Miscues, turnovers haunt YSU women in loss to WSU
By Charles grove
youngstown
It was the kind of night where fundamentals would’ve earned a win for the Youngstown State women.
But offensive miscues and poor foul shooting were two big factors in a home loss to Wright State. The Penguins (9-18, 5-11 Horizon League) fell 68-64 to the Raiders (22-5, 14-1).
22 turnovers as opposed to seven from Wright State led to a 27-11 discrepancy in points off turnovers. WSU also won the second-chance points battle 12-3.
What’s more, YSU came into the game 12th in the nation in free-throw percentage but shot just 6-of-12 from the stripe in the loss.
“We make our regular free-throw percentage we win,” YSU head coach John Barnes said.
Indiya Benjamin had a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers while Alison Smolinski had 20. But no other Penguin had more than seven (Morgan Olson).
Chelsea Welch had 21 points for Wright State while Symone Simmons had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Things looked promising initially for the Penguins. YSU shot 57 percent from the floor while WSU made just 2-of-11.
While the field goal percentages evened out, the score remained constant in the first half. YSU held a 32-29 lead at the half.
Wright State wasn’t able to put the game away in the second half though. The Raiders got it to as much as eight midway through the fourth quarter, but the Penguins battled back to cut the lead to two twice in the final two minutes, but WSU had an answer for every Penguin run.
“You have to give them credit,” Barnes said. “They rammed it down our throats.”
Benjamin gave YSU fans a glimmer of hope when a long 3-pointer with six seconds left brought it within two again. But free throws from Emily Vogelpohl sealed the Raider win.
Wright State is the top team in the league in a place where Green Bay is normally running away with the regular-season title. Still, losing a game like this would’ve been a feather in the teams’ cap in a frustrating season plagued by injuries.
“This hurts,” Benjamin said. “It’s disappointing. We don’t make those minor mistakes and we beat the best team in the league.”
Despite the loss, the team still found some positives to take away in the close loss.
“We shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from three against one of the better defenses in the league,” Barnes said. “That was good.”
Wright State was absolutely dominant down low. Not only did they grab 12 offensive rebounds, but shut down YSU’s post play. Mary Dunn, Matalie Myers, Morgan Olson and Tamira Ford combined for just 10 points and eight rebounds.
Wright State’s Symone Simmons had more points and rebounds herself.
“Mary struggled tonight,” Barnes said. “But we needed more from our posts in general. It wasn’t just her.”
The loss is YSU’s eighth in their last 10 games. The Penguins close out the regular season with Oakland and Detroit Mercy on Feb. 23. Benjamin said the team is still thinking positively despite the defeat.
“Our confidence is growing still,” Benjamin said. “We’re still learning as we go. This game was a learning experience.”