Youngstown, OH – The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (11-7, 5-3 Horizon) uncharacteristically struggled offensively for a Maria Marchesano-led squad in Saturday’s 54-58 loss against the Youngstown State Penguins (12-5, 5-2 Horizon). The Mastodons saw a six-point lead turn into an eight-point deficit through the middle portion of the game. PFW was able to get the deficit back within a possession, but the Penguins iced the game, converting on just enough free throws in the final seconds to hold on.
The Penguins took a lead early in the game, but the Mastodons were able to use two deep shots from Rylee Bess to win the first quarter 14-10. When the Mastodons took a 9-6 lead on a Bess three-pointer, they would lead until midway through the third quarter.
The third quarter was a quarter to be forgotten for Purdue Fort Wayne, or hopefully a learning point. The Penguins would explode out of the half time break with a 22-point performance in the third. More importantly to the score of the game, Youngstown State would hold the Mastodons to just nine points on a poor 4-of-18 (22.2%) shooting from the floor.
Youngstown State’s Danielle Cameron played all ten minutes of the quarter and scored nine of her 15 points in the third frame. Erica King and Santoro also played each minute of the third quarter, and all three players actually played all 20 minutes of the half. King and Cameron ended with 37 minutes, and Santoro was the iron-woman of the night going all 40 minutes.
The Mastodons continued to struggle in the rebounding and turnover categories. Jordan Reid led the ‘Dons in rebounding with six, but they would lose the rebounding battle 31-41. Nine of those rebounds were offensive rebounds for additional shots. The 63 shot attempts were the second most in a Horizon League game for the ‘Dons, with the most being 71 in the overtime loss to Northern Kentucky. Additional shot attempts are nice, but only when they go through the hoop. On the game, the Mastodons finished 20-of-63 (31.7%) from the floor. The 31.7% shooting is the lowest field goal percentage in a game this season and the lowest since a 30.6% shooting performance in a loss against Detroit Mercy on January 7, 2024.
The bright spot of the night for the ‘Dons was the bench points differential. The Mastodons had 20 bench points to the Penguins’ four, however this is a bit of skewed point as it was Rylee Bess with 20 points to the Penguins’ four. No other bench player for the Mastodons recorded a point in a combined 34 minutes. The career-high for Bess tops her previous high of 17 against Nebraska in the Emerald Coast Classic
Santoro would lead in the scoring column for the Penguins with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Her sole miss from the line was with four seconds left in the game up three on the front end of a two shot bonus trip, but she was able to ice the game with making the second attempt. Sophia Gregory recorded her first Horizon League double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Penguins. She recorded one earlier in the non-conference slate in the win against Akron.
This loss marks the first time the Mastodons lost back to back Horizon League conference games since January 18, 2023 when Youngstown State took down the Mastodons in Youngstown. The loss in 2023 was the last time that YSU beat Purdue Fort Wayne before Saturday’s defeat. The two teams will face off in the unofficial “Ice Age Bowl” again in February on Purdue Fort Wayne’s annual Pink Out Day on Saturday, February 21.
Youngstown State will hit the road and travel across Ohio for their next game at Wright State on Wednesday, January 14. In their first matchup of the season, YSU took care of the Raiders with ease winning 65-46 at home. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
The next game doesn’t get any easier for the Mastodons as their next game will be on Wednesday, January 14 at league-leading Green Bay. The Mastodons fell to the Phoenix in the Horizon League Championship in their last meeting. Luckily for the ‘Dons, last year’s team proved that the Phoenix can be beaten at home. The Mastodons earned the program’s first win over Green Bay last season in Green Bay. Both teams have entirely new rosters due to graduation and the transfer portal, but the Phoenix seem to be in a groove as of late. The Phoenix, however, have shown glimpses of weakness during the early part of the Horizon League season with an ugly grind it out win against Northern Kentucky and squeaking by perennial thorn in side Cleveland State by three. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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