Game Preview
- Youngstown State will try to hit the reset button and get back to its winning ways as it begins a four-game homestand on Thursday against Oakland. Tipoff against the Golden Grizzlies is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
- The Penguins have dropped back-to-back Horizon League contests for the first time this season, falling 67-65 and 81-48 on the road last week at Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State. YSU had won its first six conference road decisions going into last week, but the two losses have the Penguins two games behind CSU and Green Bay in the league standings with six games left.
- Youngstown State enters this week with a 16-7 overall record, and it has still won 15 of its last 19 contests. The Penguins are third in the standings with a 10-4 mark, which is one game ahead of IUPUI and two games up on Northern Kentucky.
- YSU had a miserable shooting day at Cleveland State on Saturday, going 4-for-32 on 3-point attempts and making 32.3% of its tries overall from the field. The Vikings shot 40.6% from the field, and they made 26 field goals and 26 free throws to post the most points against the Penguins by any team in nearly three years. Aside from the two losses to Cleveland State, the Penguins have a three-point loss and a two-point setback in conference play.
- Despite Saturday's result at the Wolstein Center, 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 (10.6), field-goal percentage (.598) and double-doubles (13), and she ranks among the top 20 players in the country in all three categories. She also ranks third in the league in scoring (16.5 ppg).
- On the perimeter, three Penguins guards – Malia Magestro, Megan Callahan and Shy - are averaging at least 8.0 points and rank among the top 11 in the Horizon League in 3s per game. Magestro and Callahan are averaging career highs in scoring, and Shy is within 0.1 points of her career high while already setting a new career best in assists Dena Jarrells ranks third in the Horizon League with 3.6 assists per game, and the Penguins won in her first eight starts.
- 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 .570 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.
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
- Advance tickets for Thursday'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 6 p.m. on Thursday.
- Promotions
- Bud Light Thirsty Thursday: $2 beer
- YSU Student T-Shirt Giveaway and first 100 YSU students receive pizza
- Burgan Real Estate Putt for Tuition-One lucky YSU student will have the chance to win free tuition for a year!
- AAA Card BOGO Ticket Game: Tickets are buy one, get one free for fans presenting their AAA card
Youngstown State vs. Oakland
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's overall record to 17-7 this season and its Horizon League record to 11-4.
- Snap a two-game skid to start February.
- End a two-game losing streak to Oakland at Beeghly Center.
- Allow YSU to start 11-4 through 15 HL games for the fourth time ever (2012-13, 2018-19 and 2021-22).
- Be Head Coach John Barnes' 324th career victory and his 168th at YSU.
Scouting the Golden Grizzlies
- Oakland is 11-12 overall and 6-8 in Horizon League play as it comes to Youngstown. The Golden Grizzlies won three straight games after their overtime loss to YSU on Jan. 7 to improve their conference mark to 5-4, but they have dropped four of their last five contests.
- Oakland ranks third in the Horizon League in steals per game, turnover margin and offensive rebounding. The Golden Grizzlies score 65.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the conference, and allow 69.7 points on average, which ranks eighth.
- Freshman Brooke Quarles-Daniels leads Oakland in points, rebounds, steals and assists, and she is one of three Golden Grizzlies players averaging double figures in scoring.
Series History
Overall: Youngstown State leads 16-15
Barnes: 13-9 • Home: 7-9 • Away: 8-6 • Neutral: 1-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State
- Youngstown State holds a slim 16-15 edge in the 31-game history of the series that dates back to the 1998-99 season. Oddly, each team has a better record on the road in the series than on their respective home floors. YSU is 7-9 against the Golden Grizzlies at Beeghly Center, and Oakland has won six of the last eight meetings in Youngstown. The Golden Grizzlies celebrated twice on Rosselli Court in 2021-22 with a 56-52 win on Jan. 30 and a 63-52 victory on March 3 in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. The Penguins have won five straight at the Athletics Center O'rena, and they are 8-6 on the road in the series.
- The programs were both members of the Mid-Continent Conference for three seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01, and they have been members of the Horizon League together since 2013-14. YSU has a 13-9 edge since Oakland joined the league.
Coach Glover at Oakland: YSU assistant coach Malika Glover began her collegiate career at Oakland. She played for the Golden Grizzlies for two seasons in 2010-11 and 2011-12 before transferring to Northern Kentucky to finish her career from 2012-13 through 2014-15. She played under former Oakland head coach Beckie Francis.
