Penn State hands YSU women first loss

Sophomore Cash

gets double-double

Staff report

STATE COLLEGE, PA.

Sarah Cash produced the first double-double of her college career, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Youngstown State women’s basketball team from losing for the first time this season.

The Penguins stayed within striking distance at Penn State until the Nittany Lions went on a 12-0 run in the second half to pull away for a 68-51 win on Tuesday at Bryce Jordan Center.

YSU didn’t have its best shooting night, but trailed Penn State just 48-41 with 2:06 left in the third period. The Nittany Lions’ 12-point spurt gave it a 60-41 lead, and YSU got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Cash showcased her skills against YSU’s first Big Ten opponent in eight years with 19 points and 11 rebounds. The sophomore forward from Lordstown was 9 of 13 from the field and added three assists in 27 minutes.

Nikki Arbanas added 10 points, and Alison Smolinski scored nine for YSU, which dropped to 6-1. Kaliyah Mitchell scored 16 points to lead four Nittany Lions in double figures. Penn State improved to 4-5 with the victory.

YSU scored the first seven points of the game on a Cash bucket and five straight points by Smolinski. Mitchell hit a 3-pointer for Penn State’s first points at the 6:53 mark, and a three off an offensive rebound got the Nittany Lions rolling. Penn State tied the score at 7-7, and YSU’s last lead of the night came when Arbanas made a back-door layup with 5:05 left in the first.

The Penguins didn’t score for more than seven minutes after that Arbanas bucket, and the Nittany Lions scored 15 straight to go ahead 22-9.

YSU cut the deficit to 22-15 on a Cash bucket, and Penn State hit a three on its final possession of the first half to take a 35-21 lead at halftime.

Penn State’s lead grew to 16 at 43-27 on a three-point play by Mitchell, but YSU used a 13-4 run to trim the lead to seven on two occasions. Indiya Benjamin’s 3-pointer made the score 47-40 at the 2:38 mark, and a free-throw by Smolinski made the score 48-41 32 seconds later.

YSU will begin a three-game home stand at noon Saturday against Kent State.