Youngstown State begins a key stretch of the season on Thursday as it plays at Oakland for the first of three straight road contests. Tipoff against the Golden Grizzlies at OU Credit Union O'rena is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Gameday Info

YSU at Oakland

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The Penguins have won five of their last six Horizon League home games, but they are in search of their first conference road victory as they head to Michigan. YSU will play five of its final seven games of the regular season away from Beeghly Center. Youngstown State is 9-14 overall and 5-8 in Horizon League play for a tie for seventh in the standings with Oakland, which it beat 70-63 on Jan. 3.
• YSU is coming off a 73-66 victory on Saturday against a Milwaukee team that had won six of its last seven games. Four starters scored in double figures, and YSU set season highs for 3-point percentage (.467) and points against a Division I opponent.
• Malia Magestro scored a game-high 23 points against the Panthers, and she increased her scoring average in conference play to 12.4 points per game. Fellow guard Dena Jarrells, who ranks among the top five players in the conference in assists and 3-pointers per game, scored her 1,000th career point in the contest.
• Emily Saunders leads the league while ranking among the top 25 players nationally with a .623 field-goal percentage and 2.3 blocks per game. She finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Milwaukee for her second straight double-double.
• The Penguins rank third in the country in assist percentage as 70.1% 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 ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring defense at 61.6 points per game. Eight of the Penguins' 14 losses have come when they've allowed 66 points or fewer, and they have dropped five games by six points or less.
• 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 36-19 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. Oakland

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's overall record to 10-14 this season and its Horizon League record to 6-8.
• Give the Penguins their first Horizon League road victory of the season and their second win away from Beeghly Center in 2023-24.
• Allow YSU to sweep the regular-season series with the Golden Grizzlies.
• Be YSU's sixth straight win at the OU Credit Union O'rena dating back to 2018.
• Give YSU four wins its last six games.

Milestone Watch

• Mady Aulbach is four steals from 100, and she needs 12 assists to reach 250 in her career.
• Dena Jarrells is also 15 3-pointers away from 200 in her career, and she's one assist from reaching 200 as a Penguin. She needs four steals for 100 in her career.
• Shay-Lee Kirby is four steals and seven assists shy of 100 of each in her career.
• Malia Magestro needs 15 points to reach 900 in her career.
• Emily Saunders needs three blocks to reach 100 in her career, and she is 22 points away from 500 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 Golden Grizzlies

• Oakland is 9-18 overall and 5-8 in Horizon League play, and the Golden Grizzlies are 6-5 on their home floor. One of those home victories was an 83-81 win over Green Bay on Jan. 20. Last week, Oakland lost 80-68 at Wright State and 90-82 at Northern Kentucky.
• The Golden Grizzlies rank fifth in the country with 12.5 steals per game, and they are 15th in the country with 21.2 turnovers forced per contest. Offensively, they attempt 23.6 free throws per game, which ranks eighth nationally. They are averaging 73 points, which is the third-best clip in the conference, and they are averaging 14.9 offensive rebounds per contest, which is 3.3 more than any other team.
• Oakland has three starters averaging double figures in scoring, and Brooke Quarles-Daniels leads the Golden Grizzlies with 13.1 points and 2.4 steals per game while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per contest. Markyia McCormick is averaging 11 points and has made a team-high 36 3-pointers. Miriam Ibezim is the top rebounder with 7.1 per contest.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 18-15
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 15-9 • Home: 9-9 • Away: 8-6 • Neutral: 1-0
Current Win Streak: 3 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State holds a slim 18-15 edge in the 33-game history of the series that dates back to the 1998-99 season. Oddly, each team has a better record on the road in the series than on their respective home floors. YSU is 9-9 against the Golden Grizzlies at Beeghly Center, but it is 8-6 on the road in the series. The Penguins have won five straight meetings at the OU Credit Union O'rena dating back to Feb. 1, 2018. YSU has won three straight meetings overall in the series since Oakland eliminated the Penguins from the Horizon League Tournament in 2022.
• The programs were both members of the Mid-Continent Conference for three seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01, and they have been members of the Horizon League together since 2013-14. YSU has a 15-9 record in the series since Oakland joined the league.
• Coach Glover at Oakland: YSU assistant coach Malika Glover began her collegiate career at Oakland. She played for the Golden Grizzlies for two seasons in 2010-11 and 2011-12 before transferring to Northern Kentucky to finish her career from 2012-13 through 2014-15. She played under former Oakland head coach Beckie Francis.

