Game Information
	Saturday | Feb. 4 @ 2 p.m.
	Wolstein Center | Cleveland, Ohio
	Ticket Information

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

Game Preview

• Youngstown State will try to quickly shake off a disappointing result in Thursday's loss Purdue Fort Wayne as it travels to Cleveland State to play the first-place Vikings on Saturday. Tipoff at the Wolstein Center is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
• The Penguins fell 67-65 to the Mastodons on Thursday evening in Fort Wayne as the 'Dons made 11 of their final 14 field-goal attempts to close out one of their biggest wins in recent years. It was YSU's first road loss in conference play.
• Youngstown State is 16-6 overall and 10-3 in Horizon League games. Heading into Friday's slate, YSU was a game behind Cleveland State and a half-game behind Green Bay with seven contests left in the regular season.
• YSU has won eight of its last 10 games and 15 of its last 18 contests dating back to Nov. 26. The Penguins' only losses since Dec. 31 are by a combined five points – by three against IUPUI on Jan. 16 and by two at Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 2.
• Defensively, YSU ranks among the top three teams in the Horizon League in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and rebounding margin. Offensively, YSU leads the league in assists per game and ranks in the top four in field-goal percentage and 3-pointers per game.
• Lilly Ritz leads the Horizon League in rebounding (10.7), field-goal percentage (.602) and double-doubles (13), and she ranks among the top 15 players in the country in all three categories. She also ranks second in the league in scoring (17.0 ppg).
• On the perimeter, three Penguins guards – Malia Magestro, Megan Callahan and Shy - are averaging at least 8.1 points and rank among the top 10 in the Horizon League in 3s per game. All three are averaging career highs in scoring and are coming off double-digit scoring efforts against Purdue Fort Wayne. Callahan scored a career-best 23 points against the Mastodons.
• Dena Jarrells ranks third in the Horizon League with 3.6 assists per game, and the Penguins were 8-0 with her in the starting lineup before Thursday's loss at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• 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.
• This is the 50th anniversary season of Beeghly Center, which opened in 1972-73. YSU is 56-17 at home since the start of the 2018-19 season for a .767 winning percentage, and it is 31-7 in its last 38 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 167, and his .572 winning percentage is the third-best mark in school history. His 300th game at Youngstown State will be YSU's first contest in the Horizon League Basketball Championship.

Youngstown State vs. Cleveland State

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's overall record to 17-6 this season and its Horizon League record to 11-3.
• Allow YSU to start 11-3 through 14 HL games for the third time ever (2018-19 and 2021-22).
• Be YSU's fourth in the last five meetings with Cleveland State.
• Improve YSU's record in Horizon League road games to 7-1.
• Be Head Coach John Barnes' 324th career victory and his 168th at YSU.

Scouting the Vikings

• Cleveland State is 20-3 overall and is tied for first in the Horizon League standings with an 11-2 conference mark. The Vikings won 16 straight games between a season-opening loss at Iowa State and an 82-65 setback to Green Bay on Jan. 14. CSU has won three straight since losing at Northern Kentucky on Jan. 20.
• Cleveland State possesses the top scoring offense in the Horizon League at 76.13 points per game, and it also holds the top marks in rebounding margin, turnover margin, blocks and steals.
• Destiny Leo is on the short list for the Horizon League Player-of-the-Year award as she's averaging 18.2 points and shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. She has eclipsed the 30-point plateau in three of CSU's last five games. Brittni Moore averages 12.1 points, and Amele Ngwafang, a huge factor in the Vikings' win at YSU on Dec. 29, is averaging 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds.

Series History

Overall: Youngstown State leads 45-35
Barnes: 11-9 • Home: 28-11 • Away: 13-23 • Neutral: 4-1
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State has played Cleveland State more than any other program in its history and owns a 45-35 record against the Vikings in a series that dates back to Jan. 19, 1976. The Northeast Ohio rivals have played each other at least once in all 46 seasons of YSU's intercollegiate program.
• The Penguins have won nine of the last 13 meetings against the Vikings, and they have won 11 of the 14 most-recent encounters at Beeghly Center dating back to the 2011-12 season. YSU has won three of the last five contests at the WOlstein Center, including a 77-69 overtime victory in 2022.
• Three of the last five meetings overall between the programs have been decided by one possession or in overtime.

