Youngstown State smothers Robert Morris, 65-48
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YOUNGSTOWN -- In a Youngstown State-Robert Morris series recently dominated by defensive battles, Thursday night was no exception.
The result was no exception to recent series history either.
YSU held its visitors to a 16-for-57 night from the field (28.1 percent) and used big second and fourth quarter runs to put the Colonials away, 65-48.
The Penguins have won five straight against Robert Morris dating back to the 2020-21 season.
"We definitely emphasize defense for this game," YSU guard Paige Shy said. She later added, "In the fourth quarter, it was close. We all were saying we just need to get stops, and I think we really buckled down and did that."
Two key runs made the difference for the Penguins (12-4, 6-1 Horizon League).
With the game tied at 16 in the second quarter, Youngstown State finished the half on a 15-3 run. Then, late in the third quarter, RMU (7-9, 1-6 Horizon League) cut the deficit to six (42-36) before YSU replied with an 8-0 run to end the third and begin the fourth to put the game back into double figures.
The galvanizer throughout those runs -- and in fact, throughout much of the game -- was attacking the rim. YSU's guards spent much of the night driving and cutting to the basket, and otherwise would find Lilly Ritz down low.
Ritz led YSU with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Megan Callahan posted 14 points against her former school. Shy added 15 points, including a 6-for-6 night at the charity stripe. In all, Youngstown State outscored RMU in the paint, 36-18.
"They pressure a lot, and they pressure as soon as you cross half court," YSU guard Mady Aulbach explained. "So a team that plays defense like that, you have to attack them and you have to blow by them, because if they're that far out, that means there's not a lot of help in there (in the paint). ... Once we started doing that, I think it gave our girls some confidence and showed that if we just attack, we can get some open shots."
That was crucial, as the Penguins had a tough night from 3-point range -- just 4-for-24. That said, when YSU did hit on its triples, it came in critical moments. Callahan had two treys, one during each of YSU's decisive runs. Aulbach also had one during the 15-3 spurt and finished with five points, five rebounds and three assists.
Robert Morris didn't fare well from deep either. The Colonials were 4-for-17 from the field, and YSU managed to force 14 turnovers and gave up just seven assists.
Phoenix Gedeon led RMU with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Mackenzie Amalia had 12 points and three assists. Western Reserve graduate Danielle Vuletich scored eight points in her night back in the Mahoning Valley.
The Penguins had 17 assists to just nine turnovers, something head coach John Barnes was pleased to see.
"I thought our valuing the basketball this game was really good. They force 20 turnovers a game (on average), and we only had nine. That was big for us," Barnes said.
And, he added, the defense answered the bell when it was needed.
Aulbach said of clamping down in the fourth, "They weren't doing anything differently than they were doing in the first and second quarter. We were just retreating, and we weren't punching back. So just keeping our heads level and remembering that people are going to throw a punch, and we just have to throw punches back and just keep up with our leads, because basketball is a game of runs."
The Penguins continue their campaign Monday night against reigning league champion IUPUI.
jwhetzel@tribtoday.com