Nov. 22, 2005
Final Stats | Photo Gallery
ATHENS, Ohio - Simone Redd scored a game-high 17 points, and Lauren Hmiel pulled down a career-best seven boards, but Youngstown State hung on to defeat the Ohio women's basketball team, 69-59, Tuesday in the Convocation Center.
The Penguins (1-1) used a three-point goal with 3:36 remaining in the first half to take a two-point lead, and they'd never trail again, fighting off several comeback efforts by the Bobcats (1-2). Ohio trailed by a possession as late as the 9:45 mark in the second half, but Youngstown State pushed its lead to double digits down the stretch and picked up its first win of the season.
"I didn't feel like we ever got into a flow," said Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. "I thought they did a good on doubling the post. I felt like every time we got the ball inside they doubled up real hard and bothered us. We didn't really get any points in the paint. I thought that really hurt us."
Redd (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) picked up three fouls in the first half and was limited to two points in nine minutes of play. The sophomore came to life in the second half, though, hitting for 15 points in the frame. Hmiel (York, Pa.) came off the bench and saw 31 minutes of action, scoring six points with three assists, a block and two steals in addition to her seven boards.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end, but the Penguins were able to take a four-point lead into the break and hold on in the final 20 minutes.
A defense-dominated first half went the way of the Penguins, as Youngstown State hopped out to a 27-23 lead at the break. Ohio shot under 24 percent from the floor, and the Penguins made just two of 15 attempts from behind the arc. Youngstown State held onto a slight edge through most of the half, but the Bobcats continued to climb back and keep the game close.
The Bobcats made just four field goals--one by four different players--in the first half, but Ohio was able to hang close with a proficient performance from the charity stripe. The Bobcats made 15 of their 18 free-throw attempts in the first frame, with six players going to the line and three finishing the half perfect from the stripe. Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was the most productive, hitting all four of her free-throw attempts. Iglehart led a balanced first-half scoring attack with six points. Six players entered the scoring column for the Cats in the half.
Hmiel paced the Bobcats with five boards--all on the defensive end--in the first frame. Rachel Frederick (Gibsonia, Pa.) and Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.) each recorded two steals.
Ohio shot 23.5 percent (4-17) in the half, while the Penguins connected on 31.3 percent (10-32) of their field-goal attempts. Youngstown State edged Ohio in rebounding, 19-18.
The Penguins were led by Michelle Holmes in the first half. The senior center scored seven points and collected five boards.
In the second half, Ohio clawed back and carved into the deficit during several spans. The Bobcats cut the lead to a basket three times in the half, but couldn't even the game.
Both teams heated up significantly on the offensive end in the second half. Youngstown State shot 50 percent (12-24) from the floor and 68 percent (17-25) from the stripe in the half, while the Cats nearly doubled their first-half efficiency, hitting 44.8 percent (13-29) from the floor.
Ohio outscored Youngstown State 14-13 on second chance points for the game, but were outrebounded 38-33. Both teams took advantage of a high frequency of miscues. The Penguins scored 17 points off 26 Ohio turnovers, while the Bobcats scored 16 points on 22 Youngstown State turnovers.
Ohio shot 37 percent from the floor and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe for the game. Youngstown State hit on 39.3 percent of its shots from the floor and put away 66.7 percent of its free-throw attempts.
Jessica Schloemp recorded a double-double for the Penguins, posting 17 points and 10 boards. Ashlee Russo finished with 10 points and Lauren Branson scored 12.
KeyAuna Jenkins (Cleveland, Ohio) scored 17 points, and Iglehart notched 11 points. Three Bobcats--Frederick, Ward and Hmiel--recorded two steals.
"We're just going to put it behind us, learn from it and get better. That's all we can do," Bria said. "Hopefully, we don't have too many more of these."
The Bobcats will now head south for a pair of games this weekend. Ohio will meet East Carolina Friday at 3 p.m. on the first day of the UNC-Greensboro Thanksgiving Tournament. Saturday's opponent remains to be determined, with either Longwood or the host UNCG Spartans on the docket. Saturday's game time is also to be determined, either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. All of the action will be held at the Fleming Gymnasium in Greensboro, N.C.
