• Youngstown State will try to carry momentum from its emotional win over Akron as it makes the 130-mile trip east to play at Saint Francis U on Saturday. Tipoff at DeGol Arena is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeart, and NEC Front Row.

Gameday Info

YSU at Saint Francis (Pa.)

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The Penguins snapped a six-game losing streak by topping Akron 53-52 in Youngstown on Wednesday. YSU played outstanding defensively against the Zips, and the effort that had largely existed throughout the skid was finally rewarded despite another night of shooting struggles. The Penguins made several key runs, and they were able to hold the nation's fifth-leading scorer, Reagan Bass, to 11 points.
• The Guins lead the Horizon League in scoring defense allowing 59.3 points per game. Four of YSU's losses have come when they've allowed 65 points or fewer, and the Penguins have dropped three games by four points or less.
• The win over the Zips improved YSU's record to 3-6, and it came at the front end of a four-game stretch against non-conference opponents leading up to the holiday break. After Saturday's game at SFU, YSU will play just twice in a span of 19 days due to final exams next week and the respite surrounding Christmas. YSU will play 18 more Horizon League contests when its schedule resumes on Dec. 29.
• John Nicolais is serving as YSU's Acting Head Coach while John Barnes is on leave to focus on personal family matters. Nicolais has been with the program since 2013-14, and he served as YSU's Associate Head Coach in each of the past two seasons.
• Forward Emily Saunders leads the Penguins with 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and she ranks eighth in the country with a .649 field-goal percentage. YSU's other four starters are each averaging 7.3 points or better.
• YSU is shooting 25% from beyond the arc through nine games, which is very uncharacteristic for both the program and the current players on the roster. The Penguins are shooting 50% inside the arc for the season, and they have made 54% of their two-point attempts over the last three games as they've gone 15-for-85 from long distance during their slump.
• 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.
• In total, 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 were picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll despite losing their top two scorers.
• YSU is 31-13 in Horizon League play since the start of the 2021-22 season, and it has won at least 13 conference games in three of the past six campaigns.

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. Saint Francis

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 4-6 this season.
• Be the Penguins' fourth straight over the Red Flash.
• Give YSU its first road win of 2023-24 in three tries. YSU is 0-2 in true road contests and 0-2 on neutral floors.
• Be the second straight over SFU in Loretto, Pa.

Milestone Watch

• Mady Aulbach is seven field goals shy of 100 in her career.
• Dena Jarrells needs 14 points to reach 300 in her Penguins career.
• Shay-Lee Kirby is two field goals shy of 250 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is 12 points away from 750 in her career.
• Emily Saunders needs 10 points to reach 300 in her career.
• Paige Shy needs 14 points to reach 700 in her career, and she is seven 3s from 150 in her career.

Scouting the Red Flash

• Saint Francis is coming off a 69-59 win over Morgan State on Saturday in what was the first win of the season for the Red Flash. SFU opened the season with a 61-50 loss to Robert Morris, and the Red Flash fell 78-62 to Canisius on Nov. 11. YSU fell 65-63 at RMU on Sunday, and it will play the Golden Griffins on Dec. 21.
• Saint Francis is shooting 35.9% overall from the field, and its most efficient 3-point shooter, Kaitlyn Maxwell, will miss the remainder of the season after going 7-for-12 from beyond the arc in three games. SFU is averaging 53.9 points offensively while surrendering 68.5 points on defense.
• Freshman guard Kendall Carruthers is the reigning NEC Rookie of the Week, and she has scored at least 12 points in five consecutive contests. She leads the Red Flash with 13.5 points per game, and she has made a team-best 14 3-pointers.
• Saint Francis has seven players back from last year's squad that finished with a 7-22 record. The Red Flash were picked to finish seventh in the NEC Preseason Poll.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 5-3
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 4-1 • Home: 3-1 • Away: 2-2 • Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 3 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State has a 5-3 edge in the all-time series, and the Penguins have won four of the five encounters since the 2016-17 campaign. All eight meetings in the series have come since the 2007-08 season, and they have all been played between Dec. 1 and Dec. 17.
• YSU has struggled to score historically at DeGol Arena. In four games in the facility, the Penguins' point totals have been 58 in 2007, 58 in 2009, 65 in 2017 and 56 in 2019. Three of the four meetings in Loretto, Pa., have been decided by double digits, with the lone exception being a 58-57 YSU victory in 2007.

