The Youngstown State women's basketball team had a crucial defensive stand in the final 35 seconds to fight off Purdue Fort Wayne for a 62-59 victory in the first round of the 2021 Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on Thursday at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins trailed 54-48 in the opening minute of the fourth period, but they outscored the Mastodons 14-5 the rest of the game to advance in the tournament. YSU didn't allow a point over the final 4:50, and the Penguins forced the Dons to take a deep, contested 3-pointer on their last possession in the final seconds of the game.
Purdue Fort Wayne did not have a timeout remaining, and YSU's guards created enough pressure on the perimeter to keep the Mastodons from getting any quality looks. They inbounded the ball with 22 seconds left and had to settle for a tough 3-point attempt by Riley Ott at the end of the shot clock. Ott's attempt missed everything, and the Penguins took possession on the shot clock violation with two seconds left. YSU advanced the ball to the frontcourt with a timeout, and the clock ran out on two deflected passes.
The Penguins' all-conference forwards Mary Dunn and Nneka Obiazor accounted for 46 of the team's 62 points and helped YSU hold a decisive 46-18 scoring edge in the paint. Dunn finished with a season-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Obiazor had 20 points. That duo accounted for all of YSU's 18's points in the first period, and Dunn had eight of the Penguins' 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Rylie Parker scored a career-high 18 points, and she made four 3s to lead Purdue Fort Wayne. The Mastodons went 8-for-20 from beyond the arc, which was a big advantage over YSU's 2-for-12 effort.
YSU swept the regular-season series with 102-60 and 68-52 victories, but the Mastodons were competitive from the tip, making six of their first seven attempts from the field and leading for 16:49 in the game. There were 10 lead changes and 10 ties, and the largest lead for either team the entire evening was six.
The Mastodons led for more than 11 minutes in the first half, and they held a 16-12 advantage on Sierra Bell's 3-pointer at the 2:49 mark of the opening period. YSU scored the final six points of the period with two Dunn baskets and a transition layup by Obiazor from a block and assist from Chelsea Olson. Obiazor had 10 points and five rebounds in the opening quarter to help YSU take an 18-16 lead.
Ott and Parker hit 3-pointers, the third and fourth of the game for the Mastodons, to give Purdue Fort Wayne a 22-18 lead at the 7:23 mark of the second. YSU eventually took a 28-27 lead on a spinning bucket by Obiazor with 1:53 remaining, and the Horizon League Freshman of the Year scored again with 44 seconds left to tie the score at 30 for the halftime break.
YSU made 14 of its 29 attempts from the field in the first half for 48.3 percent, but it had nine turnovers and went 0-for-6 from 3-point range. The Mastodons shot 42.9 percent, but they were 6-for-12 from 3-point range and were plus-three in turnover margin.
Aubrey Stupp hit a 3 for the Mastodons on the first possession of the second half, but YSU scored the next seven points on buckets by Dunn and Olson and a 3-pointer by McKenah Peters. The Penguins then extended their advantage to 41-35, their largest of the game, on two free throws by Olson at the 6:21 mark. YSU's margin was 48-43 with 2:22 left in the third period, but Purdue Fort Wayne scored 11 straight points to take a 54-48 lead 25 seconds into the fourth quarter.
The Penguins didn't buckle, and an 8-0 run that Peters finished with a 3-pointer with 7:00 remaining put them ahead 56-54. Parker hit a 3 with 4:50 left to give the Mastodons their final lead at 59-58, and YSU shut out Purdue Fort Wayne over its final seven possessions with three turnovers and five missed field goal attempts.
Dunn scored her 26th point from Olson's eighth assist at the 3:32 mark to put the Penguins ahead 60-59, and Obiazor finished the scoring on a bucket from Dunn with 1:22 left.
YSU shot 49.1 percent overall, and it was 25-for-43 inside the arc. In addition to a 46-18 edge in paint scoring, YSU also had a 36-22 rebounding advantage. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 42.6 percent overall, but it shot 23.1 percent going 3-for-13 in the fourth period.
Youngstown State will play at second-seeded Milwaukee in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday. Tipoff from the Klotsche Center will be at 8 p.m. Eastern.
