Youngstown State tries to earn its second straight win to open Horizon League play as it heads to Northern Kentucky on Saturday for its first road game of the conference slate. Tipoff against the Norse is set for 1 p.m. at Truist Arena, and the game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeart and ESPN+.

Gameday Info

• When: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 | 1 p.m.
• Where: Truist Arena | Highland Heights, Ky.
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 1390 WNIO | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The Penguins remained unbeaten on their home floor by beating Milwaukee 66-50 on Wednesday to begin league play. A trio of newcomers combined for 54 of YSU's 66 points as transfer Jewel Watkins scored a game-high 22 points while freshmen Sarah Baker and Erica King both scored 16. Baker, a native of Florence, Ky., less than a half hour from NKU, added game highs of seven rebounds and six assists in her first career start.
• YSU is 5-0 at home this season, and the Penguins will look to conquer a road challenge for the first time on Saturday. Youngstown State has a pair of road losses at Bucknell and Xavier and two neutral-site setbacks from its Thanksgiving tournament in Puerto Rico.
• This is a very different looking team than the Penguins group that won 68-64 at NKU in February. Under first-year head coach Melissa Jackson, 10 of the 14 ladies on the roster are newcomers. Seven of those newcomers combined to score all 66 points in Wednesday's victory. Watkins is averaging a team-high 14.6 points, and Baker was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week the first two weeks of the season. YSU has six newcomers averaging at least 13 minutes.
• YSU's top returner, fifth-year senior and 1,000-point scorer Malia Magestro, has missed the last four games after averaging 14.2 points in ther first five. Abby Liber started the first eight games and is averaging 7.0 rebounds.
• Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in scoring defense (55.4 ppg), and it ranks among the top three teams in rebounding margin, turnover margin, blocks, steals, and field-goal percentage defense.
• YSU is 41-22 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.

Youngstown State at Northern Kentucky

A Win Would...

• Give YSU a 6-4 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Horizon League play.
• Be YSU's first away from Zidian Family Arena in 2024-25.
• Give YSU a 10-9 advantage in the all-time series.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 78th career victory, her fourth against NKU, and her sixth at Youngstown State.

Milestone Watch

• Faith Burch is two rebounds away from 250 in her career. She is seven field goals away from 100.
• Abby Liber is one rebound 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 Norse

• Northern Kentucky is 2-7 this season following a 67-54 loss at Cleveland State on Wednesday to open Horizon League play. The Norse are looking to stop a five-game slide in which they lost the first three contests by a combined 10 points. One of those losses was a 75-73 decision at Southern Indiana, which was one of YSU's opponents in Puerto Rico.
• NKU ranks fourth in the Horizon League averaging 65.8 points per game, and it is also fourth in field-goal percentage and assists. Defensively, NKU allows 73.1 points, which ranks ninth in the circuit.
• Guard/forward Halle Idowu averages 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds to lead NKU in both categories in her first season as a transfer from Northeastern. Macey Blevins averages 12 points and has made a team-high 11 3-pointers, and freshman Kamora Morgan averages 10.4 points.
• NKU has a first-year coaching staff, led by head coach Jeff Hans.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Tied 9-9
Jackson: 3-0 // Home: 6-4 // Away: 3-5 // Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• The all-time series between Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky is tied 9-9, and recent games have been extremely tight between the programs. All three games in 2022-23 were decided in the final 12 seconds, and 11 of the last 14 meetings have either been decided by six points or gone to overtime.
• Both teams have been better on their home floors as YSU is 6-4 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center and 3-5 on the road. Three of YSU's five losses all time at NKU have come at the buzzer or in overtime. NKU has won the last two meetings on Rosselli Court, including when the Norser won 59-58 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Horizon League Championship.

Last Season at NKU

• Youngstown State overcame an 18-point deficit behind clutch efforts across the lineup and rallied to win 68-64 at Northern Kentucky on Feb. 24, 2024. The Penguins trailed 25-7 after 13 minutes, and they were down 47-34 with just over 13 minutes left before they rallied. YSU's first lead didn't come until Dena Jarrells hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• Jarrells and Shay-Lee Kirby both scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Jarrells scored all of her 25 points in the final 23 minutes. She scored eight points during the final two-and-a-half minutes of the first half to trim the halftime deficit to 32-24, and she made a 3 during a 9-1 run to end the third quarter. YSU went on to outscore the Norse 25-16 in the fourth.

