Youngstown, Ohio — After a week to focus on academics and final exams, Youngstown State will play three times in a five-day span this week as the schedule ramps back up before the holiday break. The stretch begins with the Penguins' Horizon League home opener on Tuesday against Wright State. Tipoff against the Raiders is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
Gameday Info
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android
Advance tickets for Tuesday's game are available online through YSUsports.com and at the Stambaugh Stadium Athletic Ticket Office. The ticket office and gates inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Season tickets are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
Promotions
- Horizon League Home Opener
- YSU student T-shirt giveaway, and the first 100 YSU students will receive a free Chick-fil-A Sandwich
- $2 Penguin City Light Beers for all fans until halftime
- YSU Window Cling giveaway, courtesy of SweatHouz, Bull and Bear, State Farm, and 21 WFMJ
- Akron Children's Hospital of Mahoning Valley Teddy Bear Toss at Halftime - Bring a teddy bear and receive a voucher for a free ticket for any future home game. Teddy Bears will be delivered to Akron Children's Hospital
Game Preview
The Penguins are 6-3 overall and 1-1 in Horizon League games, and Tuesday is an early opportunity for YSU to earn a big victory in conference play. Wright State is also 1-1 and beat YSU three times during the 2024-25 season, including in the opening round of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship.
By tip time on Tuesday, the Penguins will have gone more than eight full days since their last game on Dec. 7. YSU split its Wisconsin trip to begin Horizon League play, beating Milwaukee 68-56 on Dec. 5 and falling 56-47 to Green Bay on Dec. 7. The Penguins did not trail in their 12-point win over the Panthers, and they led for nearly 15 minutes before the offense sputtered in the loss at Green Bay. Sixth-year senior point guard Casey Santoro scored a team-high 17 points and made three of YSU's seven 3-pointers in her first career game at the Kress Center, but the Phoenix outscored the Penguins 13-2 at the free-throw line in the nine-point decision.
Santoro scored her 1,000th career point in the game at Milwaukee, and the transfer from Florida Gulf Coast leads YSU in points (13.4 per game), assists (2.9 per game), 3-pointers (19), free throws (30) and minutes (32.7 per game) through the first nine games. She will be honored on the court for her career milestone before Tuesday's game. Erica King, Sarah Baker and Sophia Gregogry are each averaging between 9.7 and 10.3 points per game in starting roles, and Danielle Cameron is averaging 6.0 points with 14 3-pointers. Santoro, Baker and Gregory were all not part of YSU's active roster during the three meetings with Wright State last season.
Following Tuesday's game, the Penguins will fly to Miami for two games at the FIU Holiday Classic. Youngstown State will play the host Panthers on Friday at 11 a.m., and the Penguins will take on UMass on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
A Win Would...
- Give the Penguins a 7-3 record to start the season, which would be their best record through 10 games since the 2021-22 team started 9-1.
- Allow YSU to improve to 2-1 in Horizon League games for the second straight season.
- Snap a three-game slide against Wright State.
- Be YSU's first over the Raiders at Beeghly Center since Jan. 26, 2023.
- Improve YSU's home record on the road to 3-1.
- Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 91st career win, her 19th at Youngstown State, and her first career victory over Wright State.
Milestone Watch
- Sophia Gregory is one steals away from 50 in her career. She's also approaching 300 career rebounds, needing nine.
- Paulina Hernandez needs four rebounds to reach 100 in her career.
- Casey Santoro is four free throws shy of 250, and she's 15 rebounds shy of 400.
A Glimpse at the Guins
Team Notes
- YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins are 6-3 overall, and they are seeking a second consecutive 2-1 start to Horizon League play.
- Youngstown State's roster features 12 student-athletes — nine returners and three newcomers. While 75% of the roster consists of returners, only Faith Burch, Sophia Gregory and Erica King played in more than 10 games and averaged at least 14 minutes per game for YSU in 2024-25.
- YSU has used the same starting lineup of Gregory, King, Sarah Baker, Danielle Cameron and Casey Santoro in every game. Gregory is the only one in the group who started more than eight games last season.
- YSU was picked third and received one first-place vote in the Horizon League preseason poll. The Penguins were 12-19 and finished in a tie for eighth last season.
- YSU has surpassed its win total on the road from last season with four. The Penguins didn't get their fifth Division I victory until Jan. 15 last season, and they are 5-3 against D-I opponents in 2025-26.
- The Penguins are shooting 44.9% from the field, which is third in the league and 7.1% better than last season. YSU is second in the conference in 3-point percentage at .328, up from .283 in 2024-25.
Player Snapshots
Sarah Baker is averaging 10.2 points, and Danielle Cameron is averaging 6.0 points with 14 3-pointers. Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 4.5 more points per game and 11.7 more minutes than she did as a freshman... Sophia Gregory was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 and was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team. She is 25-of-33 from the field in the last four games... Paulina Hernandez leads the Horizon League and ranks 19th in the nation with 2.2 blocks per game... Erica King has scored in double figures in five of her last six games... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin in her third season with the program... Casey Santoro scored her 1,000th career point on Dec. 5 at Milwaukee. The transfer point guard is the team's leader in points, assists, 3-pointers and minutes.
Scouting Wright State
- Wright State is 5-7 overall and 1-1 in Horizon League play heading into Tuesday's game in Youngstown. The Raiders are 4-1 on their home floor and 1-6 away fron the Nutter Center, which includes a 65-60 loss at Canisius on Friday.
- The Raiders are averaging 70.5 points per game offensively, which is second in the Horizon League, and they lead the conference with 8.2 3s per game. Wright State is also averaging a league-low 12.8 turnovers per game, and the Raiders have a conference-best plus-4.2 turnover margin.
- Breezie Williams, a transfer guard from Bryant, leads Wright State with 11.9 points per game, and she ranks third in the Horizon League with 2.3 steals per game. Claire Henson averages 11.1 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds, and Rylee Sagester ranks second in the conference with 2.4 3-pointers per game.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Wright State leads 43-31
Home: 18-17 // Away: 13-23 // Neutral: 0-3 // Jackson (career): 0-3
Current Win Streak: 3 by Wright State
- Wright State owns a 43-31 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. Cleveland State is the only opponent YSU has played more in its history.
- The programs were members of the Mid-Continent Conference in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, and they've been in the Horizon League together since 2001-02. The Penguins won 19 of the first 25 meetings in the series, and Wright State won 11 out of 12 games from 2016-2021. YSU swept the regular-season series in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and the teams split two meetings in 2023-24. Wright State swept the Penguins during the regular season and eliminated them from the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship in 2024-25.
- YSU has fared better at home against the Raiders with an 18-17 record on Rosselli court versus a 13-26 mark away from Beeghly Center.
Last Time vs. Wright State in Youngstown
Youngstown State erased an 11-point second-half deficit and forced overtime, but Wright State escaped with a 78-76 win on Feb. 13, 2025, at Zidian Family Arena. The Penguins trailed 43-32 at halftime before a 2-3 zone helped fuel a fourth-quarter surge. YSU led by three with five minutes left and tied the game at 66 on a Jewel Watkins bucket with 53 seconds remaining. The Penguins led twice in overtime before a late five-point Raiders run proved the difference. Malia Magestro's 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left cut the margin to one, and YSU had a final look, but Watkins' floater in the lane rimmed out. Watkins scored 22 to lead YSU. Faith Burch added a career-best 17 points and eight rebounds, and Magestro finished with 16 points.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play twice in Miami later this week at the FIU Holiday Classic. The Penguins will play the host Panthers on Friday at 11 a.m., and they'll take on UMass in a neutral-site contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
