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Kristina Walton
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YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO – Niagara displayed a strong offensive performance in the first half and withstood a Youngstown State (0-3) second half rally to defeat the Penguins 65-51 on Saturday night. Senior guard Erika Harris (Gahanna, Ohio) scored 13 points and senior forward Kristina Walton (Cleveland, Ohio) recorded a double-double in Niagara’s (1-2) first win of the season.
“Tonight, two of our seniors (Harris and Walton) stepped up when we needed them,” Niagara head coach Kendra Faustin said. “Harris played like a season-tested senior point guard that she and was very poised.”
The guard combination of Harris and Ali Morris (Parkersburg, W. Va.) shined in the first half. Harris scored nine points and Morris added five points, five rebounds and four assists to spur the Purple Eagles 17-0 run to build a 25-9 lead.
Niagara’s foul trouble helped YSU craw back into the game to trail 31-22 with 1:42 left in the first; the Purple Eagles had 14 team fouls, but the Penguins only shot 50 percent from the free-throw line (6-12). Niagara, in contrast, dominated almost every statistical category. The Purple Eagles had a dominating 22-4 advantage in points in the paint, outrebounded the Penguins 20-10, outscored their bench 12-7 and were 3-for-3 from the free throw line on their way to a 35-24 halftime lead.
Niagara maintained a 10-point lead early in the second half, despite shooting only 22.2 percent (2-9) from the field.
However, the YSU pressed did cause problems for Niagara and the Penguins cut the lead to seven points at 10:22 in the second.
YSU would eventually cut the lead to three, 49-46, with 5:40 left, but Jaclyn Konieczka (Parma, Ohio) hit a jumper and Harris followed with a 3-pointer to give Niagara some breathing room. The Purple Eagles would close the game on a 16-5 run.
“They (YSU) didn’t give up,” Faustin said. “They played hard and their trap gave us some problems, but we finished a game on the road and I am very excited about that.”
It was uncharacteristically off night for Niagara at the free-throw line, which entered the game tied for second in free throw percentage; after starting the game 3-for-3, the Purple Eagles finished15-for-22. The Penguins also kept leading scorer Jennifer McNamee (Oxford, Ohio) in check with only seven points. Harris, Walton, and Konieczka all were in double-figures.
The Purple Eagles had a plus-13 margin in rebounds (45-32), had 36 points in the paint and scored 18 points off of 19 Penguins turnovers.
Niagara is next on the court at local rival, the Buffalo Bulls, on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 6 pm. This will be the first game of the double header with the Niagara/Buffalo men's game.
