ROCHESTER, Mich. — Oakland mounted a strong second-half comeback, but Youngstown State held on for a 52-51 victory Saturday at the Athletics Center O'Rena in Horizon League action.
Youngstown State (11-17, 6-12 Horizon) jumped out to an early lead, using a 10-2 run in the first quarter to establish control. The Penguins maintained their advantage through halftime, leading 29-22. They extended their lead to as much as 10 points early in the third quarter before Oakland responded with an 8-0 run, fueled by back-to-back three-pointers from
Macy Smith and a fast-break layup from
Maddy Skorupski, to cut the deficit to two.
Oakland (8-19, 6-12) found its rhythm in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, where they outscored Youngstown State 14-6 to trim the deficit to one heading into the final frame. A crucial 9-1 scoring stretch by Oakland in the fourth quarter, highlighted by Skorupski's three-point play and
Dani Grim's jumper, briefly gave the Golden Grizzlies the lead with under three minutes to play.
Skorupski and Smith paced Oakland with 17 points each, while Grim added nine points and six rebounds. The Golden Grizzlies shot 40.7% (11-for-27) in the second half, significantly improving from their 34.5% first-half performance. They also forced 21 turnovers and tallied 10 steals, converting those into 17 points off turnovers.
Youngstown State's Jewel Watkins led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting, adding six free throws. Sophia Gregory contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Haley Thierry dished out four assists to go with her four points and 11 rebounds. The Penguins dominated the boards, holding a 39-31 rebounding advantage, and outscored Oakland 30-20 in the paint.
Oakland had a chance to take the lead in the final minute but came up short on key shot attempts. Despite the Golden Grizzlies' strong second-half surge, Youngstown State held on for the narrow victory.
Oakland will look to bounce back in its next outing, heading to IU Indy on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in their final road game of the regular season.
