Youngstown State University
Robert Morris
Women's Basketball Faces First HL Road Test on Sunday at RMU
12/2/2023 4:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
As the calendar flips to December, Youngstown State hopes a new month will ignite its offense at Robert Morris on Sunday. Tipoff against the Penguins' nearest Horizon League rival is set for noon, and the contest from the UPMC Events Center will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Gameday Info
YSU at Robert Morris
- When: Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 | Noon
- Where: UPMC Events Center | Moon Township, Pa.
- Watch: ESPN+
- Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
- Stats: Sidearm Stats
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
A Glimpse at the Guins
- The Penguins head to Moon Township, Pa., after dropping their league opener 59-50 to Detroit Mercy on Thursday. YSU went 6-for-34 from 3-point range against the Titans as another strong defensive effort went unrewarded. The loss dropped the Penguins' record to 2-5 overall, and YSU will be looking to snap a five-game skid against the Colonials on Sunday.
- The Guins rank second in the Horizon League in scoring defense allowing 59.6 points per game, but they are at the bottom in scoring offense at 56.4 points per contest. Three of YSU's losses have come when they've allowed fewer than 64 points.
- YSU is 31-12 in Horizon League play over the last two seasons, and it has won at least 13 conference games in three of the past six campaigns. The Penguins were picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll despite losing their top two scorers.
- YSU returns nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad that posted a 19-11 record and tied for third in the League standings with a 13-7 conference record.
- The Penguins depend on the strength of six fifth-year seniors and two fourth-year seniors, who supply plenty of leadership in the locker room in addition to a veteran presence on the court.
- Forward Emily Saunders was named the Horizon League's first Player of the Week after playing huge roles in YSU's wins the opening week. Saunders leads the Penguins with 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and she tops the conference with a .661 field-goal percentage.
- Youngstown State has enjoyed tremendous success at Beeghly Center. The Penguins have had a winning record at home in 10 of the last 11 seasons, and they are 60-21 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Program Staples
- Shooting 3s: Youngstown State led the Horizon League in 3-pointers per game in eight straight seasons from 2014-15 through 2021-22. The Penguins have made at least 200 3-pointers every season since 2010-11 except the COVID-19-shortened campaign in 2020-21. Individually, a Penguin has ranked in the top seven of the Horizon League individually in 3s per game in each of the last 11 seasons.
- Strong In The Post: The Penguins have had a post be named to the Horizon League's first, second or third-team in nine of the last 11 seasons and 14 times in the last 17. They've had a first-team honoree in three of the last five years, including each of the last two.
- Sharing The Ball: A Penguin has led the Horizon League in assists per game in six of the last eight years. As a team, the Penguins have paced the conference in assists per game in three of the last five campaigns, including 2022-23.
- Academics: YSU has appeared on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll 12 times in the last 13 years. The Penguins have been in the top 10 in five of the last eight years. The Penguins were second in both 2019-20 and 2020-21, and they were 12th in 2022-23.
- Postseason Play: YSU has played in the WNIT or the WBI in six of the last 11 years.
Youngstown State vs. Robert Morris
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's record to 3-5 this season.
- Even the Penguins' Horizon League record at 1-1.
- Be YSU's seventh straight over RMU.
- Improve YSU's road record to 1-1 this season.
- Snap a five-game losing streak, which is YSU's longest since the end of the 2019-20 season.
Milestone Watch
- Mady Aulbach is nine field goals shy of 100 in her career.
- Dena Jarrells needs three rebounds for 200 in her career.
- Shay-Lee Kirby is six field goals shy of 250 in her career.
- Malia Magestro is 28 points away from 750 in her career.
- Emily Saunders needs four points to reach 200 as a Penguin, and she is four rebounds from 100 at YSU.
- Paige Shy needs 20 points to reach 700 in her career She also needs three rebounds to reach 400 in her collegiate career, and she is seven 3s from 150 in her career.
Scouting RMU
- Just like Youngstown State, Robert Morris is 2-5 overall and 0-1 in Horizon League play entering Sunday's contest. The Colonials beat Saint Francis U in their season opener, and their other victory was an 89-39 win over Penn Sate Beaver. RMU lost 72-59 at Cleveland State to begin conference play on Wednesday.
- As customary, Robert Morris has been strong defensively. The Colonials are allowing 63.6 points per game and forcing 17.9 turnovers per contest. Teams are shooting 38.2% from the field overall and just 25% from 3-point range againt RMU.
- Offensively, Simone Morris leads RMU with 12.9 points per game. She is 20-for-21 from the free-throw line and shooting 39% from the field. Louella Allana leads RMU with 12 3-pointers on 25 attempts, and she and Morris have made 22 of RMU's 41 3s on the sesaon.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 23-7
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 9-3 • Home: 13-2 • Away: 10-5 • Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 5 by Youngstown State
- Youngstown State and Robert Morris have played 30 times, and YSU has won the last six meetings between the schools located approximately 60 miles apart. The Penguins have won six of the seven meetings since the Colonials joined the Horizon League in 2020-21, and they are 3-2 at the UPMC Events Center.
- The teams played 14 times between 1983 and 1996, and they played just four times between 1996 and 2014. The Penguins and Colonials have met 12 times in the John Barnes/John Nicolais era, and YSU holds a 9-3 advantage in those contests.
