Youngstown State's women's basketball team looks to return to its winning ways as it begins its 24th season of Horizon League play on Wednesday by hosting Milwaukee. Tipoff against the Panthers in the conference opener for both teams will be at 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, and the game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeart and ESPN+.

Gameday Info

• When: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 | 6:30 p.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 Wednesday'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 Wednesday.
• Promotions
  • T-Shirt Giveaway to the first 200 fans to commemorate the 50th Season of YSU Women's Basketball
  • The first 100 YSU students will receive a free Jimmy John's sub

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The Penguins went 4-0 in their four-game homestand to begin the season, but they have dropped their last four contests away from Zidian Family Arena to see their record even at 4-4. YSU had three games in five days last week and came up short in each, with the final two coming to Southern Indiana and Towson at the Puerto Rico Clasico over Thanksgiving weekend.
• Youngstown State used three different starting lineups in its four-game road stretch as it worked through injuries. Erica King made her first career start on the wing at Xavier, and Bella Samz made her first career start at point guard vs. Towson as leading scorer and fifth-year senior Malia Magestro missed the last three contests. She went over 1,000 career points on Nov. 12, and she is averaging 14.2 points per game.
• Magestro is one of four returners joining 10 newcomers on this year's squad under first-year head coach Melissa Jackson. Jackson is in her 17th consecutive season coaching in Northeast Ohio, having spent 15 at Akron and one at Cleveland State.
• Jewel Watkins is just behind Magestro's pace at 13.6 points per game, and she has scored at least nine points in seven of the first eight contests. Watkins is among a large group of talented newcomers that includes four transfers and six freshmen. Sarah Baker was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week in each of the first two weeks of the season. YSU has seven newcomers who are averaging at least 13 minutes per game.
• Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in scoring defense (56.1 ppg), and it ranks among the top three teams in rebounding margin, turnover margin, blocks, steals, and field-goal percentage defense.
• 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 71-27 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
• YSU is 40-22 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 seven campaigns.
• 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. Milwaukee

A Win Would...

• Give YSU a 5-4 overall record for the season, a 5-0 mark at home and a 1-0 record in Horizon League play.
• Be YSU's ninth in a conference opener over the last 12 seasons
• Give YSU a 12-12 record all-time in Horizon League openers.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 77th career victory, her first over Milwaukee, and her fifth at Youngstown State.

Milestone Watch

• Faith Burch is three points and eight rebounds away from 250 in each category for her career.
• Abby Liber is four rebounds shy of 150 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is 10 points away from tying Alison Smolinski's total of 1,061 career points for 22nd in program history.
• Haley Thierry needs 10 assists to reach 100 for her career. She is 19 points from 250 in her career.

Scouting the Panthers

• Milwaukee is 3-6 entering Horizon League play, and the Panthers, like the Penguins, are coming off two games in Puerto Rico. Milwaukee beat American 74-60 on Nov. 27, and it fell 56-40 on Thanksgiving Day to Air Force. The Panthers have two overtime losses, and two of their additional losses were at Wisconsin and at No. 10 Kansas State.
• Kacee Baumhower, a Wright State transfer, ranks among the top four in the Horizon League with 17.4 points per game and 2.3 3-pointers per contest. Anna Lutz is also averaging double figures with 10.9 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds. Kamy Peppler leads the conference and ranks 20th in the country with 5.9 assists per game.
• As a team, the Panthers rank third in the conference with 6.9 3-pointers per contest, and they are in the top half in assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, free-throw percentage and fewest turnovers per game.
• Malika Glover, a Youngstown State assistant coach from the 2020-21 through 2023-24 seasons, is now an assistant coach at Milwaukee.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: 21-32
Jackson: 0-0 // Home: 12-14 // Away: 8-19 // Neutral: 1-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• Milwaukee holds a 33-21 advantage in the all-time series with YSU, but the Penguins have won 16 of the last 25 encounters dating back to the 2012-13 season. YSU has won nine of the last 12 meetings at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. More recently, the teams have split the season series in each of the past two seasons with each team going 1-1 on their home floors.
• The Penguins had a string of tough setbacks from 2017-21 in Milwaukee, losing by four in 2017, by one at the buzzer in 2018, by three in overtime in 2019, by five in 2020 and by nine in the conference tournament in 2021. They won 60-56 in 2022 and 61-51 in 2023 in the building.
• Youngstown State and Milwaukee have become rivals in the Horizon League Tournament as the teams have eliminated each other three times since 2017-18. YSU ousted Milwaukee in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, and the Panthers ended the Penguins' season in 2020-21.

Last Season vs. Milwaukee in Youngstown

• Youngstown State outscored Milwaukee 38-29 in the second half and beat the Panthers 73-66 on Feb. 3, 2024, at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Milwaukee led 37-35 at halftime, and YSU held the Panthers to 32.1% shooting in the second half after the visitors shot 571% in the first half.
• The Penguins scored the first five points of the second half and did not trail from that point forward. Milwaukee tied the score at 59, 64 and 66 in the fourth quarter, but the Penguins did not surrender a point over the final 3:20.
• Malia Magestro scored a game-high 23 points as one of four Penguins to score in double figures. Emily Saunders had 10 points and eight rebounds in the second half alone, Haley Thierry scored 13, and Shay-Lee Kirbyh scored 12. Dena Jarrells scored her 1,000th career point as part of a seven-point outing.

Recapping Puerto Rico

• Sarah Baker had a solid tournament, capping the week with a career-high 13 points against Towson. She was 6-for-12 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line against the Tigers. Baker had six points and a career-best two steals versus Southern Indiana.
• Hayden Barrier made her collegiate debut against Southern Indiana and made a 3-pointer. Barrier missed the first six games of the season recovering from an illness.
• Faith Burch blocked a season-high two shots against Southern Indiana, and she went 2-for-2 from the field against Towson.
• Sophia Gregory played a career-high 19 minutes against Towson, and she scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field. Gregory grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in 11 minutes against USI. Gregory played at least 11 minutes in all four games on the road swing after playing 12 minutes total in the first four games of the season.
• Erica King scored a career-high 11 points behind three 3-pointers against Southern Indiana, and she also set career highs with four steals and five rebounds against the Screaming Eagles. King then had a career-best five assists against Towson. She has played at least 24 minutes in three straight games, which have all been starts.
• Dacia Lewandowski has played nearly 54 minutes over the last three games after playing in just over 10 in ther first five contests. She played a career-high 22 minutes against USI and recorded two steals.
• Abby Liber made multiple 3-pointers for the first time in her career when she went 2-for-5 against Towson. Liber has six 3s this season, which is more than she had in her first two seasons combined.
• Malia Magestro missed both games of the trip, and she has been out three straight contests with a lower body injury.
• Xoe Rosalez made her third 3 of the season against Towson when she played 16 minutes off the bench.
• Bella Samz made first career start against Towson.
• Jewel Watkins surpassed 800 career points in the game against Towson. The senior guard also set a new career high with six assists against the Tigers. She has 14 assists this season, which is just 12 off her career high of 26 set in 2022-23.

Up Next

• Youngstown State will continue Horizon League play at Northern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 1390 WNIO. Following the game against the Norse, YSU will break for finals week.