The Youngstown State women's basketball program will play 10 contests during a challenging 2023-24 non-conference schedule, Penguins head coach John Barnes announced on Wednesday.

YSU will begin its 11th season with Barnes at the helm 10 weeks from the schedule announcement on Wednesday, Nov. 8, with a home contest against Xavier, and the non-conference slate will extend to a home game against Canisius on Dec. 21. Among the highlights are a trip to the WVU Coliseum for the four West Virginia natives on YSU's roster and a trip to Las Vegas for a tournament over Thanksgiving.

The Penguins will play five of those 10 non-conference games in Beeghly Center, and the three true road contests on the docket will be played within three hours of campus.

The 10 non-conference games bring YSU's regular-season schedule to 30 games, which is the most in program history.

Following the season-opening tilt against the Musketeers, the Penguins will host Slippery Rock (Nov. 11) and Western Michigan (Nov. 16) as part of a three-game homestand on Rosselli Court to open the season. They'll then play at West Virginia in the homecoming affair for Dena Jarrells, Shay-Lee Kirby, Emily Saunders and Paige Shy on Nov. 19 in their first road contest.

YSU will fly to Las Vegas for games against Rhode Island and Northern Arizona that will be played on Nov. 24-25, and the Horizon League opener against Detroit Mercy will be Nov. 30.

The Penguins will resume non-league play by hosting Akron on Dec. 6, and that will begin a stretch of four games to close out the non-conference slate. The Penguins will play at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 9 in their final contest before Finals Week, and they'll head back on the road for their first-ever meeting with St. Bonaventure on Dec. 16. The non-conference portion of the schedule will close on Dec. 21 against Canisius.

For season tickets and group ticket information, fans can call the YSU Athletics Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

Schedule Notes

1. The Penguins will host Xavier at Beeghly Center for the first time since Feb. 4, 1993. YSU and Xavier have not played since the 2004-05 season.
2. YSU is playing Slippery Rock for the first time since Dec. 14, 1991.
3. YSU is playing Western Michigan for the second straight season. The Broncos are coming to Youngstown for the first time since Nov. 30, 2011.
4. The Penguins are playing the Mountaineers in West Virginia for the first time since Dec. 16, 2012.
5. YSU has never played Rhode Island
6. Youngstown State and Northern Arizona have played twice previously as part of a home-and-home series in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
7. The Penguins and Zips have played each other every season since 1996-97 except for the 2020-21 campaign that was largely affected by COVID-19. The Penguins will be going for their fifth win in their last six meetings with Akron on Rosselli Court.
8. The Penguins and Red Flash are playing for the second straight season. Last year, YSU beat Saint Francis (Pa.) 81-41 at Beeghly Center.
9. Youngstown State and St. Bonaventure have never played despite being less than three hours apart.
10. The Golden Griffins and Penguins are playing for the third straight season and for the second straight campaign at Beeghly Center.