Youngstown State University
Northern Kentucky
Women's Basketball Travels to NKU for Saturday Afternoon Contest
2/23/2024 10:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Youngstown State will try to continue its road success in February as it travels to Northern Kentucky on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest at Truist Arena. The game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Gameday Info
YSU at Northern Kentucky
- When: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 2 p.m.
- Where: Truist Arena | Highland Heights, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
- Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
- Stats: SIDEARM Stats
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
A Glimpse at the Guins
- The Penguins had their four-game winning streak snapped last Saturday with a 71-59 loss to Green Bay at Beeghly Center. Even with the setback to the Phoenix, YSU is only one game out of fourth place in the conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. Six Horizon League teams have records between 10-8 and 6-10 as two-and-a-half games separate fourth place and ninth place.
- YSU is 4-1 in February, and it has won six of its last nine contests dating back to Jan. 18. One of those three losses was a 62-56 decision to Northern Kentucky on Jan. 24. NKU is currently a half game behind YSU in the standings, and the Penguins have Cleveland State (first place at 14-2) and Purdue Fort Wayne (third place at 10-6) on their schedule for the final week of the regular season.
- Emily Saunders posted her third double-double in the last six games against Green Bay, and she leads the league while ranking among the top 25 players nationally with a .619 field-goal percentage and 2.1 blocks per game. Saunders is averaging 12.8 points in Horizon League play, which is the 11th-best clip in the conference.
- YSU ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring defense at 61.8 points per game. Eight of the Penguins' 15 losses have come when they've allowed 66 points or fewer, and they have dropped five games by six points or less.
- YSU ranks 22nd nationally in free-throw percentage at 77.6%, and the Penguins are shooting a league-best 80.8% from the line in Horizon League play. Malia Magestro is shooting 81.8% from the charity stripe in conference games, which ranks third in the circuit, and she is averaging 12.2 points against the league.
- The Penguins rank eighth in the country in assist percentage as 68.1% of their field goals come from an assist.
- John Nicolais, who is in his 11th season at YSU, is serving as interim head coach. John Barnes had been on leave to focus on family since Oct. 2 before announcing his resignation as head coach on Jan. 19.
- YSU has nine returning letterwinners and three starters back from last year's squad that went 19-11 and tied for third in the Horizon League standings.
- YSU is 39-20 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. Northern Kentucky
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's overall record to 13-15 this season and its Horizon League record to 9-9.
- Be YSU's fourth straight road victory.
- Allow YSU to split the regular-season series with Northern Kentucky.
- Give the Penguins a two-game lead on the Norse in the conference standings with two games remaining.
- Be YSU's second straight at Truist Arena.
- Be YSU's fifth in February, which would be two more victories than it had in the month in 2022-23.
Milestone Watch
- Mady Aulbach needs five assists to reach 250 in her career. She needs to play in one more game to move into second in program history with 136 in her career.
- Dena Jarrells is four 3-pointers away from 200 in her career, and she needs one steal for 100 in her career. She is four points from 500 as a Penguin, and she is five rebounds from 250 in her career.
- Shay-Lee Kirby needs 16 3s for 200 in her career.
- Abby Liber needs seven points to reach 100 in her career.
- Lindsey Linard needs one rebound for 100 as a Penguin.
- Emily Saunders needs 13 rebounds to record 300 in her career.
- Paige Shy needs one steal to reach 100 in her career. She is also five field goals away from 250 in her career.
Scouting the Norse
- Northern Kentucky is 9-17 overall and 7-10 in Horizon League play following a 70-58 loss at Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday. NKU battled injuries early in the season, but it has won seven of its last 11 games as and fighting for a first round home game in the conference tournament.
- The Norse are averaging 70.4 points per game in conference play, and they have scored 90 and 100 points in home games this month. NKU is shooting 43% from the field against Horizon League opponents, which ranks third in the conference, and they are shooting at a 34.2% clip from long distance.
- Freshman Carter McCray lead the Norse with 14.7 points and a league-high 10.7 rebounds per contest. Khamari Mitchell-Steen is the reigning Horizon League Player of the Week, and she leads NKU with 52 steals, 15 blocks and 76 assists to go along with 14.3 points per contest.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Northern Kentucky leads 9-8
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 8-8 • Home: 6-4 • Away: 2-5 • Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 2 by Northern Kentucky
- Northern Kentucky has a slim 9-8 advantage on the all-time series, and recent games have been extremely tight between the programs. All three games last season were decided in the final 12 seconds, and 10 of the last 13 meetings have either been within six points or gone to overtime.
- Both teams have been better on their home floors as YSU is 6-4 at Beeghly Center and 2-5 on the road. Three of YSU's five losses all time at NKU have come at the buzzer or in overtime. The Penguins won 59-55 at Truist Arena in 2022-23.
- YSU assistant coach Malika Glover played guard for the Norse from 2012-15 under previous NKU coach Dawn Plitzuweit. She is a two-time NKU graduate, earning her bachelor's degree in 2014 and her master's degree in public administration in 2016.
