Second-Half Cold Spell Hurts Guins in 77-64 Loss to Cleveland State

    Cleveland, Ohio -- Three players reached double figures but the Youngstown State women's basketball team shot just 35.5 percent in the second half and dropped a disappointing 77-64 loss to Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon at the Wolstein Center.

    Junior Kelsey Gurganus led the Penguins with 14 points while junior Tiara Scott added 12 and senior Heather Karner contributed 10 points.

    The Penguins (9-9, 4-3 Horizon League) owned a 38-37 halftime advantage and scored eight of the first 11 points of the second half to take a 46-40 lead and forced a CSU timeout a the 17:17 mark.

    Cleveland State (11-7, 5-2 Horizon League), which shot 55.2 percent in the second half, rattled off eight straight points to take a two -point lead before the Guins answered on a Ashley Pendleton layup to knot the game at 48-48.

    A 9-2 run by the Vikings extended their lead to seven, 57-50, but the Penguins trimmed the deficit down to two, 57-55, after two free throws by Velissa Vaughn and a three-point play by Nikita LaFleur.

    After an exchange of baskets kept the difference at two, the Vikings scored eight consecutive points and a 15-5 run to pull ahead by 12, 74-62, with 3:15 remaining. The Penguins would score just two more points the rest of the way.

    In the first half, the Guins erased two separate eight-point first half deficits and took a one-point edge into the lockerroom.

    After a tight battle through the first eight minute of the game, the Vikings began to pull away and led 23-15 at the 8:21 mark. A 3-pointer by Karner and a layup by LaFleur brought the Guins within three.

    CSU's Dominique Butler hit a jumper and Kailey Klein, who scored 30 points, drained a trey to balloon its lead back to eight, 28-20, with five minutes left.

    Over the next four minutes, Gurganus scored 11 straight points - two 3-pointers and three jumpers - for YSU in the middle of a 16-6 run as the Guins took a 36-34 lead with just over a minute remaining.

    Karner added a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to push the Guins lead to four before Angel Roque's 3-point with nine seconds remaining sliced YSU advantage to one, 38-37.

       The Guins continue their three-game road trip through Indiana with a contest against Valparaiso, Thursday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is slated for 8:05 p.m. at the ARC in Valparaiso, Ind. The Guins also visit Butler, Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.