Game Preview
- Youngstown State begins its December schedule with the start of Horizon League play as the Penguins travel southwest for a game at Northern Kentucky. Tipoff against the Norse at Truist Arena will be Friday at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
- This will be the first time YSU will play at Northern Kentucky since the 2019-20 season. The games at NKU have been cancelled due to COVID-19 cases each of the past two seasons. The only players who have played at NKU as Penguins are Mady Aulbach and Jen Wendler. The new combination of players is looking to change YSU's luck in Highland Heights as YSU is 1-5 all-time at NKU with three losses at the buzzer or in overtime.
- The Penguins are coming off a much-needed good shooting effort in their 70-41 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn. YSU went 13-for-28 from 3-point range against the Terriers and made seven straight attempts from long distance at one point as it pulled away in the first half. Youngstown State was a combined 5-for-45 on 3-point attempts in losses at Akron and Western Michigan on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20.
- Lilly Ritz ranks fifth in the country with 12.6 rebounds per game, and she is seventh nationally with four double-doubles through five games. She had 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding five assists against St. Francis Brooklyn.
- Malia Magestro was 6-for-12 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 24 points in Saturday's victory against the Terriers. She, along with teammate Paige Shy, are tied for fourth in the conference with two 3-pointers per game.
- The Penguins won the school's first regular-season conference title in 23 years last season as it shared the Horizon League crown with IUPUI. YSU went 24-7 overall and advanced to the Women's NIT. In 2022-23, five players return – Aulbach, Megan Callahan, Magestro, Ritz and Shy – who started at least 20 games on last year's team.
- While the core of the roster is familiar, the target on the Penguins' back is not. For the first time in program history, Youngstown State was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League by the conference's coaches. Last season, YSU was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll.
- This is YSU's 10th season under Head Coach John Barnes, who was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2021-22. Barnes is second in career victories at YSU with 153, and his .556 winning percentage is the third-best mark in school history.
Youngstown State vs. Northern Kentucky
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's record to 3-3 this season.
- Be YSU's first away from Beeghly Center this season.
- Be the Penguins' first at NKU since 2018.
- Make YSU 8-2 in Horizon League openers under Head Coach John Barnes.
- Be Barnes' 310th career victory and his 154th at YSU.
Scouting Northern Kentucky
- Northern Kentucky is 3-3 following a 70-69 loss to Akron on Monday night. The Norse have beaten Lipscomb, Tennessee Tech and Dayton, and their losses are to Kent State, Bowling Green and Akron. Of note, the win over Lipscomb in the season opener came in three overtimes, and the Dayton victory was in double overtime.
- With those five extra sessions, senior guard Lindsey Duvall leads the country with 39.74 minutes per game. A Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection, she also ranks 12th in the country with 22.2 points per game. Additionally, she ranks third in the conference with 9.2 rebounds per game. Kailee Davis (14.5 ppg) and Ivy Turner (12.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures.
- NKU was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Coaches Poll. It returns four starters from last year's squad that finished 21-8 overall and 14-6 in conference play.
Series History
Overall: Northern Kentucky leads 7-6
Barnes: 6-6 • Home: 5-2 • Away: 1-5 • Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State
- Youngstown State snapped a three-game losing skid in the series with a 62-49 win in Beeghly Center last season. NKU holds a narrow 7-6 lead in the all-time series, and the Norse have a 6-5 edge against YSU since joining the Horizon League.
- NKU won four of the first five encounters, and YSU won four straight from Feb. 16, 2017, through Jan. 21, 2019. NKU won the next three from Feb. 22, 2019, through Feb. 8, 2020, and the Penguins won the lone meeting last season 62-49 in Youngstown.
- Seven of the 13 meetings between the Penguins and Norse have been decided by four points or fewer or in overtime, and three of YSU's five losses at Truist Arena have come at the buzzer or in overtime.
- YSU assistant coach Malika Glover played guard for the Norse from 2012-15 under previous NKU coach Dawn Plitzuweit. She is a two-time NKU graduate, earning her bachelor's degree in 2014 and her master's degree in public administration in 2016.
