Oakland stuns YSU again
Golden Grizzlies knock Penguins out of Horizon tournament, 63-52
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YOUNGSTOWN -- It was the sort of defensive struggle Oakland thrives in, and the Golden Grizzlies made Youngstown State pay once again.
YSU's bid for a Horizon League Tournament title came to a crushing end Thursday night at the Beeghly Center, as 7-seed Oakland stymied YSU's offense en route to a 63-52 upset of the 2-seed Penguins in the tournament quarterfinals.
"It was a tough loss; everybody knows that," senior guard Chelsea Olson said. "Probably the toughest loss we've had all season."
The Penguins (24-6) were without usual starter Malia Magestro, who averaged 10 points per game entering the contest, due to a lower-body injury. That factored in largely, as Olson scored 18 points and Lilly Ritz added 22, but the rest of YSU's active players combined for just 12 points, all of which came before halftime. Oakland's bench outscored Youngstown State's, 29-3.
"Not having Malia killed us. She's out with an injury, and what are you going to do? It just killed us," YSU coach John Barnes said. "She's our third-leading scorer. She's probably our most aggressive player driving, our best 3-point shooter. It just killed us."
It marked the second time Oakland (15-14) kept YSU in check at home. The Golden Grizzlies knocked Youngstown State off earlier in the year, a 56-52 decision on Jan. 30. Oakland is now 9-0 when allowing 55 points or less.
The 52 points YSU scored ties for the second-lowest output it's had all season. The lowest was the 45 the Penguins scored at IUPUI.
Barnes noted that Oakland plays a physical brand of basketball and was able to play especially physical Thursday, and added, "Some crews will call all that, some won't, but we didn't adjust. They were really physical with us -- smart and good on their part. I thought they played really hard."
And, as it was in their first matchup, YSU also missed its share of open looks. The Penguins shot 20-of-52 from the field and 5-of-20 from 3-point range. The Golden Grizzlies were allowing just 27.8 percent of opponents' 3-pointers to fall entering the contest -- the second-best mark in the Horizon League.
Outside of Olson (6-of-11) and Ritz (10-of-20), YSU shot 4-for-21.
Oakland, meanwhile, wasn't much better in that regard. The Golden Grizzlies connected on 20 of 55 shots and went 8-for-17 beyond the arc, but parlayed 13 YSU turnovers into 10 points at the other end and kept pace with the Penguins on the boards. YSU held a slim 37-36 rebounding advantage.
Making her first appearance since Feb. 19, Kahlaijah Dean paced OU with 18 points, while Breanne Beatty scored 14 and added seven rebounds. Beatty did most of her damage before the intermission, scoring 13 of those as Oakland took a 32-30 lead into halftime. Dean had just one point by then.
Barnes pointed again to Magestro's absence, noting she's one of YSU's better perimeter defenders, and added, "We lost their shooters several times."
The game never got out of hand for either team. Youngstown State built its biggest lead of the game -- five points -- in the second quarter after a Megan Callahan 3-pointer put YSU up 26-21. The Penguins' final advantage was a 40-38 lead with 2:38 left in the third quarter after Ritz hit a pair of free throws.
From there, Oakland retook control and gradually built its lead as the fourth quarter wore on. Youngstown State got as close as five points, 52-47, following an Olson 3-pointer, but the Grizzlies responded and sank their free throws down the stretch to close the game out.
"The community came out -- huge crowd -- and to not be able to put our best team out there and play our best was disappointing," Barnes said. "So I feel like we need to apologize to the fans in the community for not having a good showing for them."
The Golden Grizzlies, which topped 10-seed Wright State, 54-45, in the first round, will face IUPUI in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals Monday.
The Penguins, meanwhile, await their postseason fate. Both Barnes and Olson expressed a willingness to continue in some fashion.
"I'm definitely open to it," Olson said. "I want to play one more game. I don't want this to be my last game, so I'm open to it."
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com