INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jenna Gaye scored 21 points, Madi Skorupski added 13 and Green Bay beat Youngstown State 57-49 on Tuesday for its third straight Horizon League tournament title.
Top-seeded Phoenix (25-8) outscored the second-seeded Penguins 17-10 in the fourth quarter to break up a tight game and advance to the 21st NCAA Tournament.
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Gayle, the league’s player of the year, made 7 of 11 shots and 6 of 7 free throws. Skorupski had five steals and six rebounds.
Paulina Hernandez scored 12 points, Sophia Gregory scored 11 and Casey Santoro had nine points and nine rebounds for the Penguins (24-9), who are seeking the league’s first Horizon Championship in 25 years.
Gayle went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter, scoring the first five points and giving Green Bay an eight-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes left. The two teams exchanged three-pointers, and then Skorupski made a diving save at the other end of the court and hit two free throws with 43.1 seconds left to extend the lead to 10 points, the largest lead of the game.
Trailing by three at halftime, Green Bay’s Megan Schultz scored the first five and seven points of the third quarter. Kristina Ouimette hit a couple of mid-range jumpers in the closing seconds to give Phoenix a 40-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
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After shooting 52% in the first half and leading 28-25 at halftime, the Penguins ended up shooting 38%, as did Green Bay. Phoenix scored 10 more points off turnovers and nine more points at the free throw line.
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