Youngstown State's women's basketball team will continue its season-opening homestand on Tuesday by welcoming St. Bonaventure to Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center for the first time in program history. Tipoff against the Bonnies is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeart.com.

Gameday Info

• When: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: ysusports.com
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

• Advance tickets for Tuesday's game are available online through YSUsports.com or by calling (330) 941-1978. The ticket office and gates at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. YSU's Athletic Ticket Office will be closed on Monday to honor Veterans Day.
• Promotions
  • Medical Mutual/Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night
  • YSU Clear Bag giveaway, courtesy of Varsity Club Youngstown, Medical Mutual, and 21 WFMJ
  • Veterans Appreciation Game, presented by NECA-IBEW. All active and retired military personnel can receive up to four complimentary tickets by presenting a valid military ID at the Athletic Ticket Office before gameday.

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Youngstown State opened the 2024-25 season and its era under first-year head coach Melissa Jackson with a 95-39 victory over Division II member Lake Erie College on Friday evening. After a power outage canceled the scheduled season opener last Monday, YSU scored 50 points in the first half against the Storm and cruised to a 56-point victory.
• Six Penguins scored at least nine points in the game, and 12 of the 13 players who appeared made a field goal. Jewel Watkins had an impressive debut for YSU, scoring 19 points in just over 20 minutes of game action. The senior transfer was 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
• Malia Magestro scored 12 points against the Storm, and she is eight points away from 1,000 in her career. The fifth-year senior is one of five returners from last year's team that went 14-18 overall and 9-11 in Horizon League play while winning a game in the conference tournament. Abby Liber, another returner in the starting lineup, had a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Watkins is among a large group of talented newcomers includes four transfers, three of which come from the Division I level, and six freshmen. Freshmen Sarah Baker and Danielle Cameron both had 10 points.
• Youngstown State has enjoyed tremendous success at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins have had a winning record at home in 11 of the last 12 seasons, and they are 68-27 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
• The Penguins made their NCAA debut in the 1975-76 season, and 2024-25 presents plenty of newness in the program's storied history. Along with Jackson and four new assistant coaches on the bench, there are 10 newcomers in the program and plenty of changes inside Beeghly Center. The arena is now named Zidian Family Arena, and new chairback seats and upgrades to the sound system and videoboard present an improved gameday experience for student-athletes and fans.

Youngstown State vs. St. Bonaventure

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 2-0 this season.
• Give YSU its first win over St. Bonaventure in the second meeting between the schools.
• Be YSU's first against a team in the Atlantic 10 at the time of the contest since Jan. 4, 2013.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 74th career victory and her second at Youngstown State.

Upcoming Milestones

• Abby Liber needs two rebounds to reach 100 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is eight points shy of 1,000 in her career. She is also nine rebounds from 300 and six assists from 200.
• Jewel Watkins needs five rebounds to reach 400 in her career.

Scouting St. Bonaventure

• St. Bonaventure had an offensive explosion in its season-opening, 82-61 victory over Binghamton on Friday. The Bonnies shot 58.5% from the field overall and went 13-for-13 from 3-point range in the battle of New York teams.
• St. Bonaventure returns four of its top five scorers from last season's team that went 4-26. Returners Isabellah Middleton and Dani Haskell combined for 31 points, and freshmen Mackenzie Pettinelli and Zoe Shaw combined to go 7-for-9 from 3-point range in starting roles.
• The Bonnies were picked to finish 14th in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.

Series and Matchup Notes

Overall: St. Bonaventure leads 1-0
Jackson vs. SBU: 2-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by St. Bonaventure

• St. Bonaventure beat the Penguins 55-47 last season in New York in what is the only meeting between the programs. The Bonnies and Penguin have never played in Youngstown despite the campuses being just a three-hour drive apart.