Last Meeting

Jan. 3, 2024 – at Youngstown State

Recap | Box Score

Youngstown State had four players reach double figures, and it outscored Oakland by 13 in the third quarter to win 70-63 on Jan. 3 in Beeghly Center. The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies were knotted at 32 at halftime, and YSU went on a 19-4 run over the final 5:40 of the third period to take a 57-44 lead. Oakland forced the Penguins into 11 turnovers in the fourth quarter, but YSU still led 61-51 with 3:22 left. The margin got as close as six in the final 80 seconds before Youngstown State went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch. The Penguins shot 51.1% from the field while going 8-for-19 from 3-point range. Oakland shot just 31% from the field but scored 24 points from 23 offensive rebounds. YSU's Dena Jarrells and Paige Shy tied for game-high honors with 18 points apiece.

Recapping Milwaukee

Game Summary

Youngstown State got a huge second-half effort from several players, and it won for the fifth time in its last six home games by beating Milwaukee 73-66 on Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center.

The Penguins were able to keep pace in a high-scoring first half, and they limited the Panthers to 32.1% shooting over the final 20 minutes to come away with the victory.

Dena Jarrells scored her 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer with 1:46 left in the third quarter, and YSU's other four starters each scored in double figures. Malia Magestro scored a game-high 23 points, Haley Thierry finished with 13, Shay-Lee Kirby had 12, and Emily Saunders had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Saunders was held scoreless in the first half, and she had 10 points and eight rebounds in the second half.

Milwaukee led for more than 14 out of the first 20 minutes as it shot 57.1% from the field while converting seven offensive rebounds into 12 points. The Penguins, though, trailed by just two at halftime with the help of forcing 10 first-half turnovers. Magestro had 10 points in the second quarter to carry the load as Saunders and Kirby sat with two fouls.

The Penguins scored the first five points of the second half, and they did not trail for the final 19 minutes of the contest. The lead reached eight at 52-44 on a three-point by Magestro with 2:56 left in the period, but Milwaukee went on a 7-0 run over the next 70 seconds to get right back in the game and trail just 52-51. Jarrells' 3 that gave her 1,000 points put YSU ahead 55-51, and the advantage was 57-54 heading into the fourth.

Milwaukee tied the game three times in the fourth quarter at 59, 64, and 66. The score remained 64-64 for more than two minutes until Thierry scored on an offensive rebound at the 3:57 mark to give YSU a 66-64 lead. Milwaukee had an offensive rebound that led to a bucket with 3:20 left to tie the score at 66, but the Panthers did not score again.

Notes

• Dena Jarrells scored her 1,000th career point on a 3-pointer with 1:26 remaining in the third quarter.
• Mady Aulbach scored a season-high five points.
• Shay-Lee Kirby scored in double figures for the second consecutive game. It's her first time scoring 10+ points in back-to-back contests since Nov. 24-25 at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic against Rhode Island and Northern Arizona. She surpassed 800 career points.
• Haley Thierry made her first 3-pointer since YSU's win over Slippery Rock on Nov. 11.
• Paige Shy returned to the lineup after missing the two previous games. She hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1:28 left in the second quarter.
• Emily Saunders set a new career high with four assists. One of those assists led to Jarrells' 1,000th career point. Saunders' top two assist games in her career have come against Milwaukee this season.
• Saunders went over 250 career rebounds in the contest.
• YSU scored its most points against a Division I opponent this season, surpassing the 71 it scored against Robert Morris on Jan. 27.
• The Penguins shot a season-high 46.7% from 3-point range, making seven of their 15 attempts in the game. It was only the second time they shot better than 40%, the other time coming in the home game against Oakland on Jan. 3.
• Milwaukee's Grace Crowley went 10-for-10 from the field. She became the first player to go at least 10-for-10 from the field in a game since YSU's Nikita LaFleur was 10-for-10 against Green Bay on Jan. 10, 2009.
• The teams went a combined 23-for-24 from the free-throw line in the game. The lone miss came with 33 seconds remaining when Malia Magestro split her two attempts.
• Magestro finished with 23 points, which was one shy of her career high of 24 that she scored against St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 26, 2022. She also made the 200th free throw of her career in the contest.
• YSU won the turnover battle for the third straight game. The Penguins were plus in turnover margin just four times in their first 20 games.
• The Penguins were whistled for 13 fouls, which is 17 fewer than in their previous game at IUPUI.
• Milwaukee scored 21 second-chance points, which was the second-highest total by an opponent this season. Oakland had 24 against the Penguins on Jan. 3.
• Six different Penguins made a 3-pointer in the game.

Up Next

Youngstown State will play at Detroit Mercy on Saturday at 1 p.m. The contest against the Titans at Calihan Hall will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO and ESPN+.