Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU senior Casey Santoro reacts following an assist to Sarah Baker on Thursday against Milwaukee at the Beeghly Center. Santoro tied the game-high with 17 points in the Penguins' rout of the Panthers.

YOUNGSTOWN — Milwaukee seemed willing to give the Youngstown State women’s basketball team the 3-point line on Thursday night. The Penguins were happy to oblige.

YSU knocked down 13 threes from beyond the arc, its most of the season, as the Penguins put away the Panthers with a fourth-quarter scoring explosion in a 79-48 victory at Zidian Family Arena.

“I think they were trying a lot of different things,” head coach Melissa Jackson. “Obviously they started off in man, switched to the zone. I think they just saw our hesitancy with some shooting. Some things they do in their man-to-man, we really exploited. They leave ballside corner a lot, so I thought we had some great kicks. I thought we had some good throwbacks. … We talked about not being hesitant and letting that thing fly.”

With how the Penguins moved the ball offensively, open 3-point looks came often throughout the night. They capitalized on their most attempts of the season from deep (34) by hitting 13 of them — a 38.2% clip.

YSU (17-7, 10-4 Horizon) started the game by attacking in the post down low, as Sarah Baker and Paulina Hernandez each had 10 points in the first half.

But when Milwaukee (8-17, 4-10 Horizon) started doubling in the post in the second half, that opened things up for the Penguins’ shooters on the perimeter. Casey Santoro led the team with five 3-pointers, while Erica King had four and Hernandez and Danielle Cameron each had two.

“I feel like, personally, that was the most open I’ve been in a while,” Santoro said. “As a shooter, you love that. But definitely surprised that they were that open.”

YSU led by 20 towards the end of the second quarter and 17 at halftime, but the Panthers went on a run to start the second half and threatened to cut the Penguins’ lead to single digits for most of the third quarter.

However, for the second straight game, YSU dealt the finishing blow in the fourth quarter.

“Our coaches got on us, and we knew we weren’t playing our best,” Hernandez said. “We’re mature and we know what we’re doing and we try to fix it, which we did.”

As the Panthers went zone, the Penguins opened the period with four threes on their first five possessions, which sparked a 24-4 run during a quarter in which YSU outscored Milwaukee 29-10.

After a quiet first half by her standards, during which she was 2-for-9 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three, Santoro came alive in that final period. She hit three of those four 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the quarter as YSU poured it on, finishing with 17 points.

“I think a lot of it was just being confident,” Jackson said. “I thought we were passing up some shots. Their zone is different, different than Cleveland State, different than Detroit. They don’t match nearly as much, so they give you a lot up top. So I think we figured it out.

“I thought our passing was much better in that fourth quarter. We put a premium on putting that ball in the shooter’s pocket, and I think it makes a huge difference. I thought our passes were on point. I absolutely love seeing the 23 assists and seven turnovers. When we’re really good offensively, that ball is moving and it’s really getting in those shooters’ pockets.”

King also finished with 17 points, while Hernandez had 16 and Baker had 12. Sophia Gregory nearly had a double-double, tallying nine points and 14 rebounds.

Since losing back-to-back games for the first time this season in mid-January, YSU has now won four straight and sits alone in second in the league standings.

That sets up a de facto No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between the top two teams in the Horizon League on Saturday, as Green Bay (19-5, 14-0 Horizon) brings its unbeaten conference record to Youngstown for a 2 p.m. tip. The contest is the first matchup of a Beeghly Center doubleheader, as the YSU men host Robert Morris right afterwards at 4:30 p.m.

“A lot of respect for Green Bay. Kayla (Karius)’s done an unbelievable job,” Jackson said. “I need all of Youngstown to come out for that game. It should be an unbelievable atmosphere. Great doubleheader with the men. We need our whole fan base. We need a sixth man in that game.

“We know how to guard them. I think we’ll make some adjustments. I think they’ll make some adjustments as well. Should be a really good basketball game. It’s a big-time game, not just because they’re the No. 1 team, but because it’s another conference game.”