By Dylan Lux / The Jambar
After four-straight wins to start the season, the Youngstown State University women’s basketball team dropped its last four contests, falling to 4-4 overall.
The Penguins defeated Mercyhurst University on Nov. 19 in Beeghly Center, which capped off a 4-0 start to the season — all at home.
For its first road test of the season Nov. 23, YSU traveled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to face Bucknell University.
The Bison’s defense proved to be tough on the Penguins, as they held YSU to 36 total points on 15% shooting. The team shot 9 of 60 and only shot 12.5% from 3-point range.
The final score came to a 51-36 Bucknell win.
Head Coach Meslissa Jackson said Bucknell had length on defense, which made YSU’s offense stagnant.
“Bucknell’s length definitely affected us, [though] I don’t think it should’ve affected us as much,” Jackson said. “For the first time the ball stuck way too much in our offensive system.”
With Youngstown State suffering its first loss of the season, Jackson said she was happy with the team’s attitude in the face of adversity.
“We have some room to grow in that area, but I’ve been really happy with how they responded in practice,” Jackson said. “The energy and effort [has been] unbelievable and that’s exactly how you want your team to respond after a loss.”
Just three days later, Youngstown State took on Big East Conference foe Xavier University in Cincinnati.
A commanding first quarter helped the Musketeers jump out to a 10-point advantage early in the contest, which helped propel them to a 61-43 victory over the Penguins. Senior Jewel Watkins led the ’Guins in scoring with 14 and also nabbed a steal.
The ’Guins traveled to Manatí, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico on Nov. 29-30.
YSU faced off against the University of Southern Indiana on Day One of the tournament. At halftime, a lopsided game came across the scoreboard, as the Screaming Eagles led 32-5.
YSU was able to find a rhythm offensively in the third quarter, scoring 21, but USI had too much offense for the ’Guins to handle. After outscoring YSU in all four quarters, the Screaming Eagles emerged with the win 70-34.
Day Two of the Puerto Rico Clasico saw the Penguins play Towson University. Coming into the matchup, the Tigers were 0-6 on the year, looking for their first win of the season against Youngstown State.
The Tigers got what they’d been searching for, with a 68-57 win over YSU. The ’Guins fell to 4-4 following the contest, with conference play on the horizon.
Next up for Youngstown State was the team’s first Horizon League duel of the season Dec. 4, against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee inside Beeghly Center.
To view stats from the conference matchup, go to ysusports.com, or to watch the full game, visit ESPN+.
