Youngstown State plays its first Horizon League road contest in more than a month on Saturday as it makes the short trip to Cleveland State. Tipoff against the Vikings at the Wolstein Center is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Gameday Info

YSU at Cleveland State

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Saturday's game begins a three-game road stretch for the Penguins, who are 6-9 overall and 2-3 in Horizon League play. After dropping its two conference games in late November and early December, Youngstown State went 2-1 against conference opponents during its most recent homestand.
• The Penguins are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the season in a 70-63 victory over Oakland on Wednesday. YSU had a season-high four players score in double figures while shooting 51.1% overall as a team and a season-high 42.1% from 3-point range. Dena Jarrells and Paige Shy led the way with 18 points apiece.
• Saturday is the first time the Penguins will be playing west of Youngstown since its trip to Las Vegas over Thanksgiving. Since then, the Guins have played five home games and traveled to Robert Morris, Saint Francis (Pa.) and St. Bonaventure.
• Youngstown State ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring defense at 59.1 points per game. Six of the Penguins' nine losses have come when they've allowed 65 points or fewer, and they have dropped four games by six points or less. YSU is averaging 58.8 points offensively overall, which is the bottom mark in the conference, and it is averaging 61.8 points against league opponents.
• Even with the Penguins still working to hit full stride offensively, they are tied for sixth in the Horizon League standings with their 2-3 record.
• Forward Emily Saunders leads the Penguins with 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in her first season as a starter collegiately. She leads the Horizon League and ranks 10th in the country with a .650 field-goal percentage, and she is also the conference leader with 1.9 blocks per game. Saunders is one of six fifth-year seniors on the team.
• 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.
• 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.
• YSU is 33-14 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. Cleveland State

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's overall record to 7-9 this season and its Horizon League record to 3-3.
• Be the Penguins' second at the Wolstein Center in the last three years.
• Give YSU three straight wins, which would be its longest streak of 2023-24.
• Be YSU's first conference road victory.

Milestone Watch

• Mady Aulbach is four field goals shy of 100 in her career, and she's eight rebounds away from 300 in her career.
• Dena Jarrells needs five assists to reach 350 in her career. She is also three 3-pointers shy of 175 in her career.
• Shay-Lee Kirby is 11 assists and 11 steals shy of 100 of each in her career.
• Lindsey Linard needs six rebounds for 100 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is 13 points away from 800 in her career and 13 3-pointers shy of 150.
• Paige Shy is two 3s from 150 in her career, 12 assists from 200 and 20 points from 750.

Scouting the Vikings

• Cleveland State is 12-3 overall and 3-1 in Horizon League play, which puts the Vikings in a three-way tie for third place in the standings. The Vikings are also 7-0 at the Wolstein Center, and they are ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25.
• Cleveland State leads the conference offensively with 76.5 points per game while shooting 45.9% overall and a league-best 38.5% from 3-point range.  Additionally, the Vikings rank sixth in the country with 17.6 made free throws per contest. Defensively, CSU is allowing 64.8 points on average.
• Transfers Colbi Maples (Grambling State) and Mickayla Perdue (Glenville State), ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference in scoring average. Maples is also third in the circuit in assists per game, and she ranks 15th in the country with 68 made free throws this season. That tandem has been key for the Vikings, who lost defending Horizon League Player of the Year Destiny Leo for the year due to an injury in their sixth game of the season.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 45-36
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 11-10 • Home: 28-11 • Away: 13-24 • Neutral: 4-1
Current Win Streak: 2 by Cleveland State

• Youngstown State has played Cleveland State more than any other program in its history and owns a 45-36 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 each of the first 48 seasons of YSU's intercollegiate program.
• The Penguins have won nine of the last 14 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 six contests at the Wolstein Center, including a 77-69 overtime victory in 2022. The Penguins swept the Vikings in 2021-22, and the Vikings flipped the script and won both meetings in 2022-23.
• Three of the last six meetings overall between the programs have been decided by one possession or in overtime.

Last Meeting

Feb. 4, 2023 – at Cleveland State

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.

Recapping Oakland

Game Summary

Four Penguins scored in double figures, and Youngstown State outscored Oakland by 13 in the third quarter to win 70-63 on Wednesday evening at the Beeghly Center.

