Youngstown, Ohio — The Youngstown State women's basketball team will play in a Thanksgiving tournament in Puerto Rico and take on Ohio State for the first time in nearly two decades during the non-conference portion of its 2024-25 schedule, first-year head coach Melissa Jackson announced.

The Penguins will begin the Jackson era on Monday, Nov. 4, at the newly renovated Beeghly Center against North Dakota, and they will play four more home games as part of their 10-game non-league slate. The game against the Fighting Hawks will begin a four-game homestand to start the season, and YSU's next four games will all be on the road.

"I was very intentional in building this non-conference schedule," Jackson said. "With such a young team, it was important to have some early home games. I am excited to open up with four games in front of our loyal supporters and a newly renovated Beeghly Center.

"The Horizon League is poised to be one of the best mid-major conferences for women's basketball this year, and this schedule will help prepare us for what should be an exciting year of women's hoops."

YSU will host Lake Erie (Nov. 8), St. Bonaventure (Nov. 12) and Mercyhurst (Nov. 19) as part of its four-game homestand to tip off the campaign, and it will play contests at Bucknell (Nov. 23) and Xavier (Nov. 26) in its first road tilts. Youngstown State will then play games against Southern Indiana and Towson at the 2024 D1 Women's Thanksgiving Basketball Clasico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 29-30 to conclude the opening month of the season.

The Penguins will have two non-conference games in December, the first one coming at Ohio State on Dec. 14. It will be Youngstown State's first game against the Buckeyes since Dec. 19, 2007, and it will allow YSU's Haley Thierry to take on her twin sister Taylor, who plays for OSU. The game will also be homecoming for Penguins senior Jewel Watkins, who is a Columbus native.

Youngstown State will conclude its non-conference schedule against Point Park on Dec. 21.

Non-Conference Schedule Notes

• Youngstown State will play 10 non-conference games, and only two opponents - Xavier and St. Bonaventure - have been on the schedule in either of the last two seasons.
• YSU will play four opponents for the first time in program history - North Dakota, Mercyhurst, Southern Indiana, Towson. The Penguins will play all four of those teams in November.
• Youngstown State will host St. Bonaventure for the first time at Beeghly Center. The teams had never played before last season's meeting at SBU.
• YSU is playing Bucknell for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. The Penguins and Bison played eight times in a nine-season stretch from 2010 through 2018 but have not played since.
• Youngstown State will play at Xavier for the first time since 2004. YSU beat the Musketeers 55-41 to open the 2023-24 season in Beeghly Center.
• Youngstown State will be playing in Puerto Rico for the first time in program history.
• This will be Youngstown State's fourth meeting all-time against Ohio State. The Penguins previously played against the Buckeyes in 1979, 2002 and 2007.