Last Meeting
Nov. 30, 2023 – at Youngstown State
Youngstown State tried to make a huge comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but the Penguins couldn't overcome a tough night shooting from the field and fell 62-56 to Northern Kentucky on Jan. 24, 2024, at Beeghly Center. YSU trimmed an 18-point third-quarter deficit down to four in the final minute as it held NKU to just one field goal in the final 11:55 of the contest. The Penguins, however, missed their first 10 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter, and they were in a big hole since going 3-for-13 and being outscored 21-9 in the second period. YSU led 16-13 after a quarter, and it held a 20-16 edge a minute into the second period. NKU closed out the first half on an 18-5 run, and the Penguins without a field goal for the final 7:36 of the half. Emily Saunders scored 17 points and was 8-for-11 from the field, and Dena Jarrells scored 15.
Recapping Green Bay
Game Summary
Youngstown State made four straight 3-pointers early in the third quarter to make a run at Green Bay, but the Penguins fell 71-59 to the Phoenix on Saturday at the Beeghly Center. It was YSU's senior day as the program's six fifth-year seniors played their final weekend contest in their home gym.
Emily Saunders, one of those seniors, had one of the best games of her career, posting game highs of 19 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, and she added three assists. Haley Thierry scored nine points, and Dena Jarrells and Shay-Lee Kirby both had eight.
The first quarter was full of runs, and the Phoenix led 17-10 at the end of the period. Green Bay scored eight straight points to take an 8-1 lead, and Youngstown State followed with a 9-0 run to go up 10-8. That ended up being the Penguins' final advantage of the afternoon, as Green Bay scored the final nine points of the first quarter and held a 16-9 advantage in the second. The Phoenix led 33-19 at halftime, and Natalie McNeal scored on the first possession of the third period to up the margin to 35-19. That's when the Penguins made their charge behind four straight 3-pointers that forced a Green Bay timeout.
Jarrells buried two within a stretch of 25 seconds, and Kirby followed at the 7:29 mark to trim the margin to single digits at 35-28. Aulbach then nailed a 3-pointer to make the score 35-31, and the timeout followed. On the Penguins' next possession, Saunders converted a three-point play to bring the score to within 35-34, but that's as close as YSU would get. McNeal had a three-point play on Green Bay's next possession to end YSU's 15-0 run, and the Phoenix got their lead back to double digits at 46-36 after making five free throws during an 11-2 run.
Green Bay led 50-41 after three periods and started the fourth period on a 10-2 burst to take their largest lead at 60-43 with 7:13 on the clock.
Notes
- The Penguins were significantly better in the rebounding battle with the Phoenix than in the first meeting on Jan. 11 at the Kress Center. The Penguins were plus-one on Saturday at 35-34 after being outrebounded 40-25 last month.
- YSU finished 6-for-21 from 3-point range, and that included a stretch where it made four consecutive 3-pointers in the third period. It was the ninth time in the last 10 games that the Penguins made at least six 3-pointers.
- YSU used its seventh different starting lineup of the season as Mady Aulbach started for the first time since Jan. 6. She started in Malia Magestro's spot for senior day after Magestro had made 13 consecutive starts. Aulbach made her sixth start of the season, and it was her first time in the starting five with Haley Thierry. Aulbach played in her 135th career game, which is tied for the second most in program history.
- Aulbach made a 3 in the contest, and she is 5-for-11 from long range this month.
- Dena Jarrells had a season-high seven assists. That was the highest assist total by an individual this season for the Penguins. She previously had six twice in non-conference contests against Western Michigan and Canisius. Jarrells' career high in assists is 10, which she had last season against Oakland on Feb. 9, 2023.
- Jarrells added eight points and made two 3-pointers. It was her 15th time this season when she has made multiple 3-pointers in a contest.
- Shay-Lee Kirby surpassed 300 points as a Penguin. She has 194 of those points this season as she is averaging a career-high 7.8 points per game.
- Emily Saunders played her most minutes since the season opener with 29:41. She had her second-highest rebounding total of the season with 11. She scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting to record her third double-double in the last six games and her fourth of the season.
- Saunders also recorded the 100th block of her career. She has registered 57 of her 101 career blocks this season.
- Haley Thierry made a 3-pointer for the second straight game, and she is 3-for-7 from beyond the arc this month.
- Jen Wendler was officially 1-for-1 from the field for two points in the game, but it was certainly a memorable 39 seconds for the fifth-year senior. Wendler suffered an ACL injury in practice before the season opener, and she had career-ending surgery in December. YSU's coaches alerted Green Bay's bench that Wendler was going to enter the game so that she could avoid contact, and the Phoenix showed a nice gesture to the Wisconsin native. Green Bay allowed the shot clock to expire on its possession, and Wendler scored on the low block on an out-of-bounds play on YSU's final possession at the buzzer.
- Green Bay had just 10 turnovers, which is the fewest by an opponent in Beeghly Center this season. The Phoenix had seven turnovers in the first meeting between the two teams.
- Bailey Butler had nine assists for Green Bay, which tied for the most by an opposing player this season.
Up Next
Youngstown State will return home for the final regular-season contest at Beeghly Center in 2023-24. The Penguins will host Cleveland State on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
