The Youngstown State women's basketball team is a conference champion!
Lilly Ritz scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Malia Magestro scored 18 points, and the Penguins went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line in the fourth period in a 61-54 victory at UIC on Saturday in Chicago. Youngstown State has won its first Horizon League title, and it is a conference regular-season champion for the first time since winning the Mid-Continent Conference in 1998-99.
With the victory over the Flames, Youngstown State finishes the regular season 24-5 overall and 18-4 in Horizon League play. In addition to tying the school record for regular-season victories, the Penguins matched the Horizon League record for conference wins with 18. YSU finishes as co-champions with IUPUI, and Youngstown State will be the second seed in the Keeps Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship.
After an offseason where the transfer portal created the uncertain reality of having nine newcomers on the roster, this group of Penguins bonded together to capture the program's first regular-season conference title in 23 years.
Chelsea Olson provided the foundation when she chose to return to Youngstown State for her fifth season of eligibility, and an influx of transfers provided a chance to reshape the players around her. Ritz arrived from the Division II level and has put up numbers worthy of Horizon League Player of the Year consideration, and Division I transfers Megan Callahan, Lindsey Linard, Lindsey Mack and Paige Shy have brought winning qualities both and off the court. Mixing the five transfers, returners Olson, Magestro, Mady Aulbach, Emma Randall, Lexi Wagner and Jen Wendler, and freshmen Athena Hocevar, Tenleigh Phelps, Haley Thierry and Kayiona Willis, Head Coach John Barnes has given a program with a proud history a reason to celebrate at a level not felt in more than two decades.
It certainly wasn't easy all season, and Saturday was no different at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Flames scored the first seven points of the game, but the Penguins shook off a sluggish start with an 11-3 run that gave them an 11-10 lead.
UIC led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter, and the Flames' final lead was 18-17 on a Jaida McCloud basket at the 5:57 mark of the second period. Olson scored less than a minute later to put YSU up 19-18, and the Penguins led the rest of the way.
Magestro made her first of three 3-pointers at the 2:32 mark to put YSU ahead 24-18, and Ritz scored on a driving layup with 42 seconds on the clock to make the score 26-20 at halftime. Ritz had 14 points and six rebounds in the opening half.
The Penguins then scored the first seven points of the second half as two-pointers by Shy and Ritz preceded a Magestro 3-pointer, and the largest margin of the game came at 36-22 on Magestro's third trey with 5:17 on the clock.
YSU led by 14 again at 38-24 with 3:49 left in the third, but UIC got hot and went 9-for-10 from the field during a stretch to make a charge. YSU's lead was down to 41-33 at the end of the quarter, and Kristian Young's 3-pointer 16 seconds into the fourth shrunk the margin down to five points.
Ritz got the difference back to double digits at 50-40 with a basket from Callahan at the 4:55 mark, but the Flames scored the next six points to get within 50-46 with just under three minutes remaining. That's as close as they would get. Olson made two free throws and hit Aulbach for a basket in the paint at the shot clock on the next two possessions to push the lead back to seven at 54-47.
UIC got within 58-54 when McCloud split two free throws with 20.4 seconds remaining, and Shy followed with two free throws and Ritz added one for the final margin.
Youngstown State shot 45.5% from the field for the game despite going just 5-for-19 from 3-point range. YSU went 16-for-20 overall from the free-throw line, including that important 12-for-14 effort in the final quarter. Magestro was 9-for-10, Olson was 4-for-4 and Shy was 2-for-2.
The Penguins will now try to add a postseason tournament title to its list of accomplishments as they'll begin play in the Keeps Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship next week. YSU will host a quarterfinal game at Beeghly Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.
