By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
The final seconds ticked away as the Youngstown State University women’s basketball team came within one possession of the reigning Horizon League champions, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Penguins split their Wisconsin series against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Green Bay.
Inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center on Feb. 5, the Penguins never trailed as they picked up their 10th conference win against the Panthers. Senior Casey Santoro and junior Erica King each posted a game-high 17 points in the 79-48 victory.
The first quarter started with empty possessions on both sides until Santoro knocked down her first 3-pointer of the afternoon. Milwaukee responded with a 3-pointer of their own, but that would be their only score for the next four minutes.
YSU scored 12 straight points to push their advantage to 15-3. In the second quarter, the Panthers cut the deficit to single digits at the 6:08 mark. The Penguins answered with a 13-2 run that included 3-pointers from junior Paulina Hernandez and King, along with a three-point play from redshirt freshman Sarah Baker.
Down 37-20, the Panthers made a 3-pointer to head into halftime trailing by 14 points.
Milwaukee opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and two free throws, and eventually got within 10 points of the Penguins’ lead. It was the only quarter the Panthers outscored the Penguins.
During the first three possessions of the fourth quarter, Santoro knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, and redshirt freshman Danielle Cameron added one of her own. Santoro made another 3-pointer with 7:38 left to tie her career best of five 3-pointers.
Three of her five makes came within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and after the game, she spoke about her uncontested position that she chose to capitalize on.
“I feel like personally that was the most open I’ve been in a while. So, as a shooter, you definitely love that, but definitely surprised that they were that open,” Santoro said
The Penguins’ lead grew to 33 points in the fourth quarter.
On Feb. 7, the Penguins hosted the undefeated Phoenix for their second matchup of the season. A Green Bay 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds left proved to be the difference, as the Phoenix held off Youngstown State by 54-51 and handed the Penguins their fifth conference loss.
In the loss, Baker recorded a game-high 18 points.
The Penguins never led in the first quarter but stayed within single digits thanks to a late 4-0 run. Sophomore Sophia Gregory knocked down her first 3-pointer of the contest at the 2:58 mark in the second quarter to give YSU their first lead. Green Bay quickly regained the lead with a jumper, and both teams exchanged points in the paint to close the half with YSU trailing by 32-31.
The Penguins were held to eight points in the third quarter and went scoreless from the 7:11 mark until 1:51. During that stretch, Green Bay’s lead grew to 42-35.
Down 42-39, King tied the game with a 3-pointer and later assisted on Baker’s layup to knot the score again. Santoro made a 3-pointer at the 6:53 mark to spark a 7-0 run that gave YSU the lead.
An offensive rebound gave the Phoenix a second-chance opportunity in the paint, which they converted to retake the lead. The Penguins missed two 3-pointers and an opportunity in the paint within the final two minutes.
The 3-pointer from Green Bay forced a timeout for Youngstown State and on the next inbound pass, the Penguins turned the ball over.
YSU used their fouls to give before sending Green Bay to the line. The Phoenix went 0-for-2, and Cameron secured the defensive rebound, allowing Head Coach Melissa Jackson to call the team’s final timeout.
In the final play, King’s potential game-tying 3-pointer bounced off the rim, and the Phoenix escaped Beeghly Center, still undefeated in HL play.
Despite the loss, Jackson praised the team’s effort as well as improvement from their first meeting.
“I just leave today very proud of our team. As I told them in shootaround, we don’t win a Horizon League championship today. This is just one step, one step in our process, in our journey. I think this will really help us, hopefully going forward,” Jackson said.
Youngstown State will conclude their three-game homestand against Robert Morris University on Feb. 11. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.