Youngstown State's women's basketball team will host Mercyhurst on Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the 11th Annual School Day Kids Game, presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza. The game from Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will be broadcast on ESPN+, 1390 WNIO and iHeart.com, and approximately 2,400 students from area schools will be in attendance.

Gameday Info

• When: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 | 11 a.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 1390 WNIO | 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 10 a.m. on Friday.
• Notes: All Penguin Club members and season ticket holders are asked sit in sections 14-15 for the game. This is regardless of where your normal season ticket seat is located because students will be in all other sections. Also, the M-81 lot will be closed to the public and used for bus parking. Fans should park in the M-70 lot instead.

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Youngstown State is 3-0 to start the Melissa Jackson era following a 69-52 victory over a feisty Clarion squad on Friday. In the game added to replace the contest against North Dakota, the Golden Eagles were within three points late in the third quarter before Jewel Watkins took over for the Penguins. Watkins scored 17 points in the final 10:08 of the game, and YSU outscored Clarion 24-12 in the fourth quarter.
• Watkins is averaging 19 points, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League, in her first season as a Penguin. She has scored at least 14 points in all three games. Watkins is among a large group of talented newcomers that includes four transfers and six freshmen. Sarah Baker has been named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week in each of the first two weeks of the season, and she is averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
• Malia Magestro was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point before Friday's game, and she is averaging 12.7 points in her fifth season as a Penguin. She is one of five returners on the squad, and fellow returner Abby Liber leads the Horizon League with 9.7 rebounds per contest. Magestro and Liber have started the first two games alongside transfers Watkins, Xoe Rosalez and Faith Burch.
• YSU's defense has limited its first three opponents to an average of 47.7 points per game, and no team has scored more than 52 points against the Penguins. The Penguins are outscoring opponents by 27 points per game, and they are outrebounding teams by an average of 18 per contest.
• 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 70-27 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
• This is YSU's 50th season of NCAA basketball. 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, four new assistant coaches on the bench and 10 newcomers, there are 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. Mercyhurst

A Win Would...

• Give YSU its 11th 4-0 start to a season in program history and its fifth in the last 13 years.
• Be YSU's first over Mercyhurst.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 76th career victory and her fourth at Youngstown State.

Milestone Watch

• Malia Magestro is two rebounds shy of 300 in her career.
• Haley Thierry needs 10 assists to reach 100 for her career. She is 19 points from 250 in her career.

Scouting the Lakers

• Mercyhurst is off to a 1-3 start this season, which is its first competing at the Division I level. The Lakers are 0-3 on the road so far, and their victory was a 67-51 home win over Davis & Elkins College last Tuesday.
• Mercyhurst has been efficient from beyond the arc, making 24 of its 70 attempts from long distance for 34.3%. The Lakers are also shooting an impressive 79.3% from the free-throw line.
• Junior forward Bailey Kuhns leads Mercyhurst with 16.3 points per game, and junior guard Jenna Van Schaik is averaging 14.0 points. Cici Hernandez and Allyson Ross have both made six 3-pointers, which leads the team.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: First meeting
Jackson vs. Mercyhurst: 0-0
Current Win Streak: First meeting

Youngstown State and Mercyhurst are playing for the first time in women's basketball. The Lakers are in the first season competing at the Division level as members of the Northeast Conference, and the proximity of the two universities could lead to regular meetings. Youngstown and Eria, Pa., are located less than 100 miles from each other. YSU and Mercyhurst played in volleyball this fall, and the schools have upcoming contests scheduled in baseball, softball and football in the next 10 months.

YSU vs. NEC teams: Youngstown State is 37-6 all-time against teams currently in the Northeast Conference. Chicago State has been the opponent in 24 of those 43 meetings, and the Penguins are 22-2 all-time against the Cougars. YSU six wins against Central Connecticut State and Saint Francis (Pa.), and one victory against Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU and Wagner. YSU's most recent victory over a team in the conference was a 69-32 victory at Saint Francis on Dec. 9, 2023.

Success in Kids Day Games: Tuesday is the 11th Annual School Day Kids Game presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza, and the Penguins are 9-1 in previous runnings of the event. YSU won the first nine Kids Day games, which were all against non-Division I opponents, before falling 65-59 to Canisius last season. The Penguins led that game 50-37 after three quarters, but the Golden Griffins held a 28-9 edge in the fourth quarter to escape with a six-point victory. YSU has held the event every season since 2013-14 except for the 2020-21 season that was largely affected by COVID-19. Each of the first 10 games occurred on the calendar between Dec. 16 and Dec. 21.