- Two of those wins in the last decade have come in overtime, and the victory at the UPMC Events Center on Jan. 22, 2022, came in the final second when former Colonial Megan Callahan hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Penguins.
- The 12 games in the Barnes era have been relatively low-scoring. The winning team has scored 65 points or fewer in regulation in 10 of the 12 contests.
Last Meeting | Feb. 25, 2023 – at Robert Morris
- Youngstown State outscored Robert Morris 19-5 in the first quarter and 21-8 in the fourth to beat the Colonials 65-51 in the 2022-23 regular-season finale. The Penguins scored 14 of the first 17 points of the game, and they held a 35-19 lead at halftime. Robert Morris scored 15 straight points as part of a 22-5 run in the third quarter to get as close as one, but YSU scored 21 of the first 24 points of the fourth quarter to regain control. Lilly Ritz and Megan Callahan both scored 17 points, and Ritz grabbed 15 rebounds. The Penguins shot 50% from the field and made 11 3-pointers as a team to improve to 19-10 overall and 13-7 in Horizon League play.
Recapping Detroit Mercy
Game Summary
Full Recap | Box Score | Highlights | John Nicolais Press Conference | Maila Magestro Press Conference
Youngstown State struggled from the 3-point line and dropped its Horizon League opener to Detroit Mercy 59-50 on Thursday evening at the Beeghly Center.
Senior forward Emily Saunders scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the second half, but the Penguins were just 6-for-34 from 3-point range in the game. Saunders connected on 6-of-9 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Titans limited her to just two shot attempts in the first half.
YSU was 5-for-22 from beyond the arc in the first half as Detroit Mercy took a 32-25 lead at the break, and the Penguins missed their first 11 attempts from long distance in the second half to make any comeback attempt incredibly difficult.
Myonna Hooper scored 16 points and was 7-for-11 from the field, and Irene Murua had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Titans. Detroit Mercy shot 38.9% from the field, but the visitors attempted 18 more free throws than YSU and outscored the Penguins by 11 at the charity stripe.
The Penguins, who went 4-for-8 from the floor to start the game, and Titans battled through three lead changes and three ties through the first five minutes of the game. YSU led 10-7 after back-to-back 3s by Paige Shy and Shay-Lee, and Detroit led 15-12 at the end of the first period.
Shy's second 3 of the day tied the game at 15 early in the second quarter, and YSU's final lead of the day came at 22-21 after a 7-0 run. The Titans ended the first half on an 11-3 run, and they outscored the Penguins 11-4 over the first seven minutes of the third quarter to extend their lead to 43-29 with 3:05 on the clock.
YSU cut the margin down to 45-37 after a Dena Jarrells to start the fourth, but the Penguins did not make a field goal for more than three minute afterward.
Notes
- Emily Saunders was YSU's leading scorer for the third time this season with 12 points. She had led her team – including her time at YSU and Tennessee – twice in her first four years as a collegian. She was 6-for-9 from the field in 25 minutes.
- Abby Liber scored all of her career-high nine points in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 from the free-throw line and a 3-pointer at the final buzzer. It was her second career 3, and she also tied her career high with a steal.
- In the last three games, Liber is averaging 7.7 points and is 8-for-13 from the field. She had four points combined in the first four games of the season, and she has 23 in the three most-recent contests.
- Saunders and Liber were 9-for-13 combined from the field.
- Malia Magestro matched Liber with nine points, and she added five rebounds and three assists.
- Dena Jarrells had a game-high five assists to go along with five points and three steals. She is averaging five assists at home this season. Jarrells helped the Penguins have 17 assists on their 20 made field goals.
- Jarrells made her 150th career 3-pointer in the game. She made 103 over 80 games at Chattanooga, and she has 47 triples in 37 games as a Penguin.
- Paige Shy had team highs of eight rebounds and three steals while scoring six points. She made two of her first four attempts from 3-point range, and she gave YSU a 7-6 lead with her first and tied the game at 15 with her second.
- After Magestro's 3-pointer that put YSU ahead 22-21 at the 5:38 mark of the second period, the Penguins missed 15 straight attempts from long distance.
- Shay-Lee Kirby continued her trend of making at least one 3-pointer in each game this season. She also grabbed her 300th career rebound in the contest.
- Haley Theirry grabbed a career-high five rebounds, including a team-high three on the offensive end.
- The Penguins tied their season high with five blocks, and they set a new season high with 10 steals. Shy led the squad with three steals, and Emily Saunders blocked three shots. Her first block in the contest was the 50th of her career.
- YSU made four more 3s than Detroit Mercy and just one fewer field goal overall, but the Titans attacked the rim and attempted 18 more free throws. That allowed UDM to have an 11-point edge on charity tosses.
- The Penguins were plus-one in turnover margin (18-17). The 17 turnovers tied for YSU's second-lowest total in a game this season.
- YSU attempted fewer than eight free throws for the fourth time in seven games. In six games against Division I opponents this season, YSU is attempting 3.8 fewer free throws per game than its opponents.
Up Next
Youngstown State will go back to non-conference play for the final four games before the holiday break. The four-game stretch will begin against Akron on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Beeghly Center.
