Youngstown State’s Jewel Watkins scores 18 as Penguins fall at Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne was hot to start both halves, and Youngstown State’s women’s basketball team fell 74-60 on Saturday to the Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center.
Jewel Watkins scored 18 points and made four 3-pointers, which were both game highs, for YSU. Erica King scored 14 points and made three 3-pointers, and Sophia Gregory grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.
Amellia Bromenschenkel led Purdue Fort Wayne with 17 points, and five Mastodons scored at least eight points. PFW remained unbeaten in Horizon League play at 5-0, and the Mastodons won their seventh straight contest.
Purdue Fort Wayne scored the first seven points of the game, but Youngstown State held the Mastodons’ league-leading offense to 30 points and 30.4% shooting overall in the first half. The Mastodons made their first five shots of the second half as part of a 26-point third quarter to increase what was an eight-point halftime advantage.
Youngstown State scored 26 points in the fourth quarter behind four 3-pointers for its best offensive stretch of the contest.
YSU shot 38.2% from the field and went 8-for-26 from 3-point range, and it held Purdue Fort Wayne below its averages in scoring, shooting and 3-pointers. The Penguins were hurt by 26 turnovers, and they were minus-19 in turnover margin.
PFW scored on its first three possessions and built a 7-0 lead, but Youngstown State went on a 10-3 burst over the next three minutes to tie the score at 10. Watkins and King hit back-to-back 3s during the run, and Watkins’ layup tied the score at the 5:17 mark. The Penguins were held scoreless for more than three minutes until King’s bucket with 1:58 on the clock, and the freshman’s 3-pointer 55 seconds later made the score 17-15.
Tia Morgan hit a 3 for PFW to end the quarter to up the margin to five, and she made two free throws with 3:54 left in the second quarter to give the Mastodons their first double-digit lead at 28-18. The lead grew to a dozen on PFW’s next possession to conclude a 7-0 run, and YSU scored the final four points of the half. Haley Thierry’s driving layup for the Penguins at the 1:57 mark accounted for the final points for either team.
Purdue Fort Wayne’s hot start to the second half upped its margin to 41-28, and the Mastodons scored the final seven points of the period to turn a 15-point edge into a 56-34 advantage heading into the fourth.
Watkins made three 3-pointers between the 7:16 and 5:39 marks of the fourth quarter, and YSU outscored the Mastodons 21-10 over the final six-and-a-half minutes.
Youngstown State will play three of its next four games at home, starting with a contest at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center against Green Bay on Jan. 9. The contest against the Phoenix will begin at 6:30 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN.