Senior Kaitlyn March saved the best game of her career for her last home contest, scoring a career-high 21 points and tying a school and Beeghly Center single-game record with seven 3-pointers. But despite her efforts and another double-double from Brandi Brown, the Youngstown State women's basketball dropped a hard-fought 80-62 decision to Detroit on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.
March becomes eighth player to record seven 3-pointers in a game and the first since Kristi Gaudiose tied the mark against Cleveland State in 2006. It's also the ninth time a YSU player has made seven triples in a game - Leslie Majewski accomplished the feat twice during the 1999-2000 season.
Brown recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Its the most double-doubles in a single-season since Jen Perugini's 13 in 2004-05.
Jalesa Jones led five Titans in double figures with 16 points. She and Lauren Allen both had five assits. The Penguins had 19 assists on 23 buckets.
The Penguins trailed by as many as 20 points, 49-29, with 17:48 left in the second half, but they clawed their way back into the game over the next eight minutes by outscoring the Titans, 22-12. The Guins used a barrage of 3-pointers from Bojana Dimitrov, Macey Nortey and two more by March - her sixth and seventh - to spark the run. March's record-tying three came at the 11:44 mark of the half and made the score 59-47.
Senior Rachel Manuel's layup at the 11:05 mark brought the Guins within 10, 59-49, and Brown's jumper at the 9:40 mark made the score 61-51, but the Guins would not get any closer.
The first half was nip and tuck for the first 14 minutes with neither team owning a lead of more than six points. The Penguins jumped out of a quick five-point edge, 8-3, after two 3-pointers from March and a jumper by Macey Nortey at the 17:02 mark.
Detroit, though, used a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to take a six-point lead, 18-12, with 11:55 to go. March answered with two more 3-pointers to bring the Guins within two, 20-18, with 8:42 remaining. Following a jumper by Detroit's Yar Shayok, Brown's layup at the 5:46 mark got the Guins back to within two, 22-20.
Detroit broke open the game scoring the next 15 points to take a 17-point lead, 39-22, with 2:24 to go. March connected on her fifth 3-pointer of the half to cut the deficit down to 14, 39-29, but Sierra Spaude's jumper with three seconds left gave the Titans a 41-25 halftime lead.
The Penguins shot 40 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, but committed 13 turnovers that led to 20 Detroit points. The Titans also shot 50 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Penguins, 18-13.
The Penguins visit Green Bay, Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. at the Kress Events Center.
COURTESY: YSU SPORTS INFORMATION
