Youngstown State will try to make a run as the seventh seed in the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship, starting with a home game on Tuesday against 10th-seeded IUPUI. The first-round contest against the Jaguars will tip at 7 p.m. in Beeghly Center, and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Gameday Info

YSU vs. IUPUI

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

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• Tournament Ticket Information
• Advance tickets for Tuesday's game are available on YSUsports.com, over the phone at (330) 941-1978 or at the Stambaugh Stadium Athletics Ticket Office. The Beeghly Center Ticket Office and gates will open at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The Penguins finished the regular season with a 13-17 overall record and a 9-11 mark against conference opponents. YSU had a chance at the fifth seed and a first-round bye heading into the final day of the regular season, but Saturday's results did not go in the Penguins' favor. Still, YSU is a confident group after going 5-2 in February and has played its best basketball of the season over the past month.
• YSU and IUPUI split its two regular-season meetings with each team winning on its home floor. The Penguins topped the Jaguars 58-56 on New Year's Eve on Rosselli Court. This will be the first posteason matchup between the two programs.
• The Penguins are hosting a first-round tournament game for the fifth time in the last six seasons. YSU is 6-2 all-time on its home floor in the Horizon League Tournament.
• Emily Saunders was voted to the All-Horizon League Third Team and All-Defensive Team. She ranks among the top 25 players in the country in field-goal percentage and blocks, and she is among the top 15 in the conference in points and rebounds.
• The Penguins had two guards average double figures in conference play. Malia Magestro averaged 11.8 points and made 54 free throws, and Dena Jarrells averaged 11 points while making 45 3-pointers.
• YSU ranks 15th nationally in free-throw percentage at 78.2%, and the Penguins shot a league-best 81.2% from the line in conference play.
• YSU ranks third in the Horizon League in scoring defense at 62.0 points per game. That's the fifth-best scoring defense in program history.
• The Penguins need three 3-pointers to reach 200 for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons.
• 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 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.
• Youngstown State has enjoyed tremendous success at Beeghly Center. The Penguins have had a winning record at home in 10 of the last 11 seasons, and they are 66-28 on Rosselli Court since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

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 10 of the last 12 seasons and 15 times in the last 18. They've had a first-team honoree in three of the last six years, including 2021-22 and 2022-23.
• Sharing The Ball: A Penguin has led the Horizon League in assists per game in six of the last nine years. As a team, the Penguins have paced the conference in assists per game in three of the last six campaigns.
• 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.

Tournament History

• Going back to the 2012-13 season, YSU has won a game in the Horizon League tournament in seven of the last 11 seasons. The Penguins are 6-4 in their first game of the postseason since John Nicolais arrived on campus in 2013-14. Prior to the 2012-13 campaign, YSU had a 1-11 record in the Horizon League tournament.
• The Penguins have advanced to the semifinals five times – in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.
• Youngstown State is 6-2 all-time in Horizon League tournament games played in Beeghly Center. The Penguins won their first six contests in the tournament on Rosselli Court, but they were upset in the quarterfinals in each of the past two years.
• YSU is 2-4 all-time in the tournament as the seventh seed, and its last victory in the tournament came in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 game against Purdue Fort Wayne in 2020-21 campaign. Youngstown State also won a 7 vs. 10 contest against Detroit Mercy in 2007-08.
• Youngstown State has never played IUPUI in the postseason.

Youngstown State vs. IUPUI

A Win Would

• Be YSU's first in the Horizon League tournament since beating Purdue Fort Wayne in the first round of the 2020-21 season.
• Snap a three-game losing streak in the HL tournament.
• Give the Penguins their first win in March since the 2018-19 season. YSU has lost eight straight games in the month.
• Improve YSU's record on Rosselli Court in the conference tournament to 7-2.
• Be YSU's ninth at Beeghly Center in 2023-24 and secure a winning home record for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
• Give YSU a 2-1 record against IUPUI in 2023-24.

