YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – In the first of a two-game road swing, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies were bested by the Youngstown State Penguins, 85-62, on Thursday, February 9 at the Beeghly Center.

With the loss, the Golden Grizzlies are now 11-13 and 6-9 in Horizon League play, placing them eighth in the conference standings.

Bouncing back and snapping a two-game skid, the Penguins move to 17-7 and 11-4 in the Horizon League, good for third on the conference leaderboard.

Oakland sophomore Kennedie Montue scored 14 points for the second time in the last three games, the most of any player on the team Thursday. Classmate Aaliyah McQueen hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and senior Breanne Beatty also tallied 11.

Fifth-year senior forward Lilly Ritz racked up a career-high 31 points and nine rebounds for Youngstown State on 15-21 shooting. Fellow senior Shay-Lee Kirby, a native of Vienna, West Virginia, had 14 and sixth-year senior Megan Callahan and junior Malia Magestro both ended with 12.

Dena Jarrells, another senior from West Virginia, helped set these four up all night, recording 10 assists.

The Penguins held a 13-point advantage, 27-14, after 10 minutes of play and upped it to 14, 44-30, by the halftime break.

Courtesy of a 3-pointer by junior Alexis Johnson, the Golden Grizzlies cut it to 12, 48-36, with 9:03 to play in the third quarter, but Youngstown State went on a 7-0 run over the next 1:52 to spread it back out to 19, 55-36.

Youngstown State won the battle on the glass, 33-26, and the Golden Grizzlies registered 12 assists to the Penguins' 11.

UP NEXT
Rounding out their quick road trip, Oakland will next be in action on Saturday, February 11 against the Robert Morris Colonials at 1 p.m. at the UPMC Events Center.

Dropping their Thursday tilt to the Detroit Mercy Titans, 61-55, Robert Morris is 9-15 and in 10^th place in the Horizon League at 3-12.