Wright State University
15-15
Youngstown State (Quarterfinals)
14-17
Women Defeat Youngstown State in Horizon League Quarterfinals
3/12/2008 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wright State shot 58 percent in the first half and had four players score in double figures as the Raiders defeated Youngstown State 69-60 in Horizon League women's basketball quarterfinal action at the Nutter Center Wednesday night.
The WSU lead was just 12-11 nine minutes into the game until the Raiders scored eight straight points, including back-to-back threes from Whitney Lewis. A Heather Karner triple made it 25-20 with 6:27 remaining in the half, but two Shey Peddy foul shots and a jumper from the freshman guard pushed the margin up to 11 before Wright State took a 37-29 lead into the break.
The Raiders shot 58 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes compared to just 36 percent for Youngstown State.
WSU gradually extended the lead to 49-33 following a Peddy three-pointer at the 12:38 mark, only to see the Penguins close the gap to 50-42 after a Velissa Vaughn free throw with 8:56 left.
Back-to-back Karner threes again made it an eight-point game at 56-48 with 6:45 remaining, but Kanisha Ward responded on Wright State's next possession by banking in a three just before the shot clock expired.
Two foul shots and a layup by Erica Richardson made it 63-48 and the Raiders maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way until two Toni Roscoe free throws rounded out the scoring.
The Raiders shot 46 percent for the game compared to Youngstown State's 35 percent. YSU held a 36-33 rebounding advantage, but WSU had a 15-13 edge in second-chance points and also led in points in the paint (34-14), points off of turnovers (23-9) and fast-break points (10-0).
Peddy paced all scorers with 26 for the Raiders as she hit 10 of 13 shots, including four of five from three-point range. Lewis and Thomas each had 10 points and seven rebounds, with Thomas adding five assists, while Sierra Crayton also had 10 off the bench.
Tiara Scott posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Youngstown State (14-17) while Heather Karner had 15, Toni Roscoe 11 off the bench and Lauren Branson 10 along with six assists.
Wright State, now 15-15 on the season, heads to Green Bay for a semifinal matchup with Milwaukee on Friday, March 14, at 6:30 Eastern time. The championship is set for Sunday, March 16, at 1:00 Eastern and will be televised on ESPNU.
