Game Preview
- Youngstown State will go for a road sweep to begin Horizon League play as it heads to Wright State for a Sunday afternoon game against the Raiders. Tipoff at the Nutter Center is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+. The YSU men's team will also play at Wright State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
- The Penguins are playing at Wright State for the first time since 2019-20. Youngstown State hosted the Raiders for two games in 2020-21 in the league's modified schedule format for COVID-19 protocols, and the 2021-22 game in Dayton was canceled due to positive cases in Wright State's program. The only players who have played at Wright State as Penguins are Mady Aulbach and Jen Wendler.
- YSU will try to conquer a tough road arena for the second time in three days. The Penguins won at NKU for just the second time in seven tries on Friday, and they will look to win a contested game at the Nutter Center for the first time since Feb. 3, 2013. The Penguins were awarded a forfeit win for the game scheduled at WSU last season.
- YSU showed it can win without depending on 3-pointers on Friday as it had to grind for a 59-55 win over the Norse. The Penguins trailed by eight in the second half, but they ended the third quarter on an 18-9 run and fought through a tight fourth period. YSU attempted just 15 3-pointers in the game and made four. Malia Magestro scored a game-high 21 points for her second straight 20-point game, and preseason all-league pick Lilly Ritz scored the go-ahead basket with 11.4 seconds left.
- 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 Paige 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 154, and his .558Â winning percentage is the third-best mark in school history.
Youngstown State vs. Wright State
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's record to 4-3 this season.
- Be YSU's first victory at the Nutter Center since 2013.
- Allow YSU to sweep the Northern Kentucky-Wright State road trip for the first time in school history.
- Be Barnes' 311th career victory and his 155th at YSU.
Scouting the Raiders
- Wright State is 1-5 overall and 0-1 in Horizon League play after dropping its conference opener to Robert Morris, 68-47, on Friday. The Raiders allowed at least 88 points in each of their first four losses against a challenging non-conference slate.
- The Raiders have 12 newcomers on their roster as they transition under second-year head coach Kari Hoffman. Fifth-year senior Bryce Nixon, one of five upperclassman transfers on the roster, leads the Raiders with 10.2 points per game. She has made 13 3-pointers, and Wright State ranks second in the conference with 8.8 3s per game.
- Wright State leads the Horizon League with a .424 field-goal percentage, and it is shooting 34% from 3-point range. The Raiders rank in the bottom two in the conference in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin and turnover margin.
Series History
Overall: Wright State leads 39-28
Barnes: 5-15 • Home: 17-15 • Away: 11-22 • Neutral: 0-2
Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State
- Wright State owns a 39-28 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. Cleveland State is the only opponent YSU has played more in its history.
- The programs were members of the Mid-Continent Conference in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, and they've been in the Horizon League together since 2001-02. The Penguins won 19 of the first 25 meetings in the series, and the Raiders have won 15 of the last 20.
- YSU has fared better at home against the Raiders with a 17-15 record versus an 11-24 mark away from Beeghly Center. The Penguins are going for their first win at the Nutter Center since 2013. Last season's game that was set to be played at Wright State resulted in a forfeit by the Raiders because of a positive COVID-19 test, and both games in 2021-22 were played in Youngstown.
Last Season vs. Wright State
- Youngstown State never trailed and had six players score at least eight points in a 77-53 victory over Wright State on Feb. 20, 2022, at Beeghly Center.
- Lilly Ritz posted game highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Mady Aulbach, Paige Shy and Lexi Wagner each made three 3-pointers. Senior Chelsea Olson finished with eight points and nine rebounds to go along with an assist, a steal and a block on her Senior Day.
- Ritz was whistled for her second foul 12 seconds into the second quarter, and the Penguins were able to grow their lead to 14 by halftime with their leading scorer on the bench. Ritz had 10 points and seven rebounds in the third quarter alone, and the Penguins led 52-30 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Shy with 6:37 and 6:09 on the clock. YSU led 61-42 at the end of the period.
- Youngstown State shot 47.7% overall from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range. The Penguins also had a 49-34 rebounding margin against the Raiders, who shot 32.4% overall and 26.7% from beyond the arc.
Dec. 4 in YSU History
- Youngstown State 4-7 all-time in 11 previous games played on Dec. 4, and it will be looking to win on the date for the second straight year. In 2021, YSU made 15 3-pointers and got a career-high 20 points from Megan Callahan in a 67-58 victory over Green Bay at Beeghly Center.
- In a 78-60 win at Robert Morris on Dec. 4, 1985, Dorothy Bowers had 22 points and 21 rebounds for the first 20-20 game of her career. YSU's last road win on Dec. 4 came one year later in 1986 with a 76-70 victory at Duquesne.
Recapping Northern Kentucky
Game Summary
Lilly Ritz scored the go-ahead basket off an inbounds pass from Megan Callahan with 11.4 seconds remaining, and Youngstown State battled for a 59-55 victory at Northern Kentucky on Friday evening. The Penguins trailed for more than 30 minutes in the game, and the four-point final margin represented YSU's largest lead of the night. YSU trailed by seven at halftime and by eight in the third period. The Penguins went on an 18-9 run to take a 44-43 leading entering the fourth, and the entire final period was played with the score within a possession until the ending score.
Notes
- Winning Without 3s: YSU lost road games at Akron and Western Michigan in November when its 3-point attempts wouldn't fall, but the Penguins showed Friday that they can win inside the 3-point arc. Youngstown State attempted a season-low 15 3s and made four. The Penguins were 19-for-36 on two-point attempts, and guard Malia Magestro was 7-for-12 inside the arc.
- Winning WIthout a Dominant Ritz: The Penguins were also able to overcome the Norse doing everything they could to take away leading scorer Lilly Ritz. Ritz was held to eight field-goal attempts as NKU swarmed her on many touches, and the fifth-year post finished with a respectable 12 points and six rebounds. She had six of those points in the fourth quarter, including two on the game-winning basket.
- Magestro Back in the Twenties: For the second straight game, junior Malia Magestro broke the 20-point barrier. She scored a career-best 24 points in the win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 26, and Friday's 21-point effort was her first 20-point game in a Horizon League contest. Her career high entering the St. Francis contest was 19. Magestro showed off her scoring versatility by making six 3s against the Terriers and seven two-point buckets against the Norse.
- Quick Hitters: Haley Thierry played a career-high 15 minutes and scored three points... She has played at least eight minutes in three straight games... Malia Magestro led the team in points, field goals and field-goal attempts for the second straight contest... Megan Callahan reached double figures for the second straight game... She tied her season high with three assists, including one on the game-winning basket by Lilly Ritz... Callahan was also the on-ball defender as YSU got a stop on NKU's last possession, and she grabbed the defensive rebound... Emily Saunders matched her season high with six points and two blocks, and she grabbed a season-best four rebounds... She had a big sequence in the third period with two blocks  and a basket in a 30-second stretch during an 8-0 run... YSU was outrebounded for just the second time this season... NKU had 15 offensive rebounds, but those rebounds led to just eight second-chance points... There were no fast-break points credited in the... YSU led for just 4:13 and trailed for nearly 24 consecutive minutes at one point.
Up Next
Youngstown State will begin a six-game homestand as it hosts WVU Tech on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