Recently vs. Cleveland State

• This Season (at YSU – Dec. 29, 2022): Youngstown State went cold from the outside and surrendered too many second chance points in a 77-68 loss to Cleveland State on Dec. 29. The Penguins trailed 27-18 early in the second quarter but closed the first half on a 17-4 run to take a 35-31 lead at halftime. They led 48-44 with three minutes left in the third quarter, but the Vikings outscored them 14-5 to end the period and 19-15 in the fourth. Megan Callahan scored a team-high 14 points as one of five Penguins with at least nine points. The Penguins were 7-for-19 from beyond the arc in the first half but 4-for-18 in the second half. CSU converted 16 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, and the Vikings had a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers.
• Last Season at CSU (Feb. 11, 2022): Chelsea Olson posted game highs of 21 points, five 3-pointers and six assists, and she scored the first five points of overtime as YSU rallied for a 77-69 win at the Wolstein Center on Feb. 11, 2022. Five Penguins combined to make 15 3s, including three in overtime. Mady Aulbach scored a career-high 14 points, and Lilly Ritz contributed 17 points and 18 rebounds. Malia Magestro scored nine of her 11 points in the final eight minutes. Cleveland State led 61-55 with 4:24 left in regulation but didn't score again until after Olson had given YSU a 66-61 lead in overtime.

Feb. 4 in YSU History

• Youngstown State owns a 7-8 record on Feb. 4, and the Penguins have won their last two contests on the date. Each of YSU's last four games games played on Feb. 4 have been decided by four points or in overtime. The Penguins' last encounter on the date resulted in a 65-59 overtime victory at UIC in 2017.
• YSU allowed just 31 points in a 53-31 win over Kent State-Tuscarawas in 1976. That is tied for the fourth-fewest points ever scored by an opponent.
• Individually, Dianne Rappach made seven 3s at Morehead State in 1989. Two Penguins have scored at least 30 points on Feb. 4 – Wanda Grant at Kent State in 1981 and Tanja Simione in 1987.

Recapping Purdue Fort Wayne

Game Summary

Purdue Fort Wayne made 11 of its final 14 attempts from the field to rally for a 67-65 victory over Youngstown State on Thursday at the Gates Sports Center. The Penguins led 49-43 after Malia Magestro hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining in the third period, but the Mastodons hit a 3 following an offensive rebound on their final possession of the quarter and went on to go 10-for-13 in the fourth. YSU trailed 65-59 with less than 90 seconds left and tied the score on a 3-pointer by Megan Callahan and three free throws from Paige Shy. Shayla Sellers scored the game-winning basket with 22.5 seconds left, and she blocked YSU's Lilly Ritz near the buzzer in a defensive stop.

Notes

• Purdue Fort Wayne shot 48.1% from the field, which was the second-highest percentage by an opponent this season behind only Penn State (49.2% on Nov. 15). PFW shot 66.7% from the field in the second half, making 16-of-24.
• The Mastodons dominated the paint, which was rare for an opponent this season. Purdue Fort Wayne held a 40-16 scoring edge in the paint. That was the most points YSU has surrendered inside the lane this season, and it was the fewest that the Penguins scored in the paint. Further, minus-24 more than double the previous highest differential of minus-10 against Penn State and Cleveland State. YSU dropped to 0-4 this season when being outscored in the paint.
• Purdue Fort Wayne came into the game averaging 8.0 3-pointers, while YSU was making 7.7. The Penguins held a 10-6 edge in 3-point buckets, and Megan Callahan (4), Paige Shy (3) and Malia Magestro (2) made multiple.
• The Penguins dropped to 3-6 this season when allowing more than 60 points.
• Callahan posted the second 20-point game of her career and her first since scoring exactly 20 against Green Bay on Dec. 4, 2021. She scored in double figures for the 14th time this season, which matched her most in a season from when she was a true freshman at Robert Morris in 2017-18. Callahan was 8-for-11 from the field overall, 4-for-7 on 3-point attempts and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
• The Penguins grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, but they were only able to convert those into eight second-chance points.
• YSU trimmed its turnovers way down from the first meeting against the Mastodons. The Penguins had 12 turnovers on Thursday after having 25 when the teams met on Dec. 31. Youngstown State had a 16-13 edge in points off turnovers.
• Odds & Ends: Mady Aulbach was credited with her first block of the season... The game featured the most ties (12) and lead changes (8) in a contest this season for YSU... The Penguins had just one steal, which was the fewest in a game this season... In contrast, YSU had five blocks, which was one shy of the season high.

Up Next

• Youngstown State's next four games will be at Beeghly Center as the February slate continues. YSU will begin the homestand on Feb. 9 by hosting Oakland at 7 p.m.