CORAPOLIS, Pa. (Interstat) — In a Horizon League women’s basketball clash defined by defensive pressure and offensive struggles, the Robert Morris Colonials used a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from the Youngstown State Penguins for a 55-40 victory on Wednesday night at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

The game, witnessed by 873 fans, was a defensive grind from the outset. Both teams combined for 36 turnovers and shot under 39% from the field. The contest remained tightly contested through the first half, with Robert Morris holding a narrow 20-21 lead at intermission. The Penguins, led by the dynamic scoring of junior guard Casey Santoro, stayed within striking distance despite frigid shooting.

The trajectory of the game shifted irrevocably in the third quarter. The Colonials, leveraging their size and capitalizing on a series of Youngstown State miscues, erupted for 18 points while holding the Penguins to just 11. A key sequence saw Robert Morris score six straight points off turnovers, with Eva Levingston converting a jump shot and Bailey Kuhns adding two layups, to extend a four-point lead to 30-22. The Colonials’ 8-2 run to close the quarter, capped by a Mallory Daly three-pointer at the buzzer, gave them a 38-31 advantage and firm control heading into the final period.

Youngstown State never recovered. Robert Morris continued to apply pressure in the fourth, opening the quarter with a 7-2 spurt to build its lead to a game-high 12 points. The Penguins, who shot just 30% from the field for the game and a paltry 16.7% from three-point range, could not muster a sustained offensive response. Santoro’s final three-pointer with 8:30 remaining cut the deficit to 40-42, but it proved to be Youngstown State’s last field goal of the game. The Penguins were held scoreless for the final 5:05 as Robert Morris sealed the win at the free-throw line.

Santoro, a 5-foot-4 guard from Bellevue, Ohio, was the lone consistent offensive threat for Youngstown State, playing all 40 minutes and scoring a game-high 19 points. Sarah Baker added 13 points and two blocks for the Penguins, who fell to 13-7 overall and 4-3 in Horizon League play.

Robert Morris (13-6, 5-2 Horizon) showcased a balanced attack. Levingston, a 6-foot forward from Oakland, California, paced the Colonials with 13 points and seven defensive rebounds. Freshman center Ava Leroux, a 6-foot-4 local product from Bridgeville, provided a crucial interior presence with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Kuhns finished with nine points, and Aislin Malcolm contributed nine points, three assists and strong perimeter defense.

While the Colonials only shot 38.8% from the floor, they dominated key statistical areas. They out-rebounded Youngstown State 38-28, including an 8-2 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to 10 second-chance points. Robert Morris also made 14 of 19 free throws compared to Youngstown State’s 7 of 9, and committed 21 turnovers but forced 15, converting them into 10 points.

The Penguins’ defense was active, recording 13 steals and five blocks, with Santoro notching four thefts. However, their offense could not overcome the poor shooting night or Robert Morris’s interior dominance. The Colonials outscored Youngstown State 26-22 in the paint and their defensive rating of 59.5, holding the Penguins to 40 points on 67 possessions, was the defining metric of the night.

The victory moved Robert Morris above .500 in conference play and avenged a projected pre-game win probability of 68.1%. Youngstown State, coming off a loss to IU Indy, has now dropped two of its last three contests.

Youngstown State returns home to face Cleveland State on Sunday. Robert Morris hits the road for its next contest at Wright State, also on Sunday. The two teams are scheduled for a rematch in Youngstown on Feb. 11.