Milestone Watch

• Dena Jarrells needs one 3-pointer to move into 10th place on YSU's single-season 3s list.
• Shay-Lee Kirby is two points away from 900 in her career. She is eight 3-pointers away from 200 in her career.
• Abby Liber needs one point to reach 100 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is 11 assists from 200, 15 rebounds from 300 and 52 points from 1,000 in her career.
• Paige Shy needs two field goals to reach 250 in her career.
• Haley Thierry needs five rebounds to get to 150 in her career.

Scouting the Jaguars

• IUPUI is the 10th seed in the conference tournament after going 7-22 overall and 5-15 in league play. The Jaguars went 1-7 in February after beating YSU 69-63 on Jan. 31, but they started March by beating Oakland 92-71 in the regular-season finale.
• The Jaguars allow 75.2 points per game on defense, which is the highest mark in the conference, but they can counter that offensively, as evidenced by the 92-point outburst on Saturday. IUPUI attempts 17.3 3-pointers per game, which is the third-fewest in the conference. It leads the conference with 4.0 blocks per game.
• Miami (Ohio) transfer Katie Davidson was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team after ranking third in the conference at 16.6 points per game. Jazmyn Turner (11.6) and Tahlia Walton (10.7) also average double figures, and Turner and Davidson have both made more than 90 free throws this season.
• Penguin ties: IUPUI head coach Kate Bruce was an assistant on Bob Boldon's staff at YSU from 2010-13. Jaguars freshman Alexa Hocevar is the younger sister of Athena Hocevar, who was a true freshman on YSU's Horizon League regular-season championship team in 2021-22.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: IUPUI leads 14-10
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 4-11 • Home: 5-5 • Away: 4-8 • Neutral: 1-1
Current Win Streak: 1 by IUPUI

• IUPUI holds a 14-10 lead in the all-time series between the programs in a series that dates back to the 1998-99 season when both schools were members of the Mid- Continent Conference. YSU left the Mid-Con for the Horizon League in 2001-02, and IUPUI joined the Penguins in the Horizon League in 2017-18.
• The teams split the season series in the first three years that IUPUI was in the Horizon League, and IUPUI won seven straight games in the series before the Penguins won 58-56 on New Year's Eve.
• Five of the last six meetings have been decided by single digits, and each of the last three meetings in Youngstown have come down to the final possession in regulation. YSU lost in overtime in 2022, and it fell 64-61 in January 2023. In December, the Penguins won 58-56 as Shay-Lee Kirby made two free throws with 1.4 seconds left.

This Season vs. IUPUI

Dec. 31, 2023 - at Youngstown State

Recap | Box Score

Shay-Lee Kirby made two go-ahead free throws with 1.4 seconds left as Youngstown State fought for a 58-56 victory over IUPUI on New Year's Eve at Beeghly Center. It was a tightly-contested game where the largest lead for either team was four points, and offensive rebounds were key down the stretch for YSU as it built a 55-51 lead. IUPUI's Jaela Johnson hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 56 with 24.4 seconds left, and Kirby was fouled on the right wing to set up the final free throws. Emily Saunders finished with a game-high 19 points while adding nine rebounds and four blocks, and Dena Jarrells made three 3s in a 12-point effort.

Jan. 31, 2024 - at IUPUI

Recap | Box Score

Youngstown State couldn't overcome scoring struggles in the final 30 minutes and an overwhelming amount of foul trouble as it fell 69-63 at IUPUI on Jan. 31. The Penguins made seven of their first eight field goal attempts in the game as both teams had a high-scoring pace at the outset, but they shot 26.7% over the final three quarters. YSU held a 21-20 advantage with two minutes left in the opening quarter. The Jaguars scored the final five points of the quarter, and they held the upper hand the rest of the day. YSU was whistled for 30 fouls, and IUPUI went 32-for-39 at the free-throw line. IUPUI led by 11 twice in the third quarter, and YSU got within 58-55 with 5:37 left in the fourth, and it trailed just 64-63 in the final minute.

