Fast start leads YSU women to 75-38 win over Loyola - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown State women's basketball team scored the first 12 points of the game 22 of the first 24 and never looked back in a 75-38 win over Loyola on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly center. The 37-point win is the largest margin of victory against a league opponent since joining the Horizon League in 2001-02. 

Senior Brandi Brown scored a game-high 24 points and became the school's record holder for most free throws with 375. Brown also recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 16 rebounds. 

Junior Monica Touvelle scored 12 points by hitting four 3-pointers, and Heidi Schlagel added 10 points. Freshman Shar'Rae Davis and junior Liz Hornberger just missed double figures with nine and eight points, respectively. 

The Penguins improve to 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the Horizon League while the Ramblers fall to 6-12 overall and 1-4 in the league. 

Youngstown State shot 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the floor and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from 3-point range in the first half. On the defensive end, the Penguins limited the Ramblers to a 36 percent from the field, forced 10 first-half turnovers and scored 12 points off those miscues. 

The Penguins made three of their first four field-goal attempts and jumped out to a 12-0 lead with 15:19 to go. Loyola, which missed its first six shots, scored its first basket on a layup by Troy Hmabric at the 14:15 mark. 

Touvelle ignited a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer, and Brown scored the next seven to give the Penguins a 20-point lead, 22-2, midway through the first half. 

Loyola scored six straight points to get within 14, 24-10, before a basket by Brown and 3-pointers by Davis and Karen Flagg quickly ballooned the YSU advantage back to 22, 32-10, with 4:19 to go. 

Touvelle added two more 3's to extend the YSU advantage to as many as 25, 41-16, in the first half. 

In the second half, the Penguins scored 33 points and shot 41.4 percent from the floor while the Ramblers connected on just 23.3 percent of their field-goal attempts after halftime. 

For the game, the Penguins shot 50.9 percent from the field made 11 3-pointers while the Ramblers did not have a player reach double figures and shot just 29.1 percent. 

The Peguins forced a total of 16 Loyola turnovers, which led the 21 points. 

The Penguins visit UIC, Thursday, Jan. 31, in Chicago, Ill. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EDT.