t bother us,” she said. “I think the runs bother us more than anything else. We gave up a few too many layups starting out the second half and that hurt us. And when you’re not winning, that just hurts your confidence a little more.”

The Penguins outrebounded the Flames 26-16 in the first half, and 42-35 for the game. The Penguins limited UIC to only eight offensive rebounds, all in the second half.

“I’m very happy with how we did on the offensive boards,” she said. “We had 22 offensive rebounds, I don’t know, but that’s got to be a high for us since I’ve been here at Youngstown.”

YSU also had 22 second-chance points, compared to nine for UIC.

But interior defense was a problem for the Penguins, who allowed 50 points in the paint and another 16 from the free throw line.

Offensively, the Penguins’ two leading scorers, junior Bojana Dimitrov and freshman Brandi Brown, didn’t have good days. Dimitrov entered the game as YSU’s leading scorer with 12.9 points per game, and Brown second with 11.6.

The two shot a combined 3 for 29 from the field, and 2 for 4 from the free throw line, for a total of nine points.

But two other Penguins picked up the slack. Sophomores Kenya Middlebrooks and Macey Nortey each scored in the double-figures.

Middlebrooks had a career-high 18 points, shooting 11 of 14 from the free throw line, and led the Penguins. Nortey had 12 points and four assists.

Brown did have a career day in rebounds.

The 5-foot-11 freshman brought down 14 rebounds, giving her 244 for the year. That figure broke the record for most rebounds in a season by a freshman.

Brown’s figure surpassed that of Jen Perugini, who set the record with 239 in the 2001-02 season.

And while the season has been a disappointment, Martin said she is excited for the future by watching Middlebrooks, Nortey, Brown and the other young players.

“I think the whole team is a very talented, young team,” she said. “On the floor, we’re playing seven girls. Two are seniors, but those two seniors didn’t really play until last year when I got here. [It’s like] they’re all sophomores and freshman out there, and we’re excited we have such a young team, because we’re going to have a lot to build on here at YSU.”