YSU women sweep Milwaukee

Staff report

MILWAUKEE

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team produced 30 points from its bench and shot 50 percent from the field in Saturday’s 70-62 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the Klotsche Center.

Sarah Cash scored a team-high 18 points, and Nikki Arbanas scored eight of her 10 points in the fourth period for the Penguins (16-8, 7-6 Horizon League).

YSU beat Milwaukee for the eighth straight time to earn a sweep of the season series.

Jenny Lindner scored a game-high 23 points for the Panthers (13-10, 7-5).

While Cash was YSU’s top scorer, Jenna Hirsch and Alison Smolinski combined to score 28 points off the bench.

Hirsch scored a season-high 15 points, and Smolinski had her highest-scoring Horizon League game with 13 points. They combined for 11 points in the first half when Arbanas and Indiya Benjamin were held scoreless and were limited with foul trouble.

After being held to four points in YSU’s loss at Green Bay on Thursday, Cash scored the Penguins’ first six points to put them ahead 6-4. Milwaukee scored the next five points, and YSU’s next lead didn’t come until Kelley Wright hit her second 3-pointer of the half to put the Penguins ahead 18-16 with 7:46 left in the second.

YSU’s largest lead of the half came when Smolinski’s 3-pointer put it up 28-25 with 2:58 left. Milwaukee scored the next six points, and Hirsch hit a bucket in the final 40 seconds to get YSU within 31-30 at halftime.

The game flipped in the third period as YSU outscored the Panthers 26-16.