Women's Basketball Aims for Home Sweep on Saturday vs. NKU

Saturday, January 28

Youngstown, OH

1:00 PM

Youngstown State University

Northern Kentucky

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Paige Shy - YSU Women's Basketball vs. Wright State (Jan. 26, 2023)

Photo by: Robert Hayes

Women's Basketball Aims for Home Sweep on Saturday vs. NKU

1/27/2023 3:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Game Information
	Saturday \| Jan. 28 @ 1 p.m.
	Beeghly Center \| Youngstown, Ohio
	Buy Tickets \| (330) 941-1978
	Gameday Information

Live Coverage
	570 WKBN \| iHeartRadio
	ESPN+ \| ESPN.com
	Live Stats \| YSUsports.com
	Live Tweets \| @YSUWomensHoops

Game Preview

Youngstown State looks to win its fourth straight decision and sweep a Horizon League homestand for the first time this season as it hosts Northern Kentucky on Saturday. Tipoff against the Norse is set for 1 p.m., and the game against the Norse will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
The Penguins improved to 15-5 overall and 9-2 in Horizon League play by beating Wright State 76-60 on Thursday. YSU led for more than 37 minutes, made 11 3-pointers and had four starters score in double figures in the victory. Lilly Ritz finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, one rebound shy of collecting her second 20-20 game of the campaign.
YSU is 6-0 on the road in league play, which includes a 59-55 victory at NKU on Dec. 2, and the Penguins are aiming to improve to 4-2 against conference foes on Rosselli Court. YSU has split each of its first two home conference sets. Overall, YSU has won seven of its last eight contests and 14 of its last 16 games starting the season 1-3.
Defensively, YSU ranks among the top three teams in the Horizon League in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, 3-point field-goal percentage and rebounding margin. Offensively, YSU leads the league in assists per game and ranks in the top four in field-goal percentage, points per game and 3-pointers per game.
Ritz leads the Horizon League in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.85 rpg), and she ranks among the 15 players in the country in double-doubles (12), rebounding and field-goal percentage (.620).
On the perimeter, three Penguins guards – Malia Magestro, Megan Callahan and Paige Shy - are averaging at least eight points and rank among the top 11 in the Horizon League in 3s per game. Magestro is averaging career highs of 11.6 points and 2.2 assists, and Callahan is averaging a career-high 10.2 points in her sixth season. Shy is averaging 8.1 points and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range against Wright State.
Dena Jarrells has scored in double figures in three straight games, and she ranks third in the Horizon League with 3.45 assists per game. YSU is 7-0 with her in the starting lineup.
YSU shared the Horizon League regular-season title with IUPUI in 2021-22 as both teams finished with an 18-4 conference mark. While the core of YSU's 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 and won a share of the regular-season title.
This is the 50th anniversary season of Beeghly Center, which opened in 1972-73. YSU is 55-17 at home since the start of the 2018-19 season for a .764 winning percentage, and it is 30-7 in its last 37 games on Rosselli Court.
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 166, and his .572 winning percentage is the third-best mark in school history.

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

Advance tickets for Saturday's game are available on YSUsports.com, over the phone at (330) 941-1978 or at the Stambaugh Stadium Athletics Ticket Office. The Beeghly Center Ticket Office and gates will open at noon on Saturday.
Promotions
- Fifth Annual State Farm Day
- Kids Day presented by Raising Cane's & Austintown Bounce
- Foul shots after the game for kids 12 and under
- Campers Reunion Day
- Post-game Autographs presented by Texas Roadhouse
- YSU Activity Book Giveaway, courtesy of Mercy Health, Premier Bank, 21 WFMJ
- YSU Hall-of-Fame Class Celebration

Youngstown State vs. Northern Kentucky

A Win Would...

Improve YSU's overall record to 16-5 this season and its Horizon League record to 10-2.
Allow YSU to start 10-2 through 12 HL games for the second time ever (2021-22).
Be the Penguins' third straight over NKU.
Allow YSU to sweep a two-game season series with the Norse for the second time (2017-18).
Improve YSU's home record to 10-2.
Be Head Coach John Barnes' 323rd career victory and his 167th at YSU.

Scouting Northern Kentucky

NKU is 13-7 overall and 7-4 in Horizon League play after winning 62-47 at Robert Morris on Thursday. It was the Norse's fourth straight win, and NKU picked up a big 73-69 victory over Cleveland State on Sunday.
NKU possesses the second-highest scoring offense in the conference at 70.4 points per game, and the Norse are also second in free throws per game at 15.6. Defensively, the Norse rank fourth in the conference in blocks per game and seventh in scoring defense.
Individually, NKU has one of the top backcourts in the conference as all three starting guards average at least 11.8 points per game. Lindsey Duvall ranks second in the league in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg), and she leads the league in free throw attempts and minutes.

