#HLWBB Recap: #MotorCityMadness Day Three
Joey Yashinsky
No. 5 Youngstown State 62, No. 4 Milwaukee 58
In a Motor City Madness quarterfinal on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena, it was the No. 5 seed Youngstown State Penguins escaping with a 62-58 victory over the No. 4 seed Milwaukee Panthers.
Through three quarters, it looked like Youngstown State would be able to coast into the semifinals. The Penguins led Milwaukee by five after the first, 11 at the half, and 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
Then it was time for the Kelsey Cunningham Show to begin. The senior guard poured in 10 points in a row to open the final quarter and suddenly the Panthers were right back in the game. That 10-0 run turned into 20 straight points for Milwaukee, wiping away a onetime 17-point deficit entirely and giving the Panthers a three-point advantage.
But sophomore forward Natalie Myers, the unsung hero for the Penguins all afternoon, dropped in her fourth triple of the game to erase the short-lived Milwaukee lead and tie the game at 51.
A minute later, Horizon League All-Freshman selection Chelsea Olson buried a 3 to put Youngstown State back in front. And then with just over a minute to play the Penguins’ senior leader, Indiya Benjamin, launched a shot from beyond the arc to potentially ice the game.
It dropped.
“That was a pretty big shot,” said Benjamin. “I had a little space. I was just praying that it would go in, and luckily it did for us.”
Sophomore guard Jamie Reit nailed a 3 to get the Panthers back within one and they had a chance to tie with under five seconds left. The ball found its way to Milwaukee’s All-League Second Team player Steph Kostowicz. She worked her way for a shot underneath, but the ball hit the back iron and came off, cementing the win for Youngstown State.
“We drew it up for Steph to get it in the post,” said Milwaukee head coach Kyle Rechlicz. “I’d run that play 1,000 times and get Steph the ball in that situation. I was as shocked as she was when it didn’t go in.
Youngstown State was led by a dominant performance from junior Sarah Cash. Logging 32 minutes, Cash posted a game-high 24 points while leading the Penguins in rebounds with eight. Benjamin finished with 13 points and six assists.
Milwaukee got a double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) from All-Horizon Second Team selection Jenny Lindner. Kostowicz had a difficult night from the field (2-9), but was able to record six rebounds and six assists. Cunningham scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter.
“Kelsey Cunningham was incredible,” said Rechlicz.
With the defeat, Milwaukee’s record drops to 20-11.
With the victory, Youngstown State (16-14) advances to the Motor City Madness semifinals Monday at 1:00 p.m. against top-seeded Green Bay. The Phoenix won both regular season meetings.
No. 3 Wright State 83, No. 6 Cleveland State 61
In the opener of day three of the Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships, it was the No. 3 seed Wright State Raiders advancing with an 83-61 victory over the No. 6 seed Cleveland State Vikings.
The opening period was a back-and-forth affair, with the Raiders ultimately taking a 19-15 advantage. The game changed in the second quarter with Wright State taking firm control.
The game’s leading scorer, Mackenzie Taylor (career-high 22 points) buried a pair of 3-pointers, part of a sparkling 6-of-11 effort from beyond the arc. Lexi Smith found success inside, forcing the Cleveland State post players into foul trouble. Smith earned seven free-throw attempts in the opening half and finished the game with 12 points and five boards.
Taylor, the offensive star of the day, entered the contest locked in on both ends of the floor.
“It feels really good getting that confidence in our first game here,” said Taylor. “I knew coming in I had a big defensive assignment to try and limit (Ashanti) Abshaw. Hitting shots always motivates you to get more stops on defense.”
Horizon League Player of the Year Chelsea Welch finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for Wright State
The Raiders took a commanding 47-30 lead into the break.
For the Vikings, All-Conference First-Teamer Khayla Livingston was never able to get untracked. She was just 1-of-5 at the half and missed 10 of her first 12 shots on the way to a seven-point afternoon.
Cleveland State was paced by sophomore Jade Ely’s 19 points. Senior Olivia Voskuhl and junior Ashanti Abshaw chipped in 13 points apiece.
The Vikings made a brief push in the third quarter, cutting the Wright State lead to 57-44. But the Raiders struck back with seven straight, capped off by a Welch putback and another Taylor triple.
Cleveland State head coach Kate Peterson-Abiad wished her 19-win team could have more closely resembled the high-octane squad from the regular season.
“Here in this big arena, at this big event, you want your kids to be at their best,” said Peterson. “So it’s just disappointing that this was not our best game today.”
During the regular season, Cleveland State bested the Raiders in both head-to-head battles, including a road victory less than two weeks ago. But on the tournament stage, it was Wright State that grabbed the lead early and never looked back.
Wright State finished strong in February, capturing five wins over the final six games heading into Motor City Madness. The momentum carried right onto the Little Caesars Arena floor.
Cleveland State's record drops to 19-11.
With the victory, Wright State (22-9) advances to the Motor City Madness semifinals Monday at 3:30 p.m. against No. 2 seed IUPUI. The teams split a pair of regular season games, with each getting a win on the opposition’s home court.