Recapping Purdue Fort Wayne

Game Summary

Purdue Fort Wayne made 13 3-pointers to fight off Youngstown State for a 73-64 victory on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Youngstown State had four players reach double figures, led by Emily Saunders' 17 points. She was joined by 10 points apiece from Shay-Lee Kirby, Paige Shy and Haley Thierry, and Dena Jarrells added nine points. Saunders added nine rebounds and six blocks.

Destinee Marshall scored a career-high 22 points on her senior day for Purdue Fort Wayne, and she made four of the Mastodons' 13 3-pointers.

The Penguins scored seven of the first 10 points of the game and led 7-3 after an Abby Liber layup at the 5:49 mark of the first quarter. The Mastodons started making just one of its first six field-goal attempts and had six turnovers in the first six minutes, but Sellers hit a 3 at the 3:55 mark to spark a 9-2 run for Purdue Fort Wayne. The Mastodons led 14-9 after Marshall scored on their first possession of the second period, and YSU was not able to take the lead again.

Purdue Fort Wayne led 35-28 at halftime, and the Penguins scored the first four points of the third period on two-point buckets by Kirby and Malia Magestro, and a 3-pointer by Kirby kept the margin at three points at 38-35 with 7:55 remaining. A 7-0 run later in the quarter got the Penguins within 49-47, and they trailed just 54-53 heading into the fourth.

The Penguins didn't make a field goal for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, and Purdue Fort Wayne took advantage with a 16-2 run that gave it a 70-55 advantage with 3:11 left.

Notes

• The Penguins shot 41.1% overall from the field, but they had tough first and fourth quarters. YSU was 17-for-31 (54.8%) in the middle two periods, but it was just 6-for-25 combined (24.0%) in the first and fourth.
• Youngstown State lost for the first time on the road since Jan. 31. The Penguins went 4-0 on the road in February.
• Abbie Davidson recorded the second steal of her career.
• Dena Jarrells made three 3-pointers to bring her season total to 66. That is tied for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. Jarrells has made a 3 in eight straight contests, and she has made at least three 3s in six of her last seven games.
• Jarrells also collected her 100th assist of the season, giving her 100 in consecutive campaigns. She also surpassed 1,100 career points.
• Shay-Lee Kirby set a new career high with six steals, topping her previous high by two. Her previous high this season was three. The six steals tied for the most by a Penguin this season. Haley Thierry had six at IUPUI on Jan. 31. Before Thierry's six steals, the last Penguin to have six in a game was Janae Jackson in the 2015-16 season opener. Kirby has 21 steals in the last 11 games after having nine in her first 17 contests.
• Kirby made two 3-pointers, giving her multiple 3s in eight of her last nine games. She scored in double figures for the seventh time in the last nine contests.
• Lindsey Linard made her first start of the season and finished with one assist in nine minutes.
• Emily Saunders blocked six shots in the game, which was the second-highest total of her career. She is one of four players in program history to block at least six shots in two different games in the same season. Saunders added a team-high 17 points while grabbing a game-best nine rebounds.
• Paige Shy made two 3s in a game for the first time since the Jan. 13 game at Milwaukee. She reached double digits for the first time since she had 16 points against Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 18. Shy also recorded her 100th career steal.
• Haley Thierry registered her 50th career steal, 36 of which she has this season. She also scored her 200th career point in the contest, 171 of which have come in 2023-24.
• Purdue Fort Wayne made 13 3-pointers, which tied West Virginia (Nov. 19) for the most by an opponent this season. The Mastodons had 34 attempts from beyond the arc, which was the most by an opponent.
• YSU held Shayla Sellers and Amellia Bromenschenkel to a combined six points in the first meeting. They had 32 points together on Saturday.

Up Next

If Youngstown State wins on Tuesday, it would advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. If all of the top seeds win on Tuesday, the Penguins' next contest would be on Thursday at Green Bay.