After a first-round victory on Tuesday and a long travel day on Wednesday, Youngstown State will fight to keep its season alive at Green Bay on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. The game at the Kress Center will tip at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, and it will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO, iHeart, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Gameday Info

YSU at Green Bay

A Glimpse at the Guins

• The seventh-seeded Penguins had one of their better all-around performances of the season in Tuesday's 73-50 victory over 10th-seeded IUPUI in the opening round of the tournament. YSU led by 11 at halftime and built its advantage to as much as 26 in the second half. It was the largest margin of victory ever for the Penguins in the Horizon League Tournament. Green Bay is the second seed and received a first-round bye.
• YSU is a confident group despite its seed. The Penguins went 5-2 in February and has won six of their last nine contests overall while playing their best basketball of the season. They're a much different group than the team that lost 85-47 at the Kress Center on Jan. 11. The Penguins also lost 66-58 at Milwaukee on their last trip to Wisconsin, but they are 8-5 since.
• Emily Saunders was voted to the All-Horizon League Third Team and All-Defensive Team. She ranks among the top 20 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. Magestro scored a game-high 18 points in Tuesday's win, and Jarrells moved into 10th on YSU's single-season list with 67 3s.
• YSU ranks 18th nationally in free-throw percentage at 77.7%, 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 61.6 points per game. That's the fifth-best scoring defense in the program's Division I history.
• After making eight 3-pointers in Tuesday's win, YSU has made 200 3-pointers 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.

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 eight of the last 12 seasons. The Penguins are 7-4 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 7-2 all-time in Horizon League tournament games played in Beeghly Center.
• YSU is 3-4 all-time in the tournament as the seventh seed, and all three victories came in a game against a 10 seed.
• Youngstown State is 0-4 all-time in the tournament against Green Bay.

Youngstown State vs. Green Bay

A Win Would

• Allow YSU to advance to the semifinals of the #HLWBB Championship for the first time since 2019.
• Give the Penguins two victories in the Horizon League Tournament for the first time in program history.
• Be YSU's first over Green Bay in the postseason. The Penguins are 0-4 currently in the Horizon League Tournament against the Phoenix.
• Be YSU's first-ever Horizon League Tournament victory on an opponent's floor.
• Give the Penguins 15 wins for the eighth time in John Nicolais' 11 seasons at YSU.
• Be YSU's second over the Phoenix at the Kress Center in the last two years.

Milestone Watch

• Dena Jarrells needs eight assists to reach 400 in her career.
• Shay-Lee Kirby is eight 3-pointers away from 200 in her career.
• Malia Magestro is nine assists from 200, 12 rebounds from 300 and 34 points from 1,000 in her career.
• Emily Saunders is six points away from reaching 500 as a Penguin. Her next field goal would be the 250th of her collegiate career.
• Paige Shy is 15 points away from 800 in her career.
• Haley Thierry needs one rebound to get to 150 in her career.

Scouting the Phoenix

• Green Bay is the second seed in the 2024 Barbasol #HLWBB Championship after posting an overall record of 24-6 and a conference mark of 17-3. The Phoenix were in line to be the top seed in the tournament and share the regular-season title, but they were upset by Milwaukee 65-61 on the final day of the regular season. Green Bay is in consideration for an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament field if it does not receive the Horizon League's automatic bid.
• The Phoenix allow a league-low 57.8 points per game, and they rank second offensively scoring 74.2 points per contest. Green Bay averages just 10.9 turnovers per game, which ranks fourth in the country, and it leads the nation with a 1.73 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• First-team all-conference pick Natalie McNeal averages team highs of 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Maddy Schreiber was a second team selection, and Bailey Butler was named to the third team and all-defensive team.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Green Bay leads 47-6
Barnes/Nicolais Era: 5-18 • Home: 3-21 • Away: 3-24 • Neutral: 0-2
Current Win Streak: 3 by Green Bay

• Green Bay has won 47 of the 53 all-time meetings with Youngstown State in a series dating back to Jan. 21, 1993, when both teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. All 53 contests have been in league play or a conference tournament.
• Of YSU's six wins, five of them have come in the 10-plus seasons in the John Nicolais era. The Penguins are 5-18 against the Phoenix since Nicolais joined the program in 2013-14.
• YSU's previous head coach John Barnes coached alongside Kevin Borseth in 2012-13 immediately before becoming YSU's head coach. The pair also coached together at Michigan in 2011-12, and both are former head coaches at Michigan Tech.
• While Green Bay has a sizable hold on the all-time series, YSU has closed the gap recently, particularly in the last 10 meetings. The Penguins are 3-7 in the last 10 encounters, and the losses include a two-point margin in the semifinals of the 2019 Horizon League Championship and two double-overtime setbacks. The teams have split the regular-season series in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and Green Bay won both meetings in 2023-24.

