INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis women's basketball team earned their first Horizon League victory of the season, defeating the Youngstown State Penguins 65-50 on Saturday afternoon inside the Jungle. The Jaguars were led by a stellar performance from junior Faith Stinson, who set a career-high with 22 points in the win.
 
IU Indy's defense was dominant from the opening whistle, holding the Penguins to just seven points in the first quarter and taking a 15-7 lead into the second period. The Jags continued to stifle Youngstown State's offense in the second quarter, forcing 14 turnovers and limiting the Penguins to just 22.2% shooting from the field in the first half.  As a result, IU Indy extended their lead to 28-19 at halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, the Jaguars wasted no time increasing their advantage, scoring the first six points of the third quarter, including a pair of buckets from Azyah Newson-Cole. The Jags' lead increased to 34-19 before Youngstown State mounted a brief rally, scoring five unanswered points to trim the deficit to 34-24. However, IU Indy quickly regained control and closed the quarter strong, taking their largest lead of the game at 50-33 heading into the final period.
 
Despite being outscored 17-15 in the fourth quarter, the Penguins' late push wasn't enough to overcome the Jags' strong performance through the first three frames. IU Indy held firm to secure the 65-50 victory.
 
Stinson was the standout performer, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Newson-Cole also had a strong showing, matching her career-high with 13 points and five rebounds. Alexa Hocevar joined the duo in double figures, contributing 11 points and seven rebounds. Logan Lewis and Nevaeh Foster each recorded two steals as the Jags forced 16 turnovers from Youngstown State.
 
With the win, IU Indy improves to 1-3 in Horizon League play. The Jaguars will look to build on this momentum as they head to Detroit Mercy for a New Year's Day matchup at 7:00 PM.