Strong third quarter helps YSU upend Green Bay

Strong third quarter ends 11-game skid vs. Phoenix

By Brian Dzenis

bdzenisvindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State has an answer to the question, “What about Green Bay?”

If the Penguins (19-6, 11-3 Horizon League) were going to prove themselves as contenders in the Horizon League, a win against the Phoenix was a must. Green Bay (15-8, 10-3) has either won the Horizon League outright or shared the League title and has long been a nemesis of YSU. While the Phoenix have used strong third quarters to put away the Penguins, the script was flipped Friday night in a 70-59 YSU win.

“I came back because I wanted to win,” redshirt senior forward Sarah Cash said. “It feels good to beat them because you have to beat them if you want to win the championship.”

Coach John Barnes was previously an assistant coach at Green Bay and his former employer haunted his side during an 11-game losing streak. Last year, the Phoenix knocked the Penguins out of the Horizon League Tournament in an 66-45 defeat. The last time Green Bay visited Beeghly Center on Feb. 17, 2018, YSU had a scoreless third quarter in a 67-42 loss.

“I feel like when were playing them, he’s always on a different level,” Cash said of her coach.

Barnes tried to downplay any suggestion that Friday night’s win carried more significance than the previous 18 during the season.

“The only reason it would is because they’ve been so dominant in the conference for so many years,” Barnes said. “I know their staff. I’ve worked with their staff and they’re great people and great coaches. It was a hard-fought game for both teams and I said to our team ‘if you want to compete, this is the game for you.’”

Wisconsin native Chelsea Olson was four assists short of a triple-double against a team that entered Beeghly Center ranked No. 6 in the country in scoring defense. She had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Cash was three rebounds shy of a double-double, going 19 and seven. Melinda Trimmer came off the bench for 11 points.

“We knew we had to be aggressive on offense, but we knew defense would win the game,” Olson said. “We had to be a lot more aggressive this game.”

YSU held Green Bay scoreless for close to four minutes to close out the third quarter with a 12-point lead. Meghan Pingel’s two-point bucket with 3:44 left provided Green Bay’s final points of the third before YSU went on a 12-0 run. Olson made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, McKenah Peters went 2 for 2 at the free-throw line and Cash scored four points in that run.

“We just said that we had to come out ready in the third quarter because we knew they would be in their locker room saying they need to be ready for us,” Cash said. “We knew that if we didn’t jump on them, they could get after us.”

Carly Mohns was seven of 11 from 3-point range to lead the Phoenix with 24 points. Madison Wolf added 14 points.

Green Bay started the first quarter with a 10-0 run, but a Cash basket plus one and a Chelsea Olson 3-pointer cut the deficit to 10-6. Through the final four minutes of the first quarter, the Penguins outscored the Phoenix 10-4 to make it 17-16 in favor of the road side going into the second quarter. The game remained in the single digits between the two sides before the end of the third quarter.

The victory gives YSU sole possession of second place in the Horizon League ahead of Green Bay. The Penguins are half-game back of Wright State (19-6, 11-3).