College Publisher Test Site

Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Sports

Photo courtesy of Ron Stevens.

The Youngstown State University women's basketball team fought hard enough Monday to fight at least one more day.

Round one of the Horizon League Tournament opened at the Beeghly Center with the No. 7 Penguins (14-16) bringing down the No. 10 Detroit Titans (6-24) in a game that was more back-and-forth than a tennis match.

Led by senior Heather Karner and her 18 points, the Penguins advanced to the second round of the tournament, keeping the season alive and the chance to capture the league title still breathing. Alongside Karner was junior Tiara Scott coming through with 11 points.

But more important than any one individual's performance was the Penguins desire to get to the basket. Playing with immense determination, the Penguins drew 21 fouls and cashed in significantly on their trips to the charity stripe, converting 22 of 28 chances with the team going 15 for 18 from the line in the second half alone.

Karner set the tone for the contest by opening the game with a 3-point shot that grabbed nothing but net. The senior guard hit five total treys in the Penguins win over Detroit to set a new YSU single-season 3-point record with 83 treys drained this season.

Heading into the locker room at halftime with a 28-24 lead, the Penguins were shooting just 31 percent from the field in the first half.

The second half saw a dramatic improvement in the Penguins' shooting as the team shot 42.9 percent from the field to keep a stingy Titans squad at bay.

The Penguins built a solid 45-35 lead and appeared to be pulling away with 10 minutes to play in the game. But the Titans would not be had so easily as Detroit scrapped together a 15-8 run over the next six minutes.

Continuing the Penguins' theme of the night, senior Jessica Schloemp scored on a hard jump-shot that sent her to the free-throw line where she converted the three-point play.

The Penguins secured a 58-52 lead with 3:24 left to play after another trip to the charity stripe. With time as their enemy, the Titans would not be able to trim any further into their opponents' lead. The Penguins held on firmly and converted the late free-throws necessary to send the Titans home with nothing to show for.

With the victory, the Penguins will travel Wednesday to play No. 2 Wright State in the second round of the Horizon League tournament.

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