Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Megan Callahan is introduced prior to tip-off against WVU Tech Tuesday evening at the Beeghly Center.

YOUNGSTOWN — Entering the 2022-23 season, Youngstown State guard Megan Callahan figured to be one of the team’s leaders.

Returning from a 2021-22 season in which she was frequently a starter as well as a team captain, Callahan wanted to step up and be a more vocal leader for this year’s Penguins.

“A big thing for me was stepping up vocally, so I’ve been doing my best to really start talking more and speaking to the girls as much as I can,” she said.

With a hefty amount of transfers coming into the program for the season, that leadership was needed. Here lately, it’s beginning to pay its dividends.

YSU won its fourth straight game Tuesday night in a 102-39 decimation of NAIA program WVU Tech. The Penguins (5-3) scored seven seconds into the game and never relinquished that advantage in the rout. It marked the third-largest margin of victory in program history.

While defeating the Golden Bears (9-3) certainly was expected, it marked another night the group was able to gel after suffering three straight losses earlier in the year. All 14 Penguins who saw the floor scored, and Youngstown State was able to spend the night allowing its typical reserve and role players to increase their playing time.

“I feel like we finally have come together as one,” Callahan said. “There were a lot of pieces we had to put together, and I think we’re starting to find that spark that was within each other and sharing the basketball, getting rebounds and playing our defense. That’s really given us a spark in the past four games.”

For her part, Callahan had six points, two assists and a rebound in limited action, while Lilly Ritz scored 20 points on an 8-for-8 performance from the field in just six minutes. Ritz also had five rebounds.

Callahan, a transfer herself from Robert Morris, has played at least 33 minutes in four of YSU’s eight games to date, and had scored in double figures in each of the three preceding games coming into Tuesday’s contest.

Of the senior, John Barnes said entering the WVU Tech game, “She’s really stepped up as a senior and as a leader. She’s getting stuff done for us both on and off the court.”

Meanwhile, Dena Jarrells posted another efficient performance with six points and eight assists with just two turnovers, while Malia Magestro had nine points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jen Wendler and Emily Saunders each had 10 points, and Shay-Lee Kirby netted 13 points, including a 3-for-6 night from beyond the arc. Tenleigh Phelps had nine points and four rebounds.

In all, Youngstown State picked up 58 points from its bench.

“We wanted to come in and execute early and really try to follow the game plan to a T,” said YSU coach John Barnes. “I thought our starters did that and got us that lead. And then basically after the first quarter, we were rotating a lot of bodies in and out trying to get some of our bench players — role players that haven’t played a ton of minutes — give them a lot of minutes and experience out there. It was fun to see those guys out there having fun and making plays.”

That was especially valuable, Barnes added, as the Penguins continue to work their newcomers into the system and get them acquainted before Horizon League play resumes at the end of the month.

The Penguins also dominated in the paint, out-pacing the Golden Bears 60-12 down low.

“We really wanted to try to get the ball into the paint, whether it’s passing into the post or driving to the paint,” Barnes said. “The first three quarters, we really pushed hard in transition and got the ball in. That tends to be our best offense — going inside-out.”

YSU will continue its season Saturday against Canisius. Tipoff at the Beeghly Center is set for 1 p.m.

jwhetzel@tribtoday.com