This Season vs. Green Bay

Jan. 11, 2024 - at Green Bay

Recap | Box Score

Youngstown State was outscored 31-9 over the final 12 minutes of the first half and fell 85-47 at Green Bay when the teams played on Jan. 11 at the Kress Center. Paige Shy made her 150th career 3 in the opening minute, and YSU trailed just 17-12 with less than two minutes left in the first quarter. However, the Penguins didn't make a field goal for nearly five minutes as Green Bay went on a 15-2 burst to go up 34-18. That margin grew to 48-21 at halftime as YSU did not make a 3-pointer from the 4:29 mark of the first period until there was 1:40 left in the fourth. YSU's Emily Saunders and Malia Magestro were both whistled for two fouls in the first two minutes of the game, and Mady Aulbach had three first-half fouls.

Feb. 17, 2024 - at Youngstown State

Recap | Box Score

YSU 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 Feb. 17 at the Beeghly Center. It was YSU's senior day, and fifth-year senior Emily Saunders had one of the best games of her career, posting game highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Green Bay led 17-10 at the end the first quarter and 33-19 at halftime. The lead stretched to 35-19 on the first possession of the third quarter when YSU made its charge behind four straight 3-pointers that forced a Green Bay timeout. The Penguins got as close as 35-34 after a 15-0 run, but Green Bay got its lead back to 50-41 at the end of the quarter and started the fourth on a 10-2 run.

Recapping IUPUI

Game Summary

Malia Magestro scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half to lead No. 7 Youngstown State to a 73-50 victory over No. 10 IUPUI on Tuesday in the first round of the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship.

Magestro went 6-for-7 from the floor and made both of her 3-point attempts in the second half. Abby Liber scored a career-high 13 points with 11 of them coming in the second half, and Haley Thierry finished with 12 after scoring the Penguins' first eight points of the game.

Sophomore Abby Liber scored a career-high 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench, and junior Haley Thierry added 12 points.

The Penguins never trailed and were ahead for a total of 38:05, and their largest lead was 26. YSU recorded 20 assists on 29 made field goals while also forcing 18 turnovers that translated to 19 points.

YSU led 33-22 at halftime, and it used an explosive third quarter to push its lead to 19 points, 54-35. The Penguins went on to shoot an impressive 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the floor, including 50 percent from 3-point range, in the second half en route to tying the program's mark for most points in a Horizon League Tournament game.

The Penguins went on a 15-1 run over a 2:29 span in the third period to turn a six-point lead, 37-31, into a 46-31 advantage. Paige Shy and Magestro each hit 3-pointers and Shy added two free throws to give the Penguins the 19-point lead after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was much like the third with the Penguins making five of their first nine shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, that helped YSU amass a 26-point lead at 64-40 with 4:33 left in the game.

Notes

• The Penguins earned their first postseason victory since the 2020-21 season and snapped a three-game losing streak in the Horizon League Tournament.
• Youngstown State won in March for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. The Penguins had lost eight straight contests in the month.
• The Penguins secured a winning record on Rosselli Court for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
• YSU had its largest margin of victory ever in a Horizon League Tournament game at 23 points. Previously, YSU's biggest win was 18 at 73-55 over Detroit Mercy in 2015.
• IUPUI's 50 points were the second-fewest by an opponent in YSU's Horizon League Tournament history.
• The Penguins made their most field goals (29) in a Horizon League Tournament game and tied their previous best mark for 3-point field-goal percentage (.500). YSU also had its third-best field-goal percentage (.460), its fourth-most 3-pointers (eight), its second-most assists (second), and its fourth-most steals (nine).
• The first two games between the Penguins and Jaguars were within a point in the final minute. YSU led Tuesday's by double digits for the last 13 minutes.
• IUPUI shot 68 percent from the free-throw line and went 17-for-25. Seven of those makes came in the fourth quarter when the Penguins were in control. That was a big difference from the second meeting when the Jags were 32-for-39 for 82.1%.
• YSU went 8-for-16 from 3-point range and surpassed 200 3-pointers for the season. The only season since 2010-11 that the Penguins haven't made at least 200 3s was in the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign.
• With her 3-pointer, Dena Jarrells moved into 10th place on YSU's single-season list with 67.
• Shay-Lee Kirby recorded the 900th pointer of her career.
• Abby Liber scored 11 of her career-high 13 points in the second half as the Penguins outscored the Jaguars 40-28. The Penguins had 20 bench points in the second half as Paige Shy had seven points and Mady Aulbach added two.
• Malia Magestro tied for the fourth-best field-goal percentage by a Penguin in a Horizon League Tournament game at 63.6%. She went 7-for-11 overall in the game and went 6-for-7 in the second half.
• Emily Saunders' three blocks tied for the third-most by a Penguin in a Horizon League Tournament contest, and Shay-Lee Kirby's three steals tied for the fifth-best tournament total.
• Paige Shy registered her 250th career field goal.
• Haley Thierry scored YSU's first eight points, and she finished with a career-high three 3-pointers. She is 7-for-11 from beyond the arc since the start of February.

Up Next

If Youngstown State prevails on Thursday, it would advance to the semifinals of the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship in Indianapolis. The semifinal round is on Monday, and the championship game is on Tuesday.