Series History

Overall: Tied 7-7
Barnes: 7-6 • Home: 5-2 • Away: 2-5 • Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State

Youngstown State and NKU have both won seven times in a 14-game series dating back to the 2012-13 season. The teams split two non-conference meetings in 2012 and 2013, and they are 6-6 against each other as Horizon League members. Both teams are 5-2 on their home floors.
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 have won the last two.
Seven of the last 10 and eight of the 14 overall meetings between the Penguins and Norse have been decided by four points or fewer or in overtime. 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.

Recently vs. Northern Kentucky

This Season (at NKU – Dec. 2, 2022): Lilly Ritz scored the go-ahead basket with 11.4 seconds remaining as the Penguins won 59-55 on Truist Arena. Malia Magestro scored a game-high 21 points, Ritz scored 12, and Megan Callahan added 10. It was Callahan who had the assist on the game-winning inbounds play to Ritz, and Callahan grabbed a defensive rebound on NKU's final possession. YSU trailed by as much as nine at 13-4, and NKU's halftime advantage was 28-21. The Penguins led for just 4:13 in the game, and the four-point final margin was their largest advantage of the game.
Last Season at YSU (Feb. 18, 2022): Chelsea Olson scored 27 points to lead YSU to a 62-49 victory over NKU at Beeghly Center last season. The Penguins led 24-23 at halftime, and Olson scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Penguins outscored the Norse 22-13 in the period. Paige Shy scored 11 points, and she had eight straight points for the Penguins in the third period. YSU attempted just 13 3-pointers as Olson backed down her defender in the post on many possessions. Lilly Ritz scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Jan. 28 in YSU History

Youngstown State is 6-8 all-time in games played on Jan. 28, and it will be looking for a win on Rosselli Court for the second straight year. In 2022, YSU beat Detroit Mercy 78-59 on Jan. 28 as five players scored in double figures, and Chelsea Olson was a rebound shy of a triple-double.
This will be the sixth straight time that YSU will be playing at home on Jan. 28.
Two notable individual performances by Penguins have occurred on Jan. 28. Wanda Grant posted 32 points and 25 rebounds, the second-most in a game in program history, against Cleveland State in 1981. Eight years later in 1987, Dianne Rappach went 7-for-8 from 3-point range versus Akron.

Recapping Wright State

Game Summary

Youngstown State led for more than 38 minutes and had four starters score in double figures in a 76-60 win over Wright State on Thursday night at Beeghly Center. Lilly Ritz scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to collect her 12th double-double, and she was 10-for-13 from the field. Malia Magestro made her 100th career 3-pointer, and four different starters made at least two 3s. YSU led 22-19 after a quarter, and it extended its lead to 36-27 at halftime. The Penguins maintained that nine-point edge at 55-46 at the end of the third, and YSU scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull away.

Notes

YSU's starters accounted for 71 of its 76 points in the game, continuing a recent trend. The Penguins' starting five has scored 186 of their 200 points in their last three games, or 93%.
While Megan Callahan was held to six points to snap a six-game streak of scoring in double figures, she dished out a career-high seven assists. Callahan did surpass last year's scoring total in the game. She has 204 over 20 games in 2022-23 after having 200 in 30 contests in 2021-22.
Mady Aulbach tied her season high with five assists. As a team, YSU had 21 assists on 27 field goals. It was the Penguins' fifth time recording at least 20 assists in a game this season.
Tenleigh Phelps scored three points and had an assist and two rebounds in nine minutes off the bench. It was her most minutes against a Horizon League opponent this season.
Paige Shy went 4-for-5 from 3-point range, marking her highest number of makes since she went 5-for-9 at Penn State on Nov. 15. It was the first time she led the Penguins in 3s since the Akron game on Nov. 18.
YSU had five more turnovers than Wright State (14-9) but had a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Penguins shot 48.2% from the field, and they grabbed 13 offensive rebounds that translated into 12 second-chance points.
YSU held a 40-20 rebounding edge, matching the rebounding margin (50-30) from the first matchup against the Raiders. The 20 rebounds were the fewest by an opponent this season.
Ritz was 10-for-13 from the field to follow 7-for-8 and 10-for-17 performances on the road last week. She is 27-for-38 (71.1%) from the field in the last three games.

Up Next

Youngstown State will begin February with road games at Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State. The Penguins will play the Mastodons on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., and they'll take on the Vikings on Saturday at 2 p.m.