Second-half struggles result in 75-49 loss at Loyola

CHICAGO — Loyola outscored the Youngstown State women’s basketball team 42-22 in the second half and got 25 points from Maggie McCloskey en route to a 75-49 victory in a Horizon League game on Saturday at the Gentile Center.

McCloskey hit seven 3-pointers and was 9-for-11 from the field as she became the Horizon League’s career record holder in 3-point field goals.

Loyola scored 11 consecutive points three times in the game, two of which came in the second half.

Brandi Brown had 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season to lead the Penguins.

YSU (0-15, 0-4) shot just 18.8 percent in the second half, and 10 of its 22 points in the half came from the free throw line. Loyola shot 51.6 percent in the second half.

Elyse VanBogaert added 11 point and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes for Loyola, which won for the second straight contest. The Ramblers (8-7, 2-2) defeated Cleveland State 66-63 on Thursday evening.

Youngstown State led for most of the first nine minutes of the game, but an 11-0 Loyola run put the Ramblers ahead 33-27 at the break. Loyola’s first lead came with 11:10 remaining as part of the 11-0 run that put the Ramblers ahead 24-15. The Penguins, though, weathered the storm and never trailed by more than nine in the half. A 7-2 run cut the deficit to 29-27 with 2:03 remaining, but Loyola scored the final four points of the first half and led 33-27 when McCloskey’s jumper beat the buzzer. YSU went nearly seven minutes without a point during the run.

YSU led by three on three different occasions in the first half and stayed within arms reach thanks to good ball control. The Penguins committed five turnovers in the first half, which helped to offset its 32.3 shooting percentage. Loyola hit on 40.6 percent and committed just three turnovers.

McCloskey had 13 points in the opening half, hitting on 5-of-6 from the field.

YSU trailed 35-30 after two Brown free throws with 19:08 remaining. McCloskey hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put the Ramblers up 11, and they led by double digits the rest of the way

McCloskey now has 279 3-pointers in her career. She surpassed Jessica Wilhite’s record of 277 with her trey with 14:39 remaining in the second half.

Youngstown State returns home to face Valparaiso on Thursday at 7:05 p.m.