YSU vs. the Atlantic 10: The Penguins are 20-33 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10, and 43 of the 53 meetings have been against Loyola Chicago or Duquesne. The Penguins are 8-21 against the Ramblers, and they beat LU 74-63 in 2018 in their last meeting. YSU is 8-6 against Duquesne all-time, and those teams last met in the 2015 WNIT when the Dukes won 72-54. YSU's last victory over a team that was in the Atlantic 10 at the time of the contest was 58-45 over VCU on Jan. 4, 2013, in Richmond, Va.

Last Time vs. St. Bonaventure: St. Bonaventure scored the final 11 points of the third quarter, and that run was enough to separate in a low-scoring game as the Bonnies won 55-47 on Dec. 16, 2023, at Reilly Center. Shay-Lee Kirby made five 3s in the first half and finished with 18 points, and Dena Jarrells scored 11 points in the second half. They combined for 31 of YSU's 47 points, and the Bonnies held YSU's posts to two points on one field-goal attempt.

Recapping Lake Erie

Game Summary

Jewel Watkins scored 19 points in the first half, and six Penguins scored at least nine points as YSU opened the season and the refreshed Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center with a 95-39 victory over Lake Erie College on Friday.

Watkins was 7-for-12 from the field overall and 4-for-7 from 3-point range, and her 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer gave the Penguins a 50-23 lead. Youngstown State outscored the Division II Storm 45-16 in the second half.

Watkins is a senior transfer who was one of eight Penguins who made their debut on Friday night at the renovated Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. All eight of them scored, and 12 different Penguins found the scoring column as YSU began its era under head coach Melissa Jackson with a 56-point win.

After lake Erie tied the score at 5-5 at the 6:53 mark of the first period, YSU outscored the Storm 21-5 the rest of the quarter. Bella Samz made a layup to give the Penguins their first double-digit lead at 18-8 at the 1:59 mark, and the margin grew to 26-10 when Haley Thierry scored off a steal from Faith Burch.

Watkins drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions midway through the second quarter to push YSU's lead to 39-16, and her 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half gave YSU a 50-23 advantage. In the third quarter, Xoe Rosalez made a 3 at the 7:04 mark to give YSU its first 30-point advantage at 54-32, and Abby Liber's 3-pointer with 1:08 on the clock gave the Penguins a 41-point, 74-33 edge. The lead reached 50 on a Sophia Gregory basket at the 5:32 mark of the fourth, and the final score was the biggest margin of the night.

Notes

• Youngstown State shot 64.7% in the first period, and it made 46.3% for the evening. YSU was 11-for-27 from 3-point range, and it added a 10-for-14 effort at the free-throw line.
• The Penguins had a substantial 59-27 edge in rebounding, and their 13 steals helped lead to a 28-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
• YSU's 59 rebounds were its most since joining the Horizon League in the 2001-02 season. The highest total previously was 58 against Akron on Nov. 28, 2001.
• Newcomers accounted for 66 of YSU's 95 points in the game, and 39 points were scored by freshmen.
• Defensively, the Penguins held the Storm to 27.1% shooting overall. Lake Erie was 3-for-26 from beyond the arc.
• All 13 Penguins who dressed grabbed at least one rebound, and 12 of them recorded at least one assist.
• Youngstown State won its 29th consecutive game against a non-Division I opponent, a streak dating back to 1990.
• Sarah Baker was YSU's first sub off the bench, and she scored 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting while grabbing four rebounds. She went on to be named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week.
• Danielle Cameron played 19 minutes, the most of any sub, and finished with 10 points. She made two 3-pointers and two twos.
• Sophia Gregory nearly had a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds in less than 12 minutes.
• Abby Liber grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, and she added a career-best three blocks. The junior made her second career start.
• Bella Samz set new career highs with four assists and two steals, and she tied her previous high with four points. She played a career-high 16 minutes off the bench.
• Jewel Watkins' 19 points are believed to be the most by a Penguin guard in her YSU debut since Heather Karner scored 34 points against Cincinnati on Nov. 10, 2006.