YSU’s Olson just misses triple double

Staff report

CHICAGO

For the first time, the Youngstown State University women’s basketball team has won five consecutive Horizon League road games.

The Penguins made nine blocks and held Illinois-Chicago to 31.3 percent shooting in a strong defensive effort that led to Saturday’s 71-52 victory at the UIC Pavilion.

The Penguins (12-13, 8-6 Horizon) have won six of their last seven contests.

Freshman Chelsea Olson flirted with the program’s first triple-double in 32 years and finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks, all of which were game highs.

She had 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists after three quarters but was held to one assist in the fourth.

Mary Dunn scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half, Nikki Arbanas scored 10 points. The Penguins had 28 points from their bench, and Kelley Wright highlighted the bench contributions with six points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Tia Tedford led UIC with 15 points, and Taylor Toney added 13. The Flames played without leading scorer Brittany Byrd for the second straight game.

The Penguins scored the first five points of the contest and led 10-4 after an Olson triple at the 6:47 mark of the opening quarter. Tedford scored five points during a 9-2 Flames run, and UIC (7-17, 0-13) took its only lead of the game at 13-12 at the 2:08 mark. Youngstown State shot 43.1 percent overall and went 8-for-22 from 3-point range. YSU held UIC to 31.3 percent and outrebounded the Flames 49-34 overall, including 28-13 in the second half as it pulled away.

YSU will now play three of its final four games of the regular season at Beeghly Center. The first game of the stretch will be against Milwaukee on Thursday at 7 p.m.