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70
Winner Youngstown State YSU 3-0
44
Radford RAD 1-2
Winner
Youngstown State YSU
3-0
70
Final
44
Radford RAD
1-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Youngstown State YSU 30 40 70
Radford RAD 22 22 44

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

PENGUINS USE 3-POINT SHOOTING TO PUSH PAST RADFORD, 70-44



RADFORD, Va. – Youngstown State connected on nine 3-pointers and used an 18-3 run midway through the second half to pull away for a 70-44 nonconference women's basketball win over Radford Saturday afternoon inside the Dedmon Center.
 
"Youngstown State played well as a team today," head coach Mike McGuire pointed out. "I thought they did an excellent job of balancing their offensive attack. They can really shoot the ball and can score inside. What I was most impressed with was their ability to play as a team and find the open person quite a bit. When we made mistakes, they made us pay. I also think they reflect their seniors in their approach and how they compete. They will be a strong team in the Horizon League."
 
The Penguins (3-0) nailed three shots from downtown during their 18-3 run, which put the visitors ahead, 50-29, at the 9:47 mark of the second half. YSU finished 9-for-20 (45 percent) from long range.
 
Interestingly enough, the Highlanders (1-2) entered the game first in the Big South in 3-point field goal percentage defense. They had only surrendered two 3-pointers on 28 attempts (.71 percent) in their first two games this season.
 
However, the Penguins got off to a hot start from beyond the arc and never really cooled down. Already ahead 10-5, YSU mounted an 8-0 run on the strength of 3-pointers by Kelsea Newman and Indiya Benjamin, and a layup by Newman to stretch its lead to 18-5. From there, Radford (1-2) responded with a 14-2 surge, capped by a Kiera McIvor triple, to close the gap to 20-19 with 6:14 remaining before halftime. The Penguins went into the locker room on top, 30-22.
 
"This is not how we wanted to play today," McGuire mentioned. "In the first half, I thought our effort was good, but our shots weren't falling. We had 38 shots and shot 21 percent, so we were fortunate to not be down by more than eight at the half."
 
The Highlanders were impressive from 3-point range as well. They had only made eight for the season entering the game. RU nearly had that many by game's end. Led by Aisha Foy's three treys, Radford knocked down a season-high seven 3-pointers. The team's seven 3-pointers were the most since RU made eight against Campbell on Jan. 25 of this year.
 
"Right now, we are still learning how to compete," McGuire continued. "We must learn to play longer than 20 minutes and execute much better. We are stuck on playing half a game right now. This is part of the rebuilding and growing process as we move forward. We will learn and improve."
 
Foy led the Highlanders with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. She was 3-for-6 from downtown. Rachael Ross also reached double figures with 10 points. Jayda Worthy (eight), Jordynn Gaymon (eight) and Janayla White (seven) accounted for 23 of Radford's 40 rebounds. RU concluded the contest at 27.4 percent shooting.
 
The Highlanders cut down on their turnovers, only committing 13 today. They averaged 20 per game entering the day. Eleven of their 13 miscues were made in the second stanza.
 
Benjamin and Newman both delivered a 4-for-7 performance from 3-point land en route to 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Penguins. Xavier transfer Latisha Walker netted 12 points and 10 rebounds to post a double-double, while preseason All-Horizon League honoree Heidi Schlegel was held to nine points and 10 rebounds. YSU ended the game at 41.7 percent shooting.
           
Radford returns to the road to face its second of three ACC opponents this season when the team travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for Wednesday's 2 p.m. clash with the Panthers inside the Petersen Events Center. Ironically, YSU plays Pitt this season as well. The Penguins head to the Steel City to play the Panthers on Dec. 21.

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