Youngstown State hosts Bucknell at home for the first time in eight years on Sunday in the middle game of its seven-game November schedule. Tipoff against the Bison is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be carried on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeart.com.
Gameday Info
 
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
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Advance tickets for Sunday's game are available online through YSUsports.com. The ticket office and gates inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Season tickets are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
Promotions
- YSU Schedule Magnet giveaway, courtesy of Compco, HBK, FastTrac and 21 WFMJ
- Stem Day - $5 General Admission tickets for all fans
- Food Can Drive - Bring a canned good to benefit the YSU Pantry Drive and receive a ticket voucher for a free General Admission ticket for a future game
- Veterans Appreciation Game, presented by NECA IBEW. Veterans can receive up to four complimentary tickets.
Game Preview
The Penguins are 2-1 this season, with a 1-0 record at home and a 1-1 mark on the road. Since YSU won 104-33 over Division III Thiel at home to start the season on Nov. 3, it has a 65-58 win at North Dakota and a 96-52 loss at No. 24 Michigan State. In the win over the Fighting Hawks, YSU rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to earn the seven-point win. The Penguins couldn't keep pace in the Spartans' high-powered offense in East Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday.
YSU's top three scorers through three games are all players who either weren't on the team last season or were inactive by mid-December. Transfer point guard Casey Santoro has scored between eight and 14 points in each of the first three contests and leads the Penguins in the scoring column with 11.7 points per game. Forward Sarah Baker, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Week who missed the final 22 games of 2024-25, reached double figures in both road games and is averaging 10.7 points while shooting 65.2% from the field, and transfer forward Paulina Hernandez is averaging 9.0 points.
Preseason All-Horizon League First-Team and reigning conference Freshman of the Year honoree Sophia Gregory is averaging 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists to go along with 5.0 points, and fifth-year senior post Faith Burch is averaging 7.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. Their contributions, alongside the early efforts of Baker and Hernandez, align with second-year Head Coach Melissa Jackson's preseason comments that YSU's posts are its strength this season, prompting some adjustments to offensive schemes.
This is YSU's last home game on a weekend until Jan. 10. The Penguins will have road games at Mercyhurst and Akron and a home contest against Toledo to continue finding their identity before Horizon League play begins on Dec. 5.
A Win Would
- Give the Penguins a 3-1 record to start the season.
- Snap a three-game losing streak against Bucknell dating back to Dec. 2, 2015.
- Improve YSU's record at home to 2-0.
- Be YSU's seventh straight home victory over a nonconference opponent.
- Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 87th career win, her 15th at Youngstown State, and her first overall victory over the Bison.
Milestone Watch
- Sarah Baker is two points away from 100 in her career.
- Faith Burch is six points shy of 400 for her career.
- Sophia Gregory's next rebound will be the 250th of her career.
- Erica King needs 16 points to reach 200 for her career.
- Casey Santoro is five assists away from 250 in her career. She is also approaching 1,000 career points with 940.
Scouting Bucknell
Bucknell is coming off its first victory of the season, a 49-45 home win over Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday. The Bison opened the campaign with an 83-55 loss at Penn State and an 80-35 loss at Virginia.
With their tough slate of opponents, the Bison are averaging 46.3 points per game. They showcased their defense in the win over Mount St. Mary's, and Bucknell allowed 62 points or fewer throughout head coach Trevor Woodruff's career (2019-20 through present).
The Bison returned eight players from last season's team that went 17-14 overall and 11-7 in Patriot League play. Bucknell was picked seventh in the conference preseason poll.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 8-5
Home: 5-1 // Away: 3-4 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 0-1
Current Win Streak: 3 by Bucknell
Youngstown State is 8-5 all-time against Bucknell, though the Bison have closed the gap recently by winning the last three meetings. Bucknell won both ends of a home-and-home in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons by a combined 11 points, and the teams renewed the series last season in Lewisburg, Pa.
Last Season vs. Bucknell
Youngstown State suffered its first loss of the Melissa Jackson era last season at Bucknell, falling 51-36 on Nov. 23, 2024. The Penguins defended well enough to stay close but struggled offensively, shooting just 15% from the field and managing only one field goal in the first half. Jewel Watkins led YSU with nine points, and Malia Magestro added eight, all after halftime. Bucknell's Ashley Sofilkanich dominated with 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks, and her presence inside contributed to YSU's shooting struggles. The Penguins forced 22 turnovers and scored 20 points off them but couldn't overcome a 25-11 halftime deficit.
Up Next
Youngstown State's nonconference schedule will continue on Thursday with its first-ever trip to Mercyhurst. Tipoff against the Lakers in Erie, Pa., is set for 6 p.m.