Dena Jarrells and Paige Shy both scored 18 points, while Malia Magestro and Emily Saunders both scored 10 for YSU, which won its second straight conference game.

The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies were knotted at 32 at halftime, and YSU outscored the visitors 19-4 over the final 5:40 of the third period to take a 57-44 lead. After Saunders scored on a pass from Magestro to put YSU up 44-42 in the early part of the burst, the Penguins did not trail again.

Jarrells hit one of her four 3-pointers to give Youngstown State its first double-digit lead at 52-42 with 2:46 on the third-quarter clock, and Magestro's 3-pointer on the Penguins' final possession of the quarter pushed the advantage to 57-44.

The Golden Grizzlies, who came into the contest ranking eighth in the country in turnover margin, forced the Penguins into 11 turnovers in the fourth quarter. However, Oakland couldn't shave a meaningful amount off the deficit, and the lead was still 10 at 61-51 when Saunders scored with 3:22 remaining.

Jasmine Dupree-Hebert hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to get Oakland to within 63-57, but the Penguins went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch.

YSU was much more efficient with its opportunities, making 51.1% of its 47 field-goal attempts. The Penguins were 24-for-47 overall and 8-for-19 from 3-point range. Oakland attempted 24 more field goals but made two fewer than Youngstown State.

Oakland's largest lead was seven at 23-16 at the 7:04 mark of the second quarter. The Golden Grizzlies held a 30-25 advantage with 2:51 remaining in the half when Jarrells hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Penguins a 31-30 edge.

Notes

• YSU had its most points in a victory over a Division I team this season. The Penguins scored a season-high 78 points in their win over Slippery Rock, and they had 70 in a 74-70 loss to Northern Arizona.
• The Penguins shot 42.1% from 3-point range, making eight of their 19 attempts. That was their best percentage from long distance in a game this season. YSU's starters went 8-for-16 as Dena Jarrells went 4-for-8, Malia Magestro was 3-for-5, and Paige Shy made one of her three attempts.
• Youngstown State had four players score in double figures for the first time this season. Dena Jarrells and Paige Shy both scored 18 points, while Malia Magestro and Emily Saunders both scored 10. Six times in the first 14 games of the season, YSU had three players score at least 10 points.
• Oakland grabbed 23 offensive rebounds in the game, which led to 24 second-chance points. The 24 second-chance points were the most by an opponent this season.
• The Penguins committed a season-high 24 turnovers, which led to 22 Oakland points. The Golden Grizzlies came into the game ranking eighth in the country in turnover margin.
• YSU had 12 fast-break points, which tied for its most this season against a Division I opponent.
• Oakland came into the game averaging 76.7 points, and YSU held the Golden Grizzlies to 63 points.
• Malia Magestro grabbed her 250th career rebound.
• YSU was whistled for 22 fouls, two games after it had 24 infractions against Wright State. Oakland attempted 23 free throws, and opponents have averaged 26.7 free-throw attempts over the last three games.
• Youngstown State outscored Oakland 25-12 in the third quarter, and strong third periods were consistent throughout the Penguins' four-game homestand. YSU outscored Canisius 25-6, Wright State 22-19 and Oakland 25-12 in the 10 minutes after halftime, and it battled IUPUI to as 12-12 stalemate. For the season, YSU has outscored its opponents 229-204 in the third quarter, and the Penguins are averaging 6.4 more points in the second half than in the first half.
• Shy tied her career high with six assists, matching her effort against Cleveland State on Dec. 29, 2022. She became the third Penguin to have at least six assists in a game this season, joining  Jarrells (twice) and Shay-Lee Kirby.
• Lindsey Linard grabbed a season-high six rebounds, which was the highest total by a Penguin.
• - Saunders blocked three shots and finished with at least three blocks for the seventh time in the last nine games. In games played between Nov. 30 and Jan. 3, only two players in the country - Boise State's Abby Muse and Liberty's Bella Smuda, had more than Saunders' 24 blocks. Only eight players averaged more blocks per game during that stretch.

Up Next

The Penguins will have their annual trip to play the Horizon League's Wisconsin schools next week. YSU will play at Green Bay on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. Eastern, and it take on Milwaukee on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 1 p.m. Eastern.