Last Season vs. NKU
- Behind 27 points from Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State topped Northern Kentucky 62-49 at Beeghly Center on Feb. 18, 2022. It was the lone meeting between the teams in 2021-22 as the game schedule to be played at NKU was cancelled and declared a no contest due to COVID-19 cases within the Norse's program.
- Olson scored 10 of those points in the third period as YSU outscored NKU 22-13 to take a 46-36 lead through 30 minutes. Paige Shy scored 11 points and was 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. She had eight straight points for the Penguins in the third period.
- YSU was just 5-for-13 on 3-point attempts as Olson backed down her defender in the post on many possessions. Lilly Ritz had 12 points and nine rebounds while going 6-for-17 from the field.
Dec. 2 in YSU History
- Youngstown State is 7-4 overall in games played on Dec. 2, and it is playing a league game on the date for the second straight season. In 2021, the Penguins beat Milwaukee 58-50 behind a strong defensive effort. YSU held the Panthers scoreless for the final 8:52 of the second period and to 11 points in the third.
- Danielle Carson had 26 points and 14 assists in a 97-73 win at Cleveland State on Dec. 2, 1985.
Recapping St. Francis Brooklyn
Game Summary
Youngstown State made seven straight 3-point attempts during a 37-7 run that helped lift the Penguins to a 70-41 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday at Beeghly Center. Malia Magestro made six 3s as part of a 24-point night, Megan Callahan went 5-for-6 from long distance, and the Penguins were 13-for-28 as a team. St. Francis scored the first seven points of the game, but YSU scored 37 of the next 44 points from the 6:40 mark of the first quarter through the 4:13 mark of the second (12:27 total).
Notes
- Shots Finally Fall: Youngstown State was 13-for-28 from 3-point range, which was a huge confidence boost as the schedule turns to Horizon League play this week. YSU was 1-for-20 at Akron and 4-for-25 at Western Michigan from long distance in its previous two contests. YSU was 9-for-16 against the Terriers at halftime, and it made seven straight attempts during a stretch between the first and second quarters.
- Ritz Collects Another Double-Double: Lilly Ritz recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in under 25 minutes of action. As of Wednesday, Ritz ranked tied-for-eighth in the country with four double-doubles. Impressively, those have come in just five contests. Ritz added five assists, which were her most as a Penguin and tied her collegiate high.
- Magestro Sets Career Highs: Malia Magestro set a new career high by scoring 24 points against St. Francis Brooklyn. Magestro was 9-for-16 from the field, including 6-for-12 from 3-point range while adding three assists and seven rebounds. The six 3-pointers and seven rebounds were new career bests. She became the first Penguin to make at six 3-pointers in a non-conference game since Alison Smolinski made six against Saint Francis U on Dec. 18, 2018. Magestro's previous career highs were 19 points, six rebounds and five 3-pointers.
- Callahan Finds Hot Hand: While Magestro buried six 3-pointers, Megan Callahan sank five in just six attempts. She made her first four tries, including one with 50 seconds left in the first quarter that gave YSU its first lead at 15-12. She made three more in the first three minutes of the second period as the Penguins pulled away. The five 3s were the most of her YSU career and tied for her collegiate best.
- Quick Hitters: YSU had its highest-scoring quarter of the season with 24 points in the second quarter... YSU had its best rebounding margin of the season at plus-13... The Penguins won the turnover margin for the first time this season (12-17)... YSU won the fast-break battle for the first time this season... The Penguins posted their largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since beating Purdue Fort Wayne 102-60 on Feb. 5, 2021... 13 different Penguins played, and Lindsey Mack, Tenleigh Phelps and Lindsey Linard scored their first points of the season... Ritz surpassed 1,600 career points.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play at Wright State on Sunday at 4 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+. It will be part of a doubleheader between the Raiders and the YSU men's basketball team, which will tip at 1 p.m. at the Nutter Center.
