YSU women struggle in loss to Green Bay

Staff report

GREEN BAY, WIS.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team was out of sorts offensively and lost 60-42 at Green Bay on Saturday at Kress Center.

YSU went without a field goal for more than nine minutes in the first half, and Green Bay went on a 16-1 run during that stretch to take an insurmountable 23-6 lead. The margin was at least a dozen the rest of the game.

Alison Smolinski posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-best 11 rebounds and Chelsea Olson had nine points. Olson was 3 for 8 from 3-point range, but the other eight Penguins who played were a combined 2 of 22.

Mary Dunn scored seven points and had six rebounds.

YSU shot 23.2 percent overall and was 5 of 30 from beyond the arc. They also committed 16 turnovers, six of which came in the opening quarter as Green Bay set the tone defensively. The Phoenix held the Penguins without a field goal for the final five minutes of the first period, the final three minutes of the third and the last seven minutes of the fourth.

Laken James and Jen Wellnitz scored 17 points apiece to lead Green Bay, and they also combined for 10 of the team’s 13 steals. Phoenix head coach Kevin Borseth registered his 700th career victory.

Madison Wolf aided Green Bay’s cause with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

YSU dropped to 12-5 overall and slid to third place in the Horizon League standings with a 4-2 conference record. Green Bay improved to 9-6 overall and moved to second place in the league with a 4-1 mark.

YSU’s only lead was 3-2 when Olson made a 3 at the 7:45 mark of the first period, but the deficit was just 7-5 when Smolinski scored on a drive with 5:25 remaining. That was YSU’s last field goal of the first period, and the Penguins finished the quarter 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers.

Sarah Cash was whistled for two fouls in the first four minutes, and Green Bay clamped down defensively to go on its 16-1 run. Wellnitz hit two 3s in the first period as the Phoenix led 15-6 at the end of the first period, and the margin extended to 23-6 as Green Bay scored the first eight points of the second quarter.

YSU will look to bounce back as it hosts league-leading Wright State at 7 p.m. on Friday at Beeghly Center.