Recapping Milwaukee

Game Summary

Youngstown State had three players score at least 16 points and led for more than 30 minutes in a 66-50 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday in the Horizon League opener for both teams.

Senior Jewel Watkins scored a game-high 22 points and made six 3-pointers, and freshmen Sarah Baker and Erica King both scored 16 in their first starts at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. That trio combined for 54 of Youngstown State's 66 points as the Penguins improved to 5-0 on their home floor this season.

Both teams had an 8-0 run in the opening quarter, and Milwaukee's largest lead came at 11-4 with 4:58 remaining on a 3-pointer by Kacee Baumhower. The Penguins answered with their 8-0 run that featured 3s by Watkins and King to take a 12-11 lead, and YSU did not trail after taking a 16-15 advantage on a Faith Burch basket in the final minute of the opening quarter.

Youngstown State's largest lead in the first half came when Baker made two free throws at the 2:14 to get to eight points individually, and those charity tosses made the score 31-24. The margin was 33-28 at halftime.

YSU stretched its lead to double digits for the first time when Watkins and King hit 3s on consecutive possessions, and King's triple with 7:00 on the clock made the score 43-33. The margin reached 13 twice, the second time coming at 50-37 with 2:22 left, but Milwaukee scored the final six points of the quarter to get back within seven.

Youngstown State didn't score in the third after the 2:22 mark, and its first field goal of the fourth came on a Watkins 3-pointer with 7:52 remaining. Even with that dry spell, YSU remained ahead by seven because of its defense. The Penguins ended up outscoring Milwaukee 16-7 in the final quarter, and Watkins finished with three 3s in the period.

Notes

• YSU outscored its opponent in every quarter for the first time since the season opener against Lake Erie.
• The Penguins had between 15 and 18 points in each quarter.
• YSU had its largest margin of victory in the series against Milwaukee since beating the Panthers 67-47 on Feb. 17, 2019.
• YSU overcame its largest deficit of the season in a victory. YSU trailed by one in wins over Clarion and Mercyhurst in November, and Milwaukee held an 11-4 lead with 4:58 left in the first quarter after an 11-2 burst.
• Jewel Watkins and Erica King hit back-to-back 3s immediately after Milwaukee took its seven-point lead in the first quarter. That same tandem hit 3s on consecutive possessions in another big moment in the third quarter to put YSU up 43-33.
• Milwaukee had turnovers between each of those moments, and YSU forced the Panthers into 19 turnovers. Those 19 miscues led to 28 points for the Penguins, who had a substantial 28-11 edge in points off turnovers.
• Youngstown State had 10 steals, its sixth game with at least 10 in the first nine contests of the season. YSU had seven 10-steal games in 32 contests last season, and it had four in 2022-23.
• Youngstown State held Milwaukee to 34.7% shooting overall and a 3-for-21 mark from 3-point range. The Panthers missed their final 15 attempts from long distance.
• Sarah Baker, Erica King and Bella Samz each made their first career starts at home. Baker made her first start regardless of venue, Samz made her second start, and King was in the starting group for the fourth consecutive game.
• Faith Burch scored her 250th career point in a five-point performance. She added six rebounds.
• Baker scored a career-high 16 points, topping the 13 she had in YSU's last game against Towson in Puerto Rico. The freshman is 12-for-23 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in the last two games.
• King joined Baker in scoring a career-high 16 points. It was her second game reaching double figures in the last three contests. King is averaging 10.3 points in her four games as a starter.
• Defensively, King helped the Penguins hold Milwaukee leading scorer Kacee Baumhower to nine points on 4-for-12 shooting. The senior guard was held to four points over the final 35 minutes. She came into the game averaging 17.4 points. 
• Watkins made six 3-pointers, and she was 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second half. The six 3s tied for the most in a game by a Horizon League player this season. She tied a career high with four steals.

Up Next

• Youngstown State will focus on finals next week before traveling to Columbus for a game at Ohio State on Dec. 14.