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YSU women falter in second half of the season opener
By Jon Moffett
Pittsburgh
Bob Boldon’s first game at the helm of the Youngstown State women’s basketball team didn’t exactly go as planned.
He saw his Penguins put up a feisty fight in the first half of its game against the University of Pittsburgh on Friday. But Boldon also saw his Penguins overpowered in the second half of the 78-58 loss in the Penguins season opener.
Boldon said he learned two things from his team’s first game: 1.) The Penguins have made some strides, and 2.) There is still a long way to go.
“It’s very frustrating,” Boldon said outside of his team’s locker room of the Petersen Event Center. “You come in here and you play a good 20 minutes and then we just didn’t finish the game.”
Those first 20 minutes saw the Penguins within two points of the Panthers (2-0) at the intermission.
Sophomore forward Brandi Brown had the first points for the Penguins under the Boldon regime. The dynamic shooter from Pomona, Calif., led the Penguins (0-1) with 20 points.
But the Panthers opened up a wide lead early in the second half and the Penguins couldn’t close the gap. Pitt used a 15-0 run over the span of almost seven minutes to close out the game.
Boldon said it was tough to watch as the Penguins’ shots continued to clang off the rim. And the Penguin defense couldn’t do much to stop the Panthers.
“They went on a run and we didn’t handle it well,” he said. “We had open shots and we didn’t make them.”
The Penguins took 71 shots, which Boldon said is a good number in his fast-paced offense. Of those, 48 were 3-point attempts, a school record. But Boldon said it was by design and not necessarily because his team was behind.
“They were open,” he said. “I don’t know that the alternative would work. I mean, what do you try to do? Try to pound it in on their 6-foot-5 [post player]? We had zero success driving it in there in their zone defense.
“When they were in man defense, they had a little bit of trouble with our movement and we were able to get some layups that way,” he said. “If they were contested shots, I would say yes [they were unnecessary]. But we picked who we wanted to shoot, and they shot it.”
Boldon said he put the ball in the hands of his shooters and didn’t deviate from his plan. He had said in the offseason that his offense relied on the 3-ball more heavily.
Brown was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Five other teammates attempted at least five of the deep balls. Lone senior Bojana Dimitrov went 2-of-9, but brought down 11 of the team’s 37 rebounds.
Pitt had 54 rebounds. And Boldon said that, along with the team’s 26.8 percent from the field, is not going to win many games.
“We didn’t do a very good job on the boards,” he said. “And if we’re going to miss as many shots as we’re going to miss, you’re going to have to get some of those rebounds. And we didn’t really do that, and that’s a recipe for a loss offensively.”
But the best part about the game, aside from it being a live game and not a practice, Boldon said, is the chance to use the game film and get better.
“I think these early season games always have something to take out of them,” he said. “We have it on tape, and we can go back and make some edits tonight and prepare for practice tomorrow.
“Early in the season is just about getting better.”