Last Meeting (Dec. 16, 2022 – at YSU)

Malia Magestro outscored Saint Francis U by herself in the first half as the Penguins built a big lead, and Youngstown State went on to win 81-41 on Dec. 16, 2022, at Beeghly Center. Magestro scored all 17 of her points in the first half as YSU took a 49-13 halftime advantage. Lilly Ritz and Dena Jarrells each scored 13 points, and Jarrells and Mady Aulbach combined for 11 assists and two turnovers. Defensively, YSU limited Saint Francis to 33.3% shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

Last Meeting at SFU (Dec. 7, 2019)

Four YSU starters scored 11 or 12 points, and YSU used a strong defensive effort to beat Saint Francis U 56-46 at DeGol Arena on Dec. 7, 2019. The Penguins won despite shooting just 32.1 percent from the field. The Penguins outscored the Red Flash 15-3 at the free-throw line, and they held SFU scoreless for the first seven minutes of the fourth period to turn a six-point cushion into an insurmountable 15-point advantage. The Penguins committed just seven turnovers, and they were plus-nine in turnover margin. Jen Wendler led the Penguins with 12 points in 20 minutes as she battled foul trouble.

Recapping Akron

Game Summary

Youngstown State played outstanding defense and earned a hard-fought 53-52 victory over Akron on Wednesday evening at Beeghly Center.

Emily Saunders scored a game-high 13 points, and her free throw with 4.9 seconds left gave YSU a 53-49 lead. Akron hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final tally.

Saunders added three blocks, and she was part of a collective defensive effort with Lindsey Linard, Paige Shy and Abby Liber to limit Akron offensively in the post. The Penguins held Reagan Bass, who came into the night ranking fifth in the country at 23.3 points per game, to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Dena Jarrells scored 12 points, making 5-of-6 from inside the arc, and she hit two free throws with 16.6 seconds on the fourth-period clock with the Penguins clinging to a 50-49 lead. Shay-Lee Kirby added 10 points, and she made three of YSU's five 3-pointers.

YSU went nearly four minutes before scoring at the outset, but the Penguins started to get into a rhythm and held a 13-9 lead after 10 minutes. After missing its first seven field-goal attempts, YSU scored on three of its next four possessions and went on a 9-0 run to take a 9-4 lead with 3:49 remaining. The Penguins did not trail again.

The margin was between one and six for the entire second quarter, and the Penguins outscored Akron 7-1 over the final 4:15 of the half to take a 28-22 lead at the intermission. Kirby hit two 3-pointers within a 40-second span to push YSU's lead to 34-22 at the 8:43 mark of the third quarter, and Saunders scored just over a minute later to give YSU its largest lead of the night at 36-22.

Akron went on a 14-5 burst to get within five at 41-36, and it outscored the Penguins 16-10 in the fourth quarter as YSU went on scoreless for more than six minutes. The strong defense kept the Penguins ahead as Akron was only able to score six points during that stretch.

Notes

• Youngstown State shot 35.6% for the game, and it went 6-for-8 at the free-throw line in the physical contest between two Northeast Ohio opponents. Both teams made 21 field goals, Akron had a 6-5 edge in 3-pointers, and YSU outscored the Zips 6-4 at the free-throw line.
• The Penguins beat Akron in Youngstown for the fifth time in the last six meetings on Rosselli Court.
• YSU snapped a six-game losing streak, which was the program's longest since Jan. 24-Feb. 8, 2020.
• YSU led for 34:17, and it did not trail after taking a 7-4 lead with 4:48 left in the first quarter.
• After Akron went on a 14-5 run to get within 41-35 in the third quarter, YSU did not allow a field goal from the 2:48 mark of the third until there was 4:54 left in the fourth.
• The Penguins still struggled to find their touch from long distance going 5-for-29. YSU is 15-for-85 from 3-point range over its last three games.
• Malia Magestro was held to three points, but she still contributed offensively with a game and career-high five assists.
• Abby Liber scored six points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. She has scored at least six points in four of the last five games.
• Emily Saunders blocked three shots for the third consecutive game. She is averaging 1.6 blocks, which ranks second in the conference. Saunders also scored her 300th career point in the contest.
• Dena Jarrells grabbed her 200th career rebound and led with YSU with two steals.
• Paige Shy grabbed her 400th career rebound as part of an eight-rebound night. She added two assists and a steal.
• Shay-Lee Kirby went 3-for-7 from 3-point range and increased her season total to 14 makes in her eight games. She is tied for sixth in the conference with 1.8 3-pointers per game.
• Youngstown State held a 39-33 rebounding edge, and it grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.
• After scoring 12 points and surrendering 10 points in transition against Robert Morris, the game against Akron was much slower paced and played in the half court. YSU had the only two fast-break points credited in the game.
• YSU has outscored its opponent in six of the last eight quarters after holding the edge against Akron in the first, second and third periods.

Up Next

Following Saturday's game at Saint Francis (Pa.), Youngstown State will have six days off for final exam week. The Penguins will return to action at St. Bonaventure on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m.