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YSU falls back into bad habits in loss
By Jon Moffett
Youngstown
Brandi Brown’s back has got to be hurting by now.
At the halfway point of the season, the sophomore has been battered, bruised and spent about as much time lying on the floor as she has standing on it.
Oh, and then there’s that part about how more often than not she’s the one carrying the team.
Brown did it again for Youngstown State, posting a game-high 22 points in a 65-57 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday at the Beeghly Center.
The latest loss was a winnable game for the Penguins (2-13, 0-4 Horizon League) as the Panthers (4-11, 1-3) entered the game with an identical nine-game losing streak. But poor shooting and a slow start put any idea of victory on hold.
Brown, who entered the game averaging 16.3 points per contest, said the loss was on the team. More specifically, their attitude.
“I really think it starts with our efforts in the first half,” she said. “We dug ourselves into a really big hole that we couldn’t get out of. We can’t play like that anymore.
“We can’t allow ourselves to get beat that low and then decide to fight back,” Brown added.
Brown scored the team’s first five points, but the Penguins looked at an early 13-point deficit, which including a scoring drought of more than six minutes.
But the Penguins erased an 18-point deficit and climbed within five at halftime. And a strong start to the second half brought them within a point.
But again, the Penguins slowed and Milwaukee took advantage. The Penguins would not come within five and never led the game outside of their first possession.
Brown said a team on the cusp of turning things around cannot afford to take plays or series off. She said the effort and intensity must be present for 40 minutes for the Penguins to have any chance for a victory.
“It comes from us; our mindset; our mentality,” she said point-blank. “When we decide that we’re going to make plays, we have that power to determine how we play. The difference is our mentality and our mindest and what we decide to do.”
The Penguins cut their turnovers in half from their game against Green Bay, which saw the Phoenix score 43 points on 32 turnovers. Still, coach Bob Boldon said the team has to do a better job of taking care of the ball.
“Our offense was just miserable. It was a painful offensive experience,” Boldon said. “This is a team that didn’t pressure us. We didn’t take care of the ball and we went back to taking some crazy shots. It was a very frustrating offensive effort.”
The Penguins shot just 33 percent from the field, down significantly from a 50-percent effort against Green Bay. A 13-of-21 clip from the free throw line didn’t help.
“You can’t miss free throws. If you’re only going to shoot 33 percent from the floor, you’ve got to make shots somewhere,” Boldon said. “To shoot 60 percent from the foul line, that just kind of adds to the frustration.”