YSU, CSU and Green Bay Grab Saturday Victories

#HLWBB Results -- January 31st
Youngstown State 87, Milwaukee 64
Cleveland State 72, Oakland 64
Green Bay 64, UIC 45

Penguins Bounce Back in Big Way, Top Milwaukee 87-64-- Box Score
The Youngstown State women's basketball team had its highest scoring first half in more than a dozen years and shot 59 percent to beat Milwaukee 87-64 on Saturday afternoon at Beeghly Center.

The Penguins, who had lost back-to-back games by one possession, held a 22-point lead at halftime and were up by 31 (85-54) with 7:47 left. YSU had 85 points at the time of the game.

Heidi Schlegel scored 14 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, and the senior forward made her last seven field-goal attempts. Three other Penguins finished in double figures as Indiya Benjamin had 18, Kelsea Newman had 15 and Jenna Hirsch had 12. All of Benjamin's 18 points came in the first half. Read more

First Half Sets The Tone As Panthers Fall At YSU-- Box Score
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown State University used its highest scoring first half in 13 years to fuel an 87-64 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.

An evenly-played matchup in the second half, the Penguins (15-5, 4-3 Horizon League) started early and never let the Panthers (7-13, 3-5 Horizon League) back in the game after intermission. They finished with a season high in points scored while shooting over 60 percent from the floor up until the final minute of the contest. The victory improved YSU to 8-1 at home this season.

"I just really don't think that we executed our game plan defensively or offensively in the first half," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz said. "We have to understand that if we want to play with the top teams in the Horizon League, we have to play very disciplined. From the jump, we just weren't there." Read more

Vikings Post 72-64 Victory At Oakland-- Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Cleveland State women's basketball team picked up a 72-64 victory at Oakland Saturday afternoon, controlling play throughout the majority of the contest. With the win, the Vikings are now 12-8 overall this season and 4-3 in Horizon League action.

Alexis Eckles recorded her third double-double out of the last five games, posting 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Kiersten Green finished with 21 points – her third 20-point game of the season – notching 15 points off of three-pointers. Imani Gordon was the final Viking to post double-digit points, posting 15 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Allyssa Copley also added a career-high four points and four rebounds off the bench for the Vikings. Read more

Oakland Suffers 72-64 Setback to Cleveland State-- Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Elena Popkey scored 21 points and Nola Anderson added 18 as Oakland (9-11, 3-4 HL) dropped a 72-64 decision to Cleveland State (12-8, 4-3 HL) in women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in the Athletics Center O'rena.

Popkey finished with her second 20-point performance of the season by shooting 50 percent (9-18) from the floor. Anderson collected her 12th double-digit scoring effort of the season. Olivia Nash added eight points with a team-best eight rebounds.

Oakland trailed by three going into halftime and were able to cut the deficit to one point in the second half but were never able to take the lead. Popkey and Anderson each tallied 10 points in the second period. Popkey hit a jumper with 1:16 remaining to make the score 63-59, but the Vikings would hit 7-of-9 free throws in the final minute to secure the victory. Read more

Strong Second Half Lifts Green Bay Past UIC-- Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Strong second half efforts from Mehryn Kraker and Tesha Buck helped lift the Green Bay women’s basketball team past UIC on Saturday night, winning 64-45 at the UIC Pavilion to win its eighth-straight game.

Green Bay (17-3, 7-0 HL) kept its perfect conference record intact with another road victory, outscoring the Flames (13-7, 3-4 HL) in both halves and limiting them to a 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) shooting performance from the three-point line.

“First half we did a pretty good job of keeping them off the glass. They’re strong kids and they really fight for the ball. We did a good job taking care of the ball, which was a key area for us because they apply so much pressure on the ball,” head coach Kevin Borseth said. Read more

Women's Basketball Falls to Green Bay, 64-45-- Box Score
CHICAGO – The UIC women’s basketball team (13-7, 3-4 HL) fell 64-45 at home to first-place Green Bay (17-3, 7-0 HL) Saturday night. The Phoenix made 68 percent of their field goals and 4-of-9 attempts from downtown after halftime.

The Phoenix held the Flames to 30 percent shooting (18-of-60) while converting 44 percent (21-of-47) of their field goals. Green Bay drained eight three-pointers and held a 14-5 made free throw advantage.

Green Bay’s bench contributed 20 points and the Phoenix had 18 assists on 21 made field goals. UIC outrebounded Green Bay, 40-36, and the Flames have outrebounded their opponent on 17 occasions this season. Read more