AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (Interstat) — The Youngstown State women’s basketball team used a dominant fourth-quarter surge to pull away from Oakland and secure a 72-60 victory in a Horizon League contest Saturday at the Athletics Center O’rena.

The Penguins, who entered the fourth quarter with a precarious one-point lead, outscored the Golden Grizzlies 26-13 over the final 10 minutes. The decisive run was fueled by efficient offense and tightened defense, transforming a back-and-forth affair into a comfortable road win for Youngstown State, which improved to 16-7 overall and 9-3 in league play. Oakland fell to 8-13 and 4-8.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded early in the fourth quarter, turning a narrow Youngstown State advantage into a commanding lead. Leading 47-46, the Penguins embarked on a 14-3 run over a four-minute span that broke the game open. The spurt was a showcase of inside dominance and timely playmaking.

It began with Sophia Gregory converting a layup off an assist from Sarah Baker. After an Oakland miss, Gregory scored again inside, this time set up by Casey Santoro. Following a Golden Grizzlies turnover, Erica King was fouled on a layup and completed the three-point play. Santoro then found Gregory for yet another layup, and after another Oakland offensive foul, Baker scored inside to cap the run, giving Youngstown State a 61-49 lead with 6:49 remaining.

Oakland, which had fought to stay close for three quarters behind the scoring of Makenzie Luehring and Layla Gold, never recovered from that burst. The Golden Grizzlies could not muster a sustained response as the Penguins consistently answered every Oakland basket with one of their own, maintaining a double-digit cushion for the remainder of the game.

The contest was tightly contested through the first three periods. Oakland established an early edge, leading 19-12 after the first quarter behind eight points from Gold. Youngstown State chipped away in the second, closing the half on a 7-2 mini-run to trim the deficit to 36-29. The Penguins then held Oakland to just 11 points in the third quarter, taking their first lead since the opening minutes and entering the final frame ahead 46-45.

Youngstown State’s victory was built on superior shooting efficiency and control of the paint. The Penguins shot 53.2% from the field, making 25 of 47 attempts, while Oakland managed just 37.3% on 22-of-59 shooting. Youngstown State also held a 32-30 edge in points in the paint and outscored Oakland 15-9 from the free-throw line.

Casey Santoro, a 5-foot-4 guard from Bellevue, Ohio, orchestrated the Youngstown State offense with a complete performance, scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists in 39 minutes. Sophia Gregory, a 6-2 forward from Alliance, Ohio, provided a major interior presence, scoring 15 points on efficient shooting and collecting six rebounds. Erica King added 12 points and five rebounds, while Sarah Baker and Paulina Hernandez contributed 11 and seven points, respectively.

Oakland was led by Makenzie Luehring, a 5-6 guard from Jackson, Wisconsin, who scored a game-high 20 points. Layla Gold, a 5-11 forward from Indianapolis, added 18 points and five rebounds. The Golden Grizzlies were hampered by 6-of-24 shooting from three-point range and were out-rebounded overall despite securing seven offensive boards.

The win completed a regular-season sweep for Youngstown State, which defeated Oakland 81-58 at home on Jan. 5. The Penguins have now won three consecutive games and seven of their last nine. Oakland has lost two of its last three.

Youngstown State returns home to host Milwaukee on Thursday. Oakland travels to face Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.