Recently vs. Oakland
- This Season (at Oakland – Jan. 7, 2023): YSU withstood an Oakland charge in the fourth quarter to force overtime, and it outlasted the Golden Grizzlies in the extra period to win 68-67 on Jan. 7 at the Athletics Center O'rena. YSU led by 13 midway through the third quarter, but Oakland rallied and took its first lead of the game with 24.5 seconds left in regulation. Megan Callahan tied the score with two free throws with 16.2 seconds left to force overtime, and she made another free throw with 7.6 seconds remaining in the extra period to break a 67-67 tie. YSU's Lilly Ritz led all players with 18 points and 17 rebounds, and the Penguins held Oakland to 29.9% shooting from the field.
- Last Season at YSU (regular season): YSU led by 10 in the second half, but it went 5-for-29 on 3-point attempts in a 56-52 loss on Jan. 30, 2022. The Penguins trailed 11-2 less than four minutes into the game, but they led 27-26 at halftime and 42-32 with 12 minutes left in the contest. Oakland went on a 16-2 run to take a 48-44 lead, and YSU's final advantage was 49-48.
- Last Season at YSU (tournament): YSU never got into a rhythm offensively and fell 63-52 in the quarterfinals of the Keeps Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on March 3, 2022. Lilly Ritz and Chelsea Olson accounted for 40 of YSU's 52 points, and they scored all of YSU's 26 points over the final 25 minutes. Khalaijah Dean scored 15 points in the final 10:32 of the game for Oakland.
Feb. 9 in YSU History
- Youngstown State is 4-7 all time in games played on Feb. 9. YSU's last win on the date came in 2002 at Butler. YSU has dropped its last four decisions on the date.
- The Penguins lost a double-overtime contest at Beeghly Center to Milwaukee on Feb. 9, 2008, in a game in which Tiara Scott (24), Heather Karner (20) and Ashley Pendleton (20) all scored in the twenties. YSU also hosted No. 1 Tennessee at Beeghly Center on Feb. 9, 1993. Donna Djorovic set a school record with 10 blocks in that 1993 contest against the Lady Vols. YSU tied the team record for blocks with 12.
Recapping Cleveland State
Game Summary
Cleveland State scored 13 straight points in the first quarter and pulled away in the third quarter to win 81-48 on Saturday at the Wolstein Center. The Penguins trailed 13-1 less than five minutes into the game, and they battled back to get within four 26-22 with 6:16 remaining in the second quarter. The Penguins scored two points the rest of the half, and Cleveland State built its lead back to a dozen at 36-24 at the break. The Vikings then scored 18 points in the first 5:06 of the third quarter and outscored YSU 29-11 in the period.
Notes
- There were no Penguins to score in double figures for the first time this season. Dena Jarrells scored all eight of her points in the first quarter, and Emily Saunders scored eight points off the bench.
- All 14 Penguins who were available played at least two minutes in the contest. Eleven of the 14 got in the scoring column.
- Lilly Ritz was held below 10 points for the first time this season and for the just the third time in 50 career games as a Penguin. It was the first game this season that Ritz did not make a trip to the free-throw line.
- Haley Thierry made her first career 3-pointer for the Penguins in the fourth quarter.
- Paige Shy recorded five assists in a game that featured only 19 assists total. She was one away from her career high of six that came when the Penguins and Vikings played in December.
- YSU attempted 32 3-pointers, which was the second-most in a game this season behind the home game against the Vikings on Dec. 29 (37). The Penguins were 11-for-37 from beyond the arc in that contest.
- In conjunction with the low success rate on 3-point shooting, YSU had its second-lowest point total of the season. The only lower-scoring contest was at Akron on Nov. 18 when the Penguins scored 44 points.
- Cleveland State scored the most points that the Penguins have surrendered in a game this season at 81. It was the first time an opponent scored at least 80 points since Oakland scored 86 on Feb. 23, 2020. YSU had its largest margin of defeat since the 84-48 loss to the Vikings in the 2020 Horizon League Tournament.
- The Vikings did a large chunk of their scoring at the free-throw line by going 26-for-34 at the charity strip. They were 10-for-12 in the second quarter and 9-for-12 in the third. That was the most free throws made and attempted by an opponent this season.
- Cleveland State held a massive 55-32 rebounding edge in the game. The Vikings grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, and they converted six offensive rebounds into seven second-chance points in the decisive third quarter.
Up Next
- Youngstown State will continue its homestand by hosting Detroit Mercy on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Penguins will wear pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer.
