Youngstown State's women's basketball team will try to finish of a 2-0 week as it hosts Robert Morris on Saturday at 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN, iHeart and ESPN+, and YSU will welcome back former players for Alumni Day at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

Gameday Info

• When: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 | 2 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

• Advance tickets for Wednesday's game are available online through YSUsports.com or by calling (330) 941-1978. The ticket office and gates at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
• Promotions
  • YSU Women's Basketball Alumni Day
  • Kids Day presented by Raising Canes & Austintown Bounce
  • Post-Game Autographs presented by Texas Roadhouse of Niles
  • Pete Growth Chart courtesy of State Farm, Compco, Complete Pest Solutions, and 21 WFMJ
  • Foul Shots after the game for kids 12-and-under

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Youngstown State began this key stretch of playing four out of five games on Rosselli Court by beating Northern Kentucky 75-66 on Wednesday. The Penguins had their best offensive output against a Division I opponent this season as they shot 44.2% from the field, made seven 3s and went 22-for-27 on free-throw attempts. The win allowed YSU to sweep the season series with the Norse, and it stopped a four-game losing streak for the Penguins.
• Senior Jewel Watkins scored a game-high 21 points while going 9-for-10 on free-throw attempts. Watkins leads the Penguins and ranks among the top eight in the conference in scoring (13.7 ppg) and 3s per game (2.1). She is one of 10 newcomers on this year's squad under first-year head coach Melissa Jackson.
• Fifth-year senior Malia Magestro scored 15 points while adding three 3s and a game-high four assists. One of four returners on the team, Magestro is averaging career highs of 11.3 points and 2.1 assists per game.
• Sophia Gregory had another impressive performance with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Gregory and fellow freshman Erica King have combined for 16 starts, and Gregory is averaging 8.6 points while King is averaging 7.2.
• Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.301), and it ranks second in scoring defense (60.0), blocks per game (3.6) and rebounding margin (plus-2.2). YSU is also among the top five in steals, turnover margin and turnovers forced.
• With three season-ending injuries and other players dealing with bumps and bruises, YSU has used seven different starting lineup combinations this season. Ten of the 14 players on the roster have started at least once this season.
• Jackson is in her first season as YSU's head coach. The ninth coach in program history, she has spent the last 16 years in Northeast Ohio, and she has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Akron history from her five seasons leading the Zips.
• YSU is 43-27 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 vs. Robert Morris

A Win Would…

• Give YSU a 9-10 overall record, a 4-5 mark in Horizon League contests and an 8-2 record at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
• Improve YSU's all-time record against the Colonials to 25-8.
• Give YSU seven straight wins over RMU on Rosselli Court.
• Give the Penguins eight wins in the last nine meetings with their nearest Division I rival.
• Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 81st career win, her nine at Youngstown State and her third over Robert Morris.

Milestone Watch

• Faith Burch needs one rebound to reach 300 for her carer.
• Malia Magestro needs 12 3-pointers to become the fifth Penguin to reach 200. She is 10 points away from moving into 19th place on YSU's career scoring list.
• Haley Thierry has 98 career field goals, two away from 100.
• Jewel Watkins is closing in on her 150th career 3-pointer, needing seven to reach the milestone. She is also approaching 1,000 career points with 945 to her credit entering Saturday's contest.

Scouting the Colonials

• Robert Morris is 5-12 overall and 1-7 in Horizon League play under first-year head coach Chandler McCabe. Like YSU, the Colonials have beaten Point Park, Mercyhurst, St. Bonaventure and Milwaukee this season, and both teams are strong on the defensive end. RMU's last win was over the Bonnies on Dec. 21, a victory that finished a stretch where the Colonials won three out of four decisions.
• RMU ranks third in the league in field-goal percentage defense and turnover margin, and it is averaging 61.7 points per game. The Colonials have yielded at least 70 points in each of their last three games to NKU, Green Bay and Cleveland State. Offensively, RMU is averaging 57.6 points per game.
• Individually, Noa Givon leads the team in scoring (10.1 ppg), steals (21) and 3-pointers (18), while Danielle Vuletich is the top rebounder with 4.8 per game. Mya Murray has blocked 14 shots, and Raissa Nsabua is the assists leader with 31. Givon, Murray and Nsabua are three of seven transfers on RMU's roster this season.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 24-8
Jackson: 2-0 // Home: 14-2 // Away: 10-6 // Neutral: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State and Robert Morris have played 32 times, and YSU has won seven of the last eight meetings between the schools located approximately 60 miles apart. The Penguins have won seven of the nine encounters since the Colonials joined the Horizon League in 2020-21. The teams split the two meetings last season with each squad winning on its home floor.
• The teams played 14 times between 1983 and 1996, and they played just four times between 1996 and 2014.
• Two of YSU's wins since the series was rekindled have come in overtime, and the victory at the UPMC Events Center on Jan. 22, 2022, came in the final second when former Colonial Megan Callahan hit a go-ahead 3-pointer for the Penguins.
• The series has been relatively low-scoring as the winning team has scored 65 points or fewer in regulation in 11 of the 14 contests.

Last Season vs. RMU in Youngstown

YSU had one of its best performances of the 2023-24 season the last time it played Robert Morris on Rosselli Court as it led for all but 17 seconds in a 71-46 victory on Jan. 27, 2024. The Penguins forced 22 turnovers and had 13 steals, and they shot 50% from the field on the offensive end.

YSU scored nine points off of seven turnovers in the first quarter, and it extended its lead to 31-16 at halftime after holding the Colonials to six points in the second period. The Penguins led by double digits for the final 25 minutes of the game.

Emily Saunders was 10-for-12 from the field offensively while also blocking four shots in a 23-point effort. Malia Magestro made five 3-pointers during a 20-point performance, and Haley Thierry grabbed 11 rebounds.

Up Next

Youngstown State will make the short trip to Cleveland State on Thursday for a conference game against the Vikings. Tipoff at the Wolstein Center is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.