Saturday, March 15, 2014
Staff report
GREEN BAY, wis.
The Youngstown State women’s basketball team couldn’t slow down Wright State’s high-powered offense, and the Penguins saw their season come to a close in Friday’s 98-70 loss in the semifinals of the 2014 Horizon League Tournament.
Wright State moves on to play in the tournament championship game on Sunday.
Heidi Schlegel finished with a team-high 20 points for the Penguins (15-16) and Melissa Thompson added 13.
Liz Hornberger broke Youngstown State’s career record for 3-pointers by making her 199th in the second half.
YSU finished conference play at 10-6, which was their second-best record in their 13 seasons in the league. They advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament for the second straight season after winning one game in their first 11 league tournaments combined.
The loss marks the career end for YSU seniors Hornberger, Thompson, Karen Flagg and Monica Touvelle. Their class was part of 54 victories, including 28 during league play, over the last four years. Those are the most for a YSU class since 2001-02.
“I told the team that they should be very proud of themselves for what they accomplished this season,” YSU first-year head coach John Barnes said. “We faced a lot of adversity early, and it’s a huge credit to our seniors for pulling everyone together, buying in and battling every night.
“From starting the season 1-6 to being in first place with four games left says a lot about how far we came,” Barnes said. “Their leadership and drive was a good lesson to our younger players, and it gives us a bright future.”
All five of Wright State’s starters reached double figures with Kim Demmings and Tay’ler Mingo finishing with 26 points apiece.
The Raiders scored 62 points in the paint and 28 on the fast break. The Penguins were 0-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half and finished 4-for-25.