YSU stifles PFW, 64-41
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YOUNGSTOWN -- It was a matter of Youngstown State holding on until it could find its rhythm.
With long-range shots not falling early and the offense as a whole struggling, YSU turned to another stellar defensive effort and a dominant performance in the post from Lilly Ritz to keep pace with Purdue Fort Wayne.
Then when the guards heated up from the floor, the Penguins delivered a pair of knockout runs -- one in each half -- to secure a 64-41 victory over the visiting Mastodons on Thursday at the Beeghly Center.
The win keeps YSU's Horizon League record unblemished at 5-0, and pulls the Penguins to 11-1 overall this season.
"I thought we struggled all day. We really struggled around the basket, missed a lot of layups, missed a lot of threes," YSU head coach John Barnes said. "We've talked about that since day one -- being able to have our defense keep us in games or win us games even though our shots aren't falling. So credit to the players. They were the ones out there working hard, communicating, helping each other."
Ritz scored a game-high 22 points on an 11-of-18 performance from the field to lead YSU and keep the Penguins in the game, and then Lindsey Mack and Malia Magestro heated up in the second and fourth quarters, respectively, to deliver the decisive runs.
With the game tied at 15 four minutes into the second quarter, Mack began and ended an 11-2 YSU run with 3-pointers to put YSU ahead 26-17 before the Penguins took a 28-21 lead into the break. She finished the game with those six points.
"She can definitely shoot it; there's no question about that," Barnes said of Mack. "Those were crucial. We were really struggling to make anything at that point, and for her to come in and make those big shots, that's what we need from her."
PFW (4-8, 3-2) whittled its deficit down to five at the outset of the third quarter before YSU gradually built its lead back out to 42-31 entering the fourth. Then, Magestro went on a personal 10-0 run with a pair of free throws, a pair of 3-pointers and a layup to put YSU ahead 52-33 and put the game away for good. Magestro scored 14 points and had five assists.
"I think my teammates just got me the ball. Whenever we'd throw it into the post, they'd throw extra girls (to guard) so that kind of opened up the perimeter," Magestro said.
Chelsea Olson also had a big game, despite struggling from the field. Olson scored seven points thanks to a 5-of-5 day from the charity stripe, but made her mark with 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
And then, of course, the YSU defense delivered again too. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 30 percent in the game, making just 15 of 50 shots. The Mastodons also turned the ball over 15 times.
Sylare Starks scored 12 points for PFW, but Riley Ott, who averaged just over 12 points per game entering the contest, was kept to a season-low two points on an 0-for-7 day from the field.
That came in large part from Mady Aulbach's efforts defensively, as the junior spent most of her day shutting Ott down.
"Mady did a great job on her. ... and Mady understands her role and what she needs to do," Barnes said. "And the rest of the team was helping. They understood where Ott was and tried to help out as much as they could. So it was a team effort, but ultimately Mady gets the challenge of the opponent's best guard."
That task will be a tall order in YSU's next game, as the Penguins get set for Destiny Leo, the Horizon League's leading scorer, and the Cleveland State Vikings.
CSU (8-2, 3-1) suffered its first league loss Thursday night in a 63-55 upset at Robert Morris, but certainly will still be a challenge for YSU, which now sits alone atop the Horizon League standings and has a chance to create a two-game cushion from the rest of the conference.
"Outstanding team, very well-coached," Barnes said of Cleveland State. "(Leo is) one of the best players in the league. ... It's going to take our best effort."