Strong second half sends YSU past Buffalo
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YOUNGSTOWN -- For a half on Saturday, Buffalo gave the Youngstown State women's basketball team all it could muster.
It took three quarters, but in the end, the Penguins wore down the Bulls with their tempo and defensive pressure.
After leading by just one at halftime, YSU closed the third quarter with a double-digit run to create the separation it needed to put away Buffalo 86-62 at Zidian Family Arena.
"Our message all day was to push the pace and really try to wear them down. So even though we were only up one at half, I was still Ok with it because I had hoped our conditioning would really show in the second half, and I think it did," YSU head coach Melissa Jackson said. "Our players have worked their butts off this summer and in the preseason during those 30 days of practice to get in really good shape. We're not in full game shape yet, but I think it showed our fitness level right now, just how hard we play.
"They're really starting to get the chemistry and the connectivity going. You saw us get defensive stops and really get out in transition, and I think that's where this team is going to continue to thrive."
In the first half, the Bulls' size advantage led to a significant edge on the glass, as Buffalo out-rebounded YSU 24-9.
Even as the turnovers piled up against the Penguins' defense, the Bulls took advantage of YSU's aggressiveness and kept things close by scoring off cuts and rolls to the basket. Despite leading by eight at one point, Buffalo made it a 39-38 game heading into halftime.
"I feel like we were overplaying a lot of things and trying to be way too aggressive," YSU junior forward Sarah Baker said. "I feel like that's why they got a lot of cuts and backdoors on us. I think it was really just trying to stay disciplined and being locked in on our principles."
In the third quarter, those adjustments kicked in and the Penguins were off to the races from there.
YSU ended the third quarter on an 18-5 run to outscore the Bulls 25-12 during the period, which then continued and carried into the fourth quarter as the Penguins pulled away.
"Coach Jackson came in [at halftime] and she told us we were in a good position," YSU fifth-year guard Jada Leonard said. "There were just minor adjustments that we had to make. We really locked in on those adjustments, like not getting split on ball screens, being a little more aggressive with our defensive coverage and then attacking them off ball screens offensively. I feel like we made the right adjustments and it just made the game come to us seamlessly."
Despite getting out-rebounded 43-30 overall -- Meg Lucas had 16 rebounds by herself for the Bulls in a double-double performance with 15 points -- YSU made up for it with its defense.
The Penguins finished with 16 steals and forced Buffalo into 30 turnovers, which led to 32 points.
"I was worried about rebounding. I mean, you saw Buffalo's size. I don't know if anybody in the Horizon League has that type of size or will see that," Jackson said. "I think Buffalo is a really good rebounding team. We only had one offensive rebound at halftime, so we challenged them a little bit to get on the offensive glass, and I think they really did. I thought Mia [Kalich] came in and gave us a great spark there, and Sarah was really active on the glass tonight, so proud of the effort that we showed against a really big Buffalo team."
Kalich came off the bench and did a little bit of everything for YSU, filling the statsheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Meanwhile, Leonard led the Penguins in scoring with 17 points, while Baker had 12 points and Danielle Cameron finished with 13 points on three made 3-pointers.
"[Kalich's] just so tough. It's like a combination of her doing great things and everybody getting excited for her," Baker said. "She really makes those plays that gets everybody going, gets us ready for the next possession. Then also her ability to drive, shoot and rebound, it really opens up a lot of things for everybody. The other team has to pay so much attention to her, and I think it just gives everybody else a lot of opportunities too."
YSU now heads out on the road for its first road trip of the season. The Penguins will visit Toledo on Tuesday at 11 a.m., before heading out west to Colorado next Saturday at 3 p.m.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 86, BUFFALO 62
BUFFALO-19-19-12-12--62
YSU-22-17-25-22--86
BUFFALO (1-1): Diann Jackson 1-4 2-2 4, Meg Lucas 7-9 1-1 15, Ava Lamonica 2-6 3-4 7, Asia Wilson 5-14 6-6 18, Ella Corry 2-7 1-1 5, Jadeah Marshall 2-3 0-0 4, Ella Wickstrom 0-0 1-2 1, Briana Young 0-0 0-0 0, Layla Hearne 2-5 0-0 6, Oyinkansola Soetan 1-2 0-1 2, Kyleigh Hall 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22-50 14-17 62.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE (2-0): Paulina Hernandez 3-7 1-2 7, Sarah Baker 6-12 0-0 12, Danielle Cameron 4-9 2-2 13, Jada Leonard 4-13 7-7 17, Erica King 4-9 0-2 8, Mia Kalich 3-7 5-7 11, Evelyn McKnight 4-10 0-0 8, Hayden Barrier 3-3 0-0 8, Kaitlyn Turinsky 0-0 0-0 0, Dacia Lewandowski 0-1 0-0 0, Gemma Walker 0-1 0-0 0. Brooke Adkins 1-2 0-0 2. TOTALS: 32-74 15-50 86.