- Youngstown State's women's basketball team will try to earn a split on its Wisconsin road trip as it heads south to Milwaukee on Saturday. Tipoff against the Panthers is set for 3 p.m. Eastern, and the game from the Klotsche Center will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 1390 WNIO and iHeart.
Gameday Info
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Youngstown State began its two-game swing in the Badger State with a 58-47 loss at Green Bay on Thursday evening. A five-point second quarter allowed the Phoenix to take a 15-point halftime lead, but the Penguins rallied to get within five in the third quarter. YSU trailed by just six with 3:10 left in the game.
- Malia Magestro became the fifth player in program history to make 200 career 3-pointers on Thursday. She went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc against the Phoenix, and she has made multiple 3s in six of her last seven games. Magestro scored 12 points as one of three Penguins scoring in double figures, joining Jewel Watkins (14) and Sophia Gregory (12).
- This is the second of five games that Youngstown State will play away from Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center in February.
- As the first week of February continues, YSU is one of seven teams within 2.5 games of each other in the standings. Oakland is in fourth place with a 6-7 record, and Wright State is 10th at 4-10. The Penguins are 9-14 overall and 4-9 in conference play.
- Gregory should be among the favorites to be voted the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. She leads all conference freshmen in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals per game as well as field-goal percentage.
- Watkins, a senior transfer and one of 10 newcomers on the squad, ranks seventh in the conference in scoring at 14.5 points per game. She also ranks fourth in the circuit with 2.3 3s per game, and she routinely defends the opposing team's top wing.
- YSU's strength remains its defense in this first season under Jackson. Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.299), and it ranks in rebounding margin (plus-2.7). The Penguins also rank among the top five in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, blocks per game and turnovers forced.
- Melissa Jackson, the ninth coach in program history, has spent the last 16 years in Northeast Ohio. The first-year Penguin has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in Akron history from her five seasons leading the Zips.
- 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.
- YSU is 44-31 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. Milwaukee
A Win Would...
- Give YSU a 10-14 overall record, a 5-9 mark in Horizon League contests and a 2-8 record in true road games this season.
- Allow YSU to sweep the regular-season series with Milwaukee.
- Be YSU's third victory at the Klotsche Center in the last four tries.
- Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 82nd career win, her 10th at Youngstown State and her second over Milwaukee.
Milestone Watch
- Faith Burch is one assist from 50 in her career.
- Sophia Gregory is nine blocks away from breaking YSU's freshman record for blocks in a season. She is currently tied for third with 22.
- Malia Magestro needs six points to become the 18th Penguin to reach 1,200 career points. She is 14 assists shy of 250, and she needs 11 steals to reach 100.
- Haley Thierry is five points shy of 300 in her career, and she is 15 rebounds away from bringing her career total to 250.
- Jewel Watkins is six free throws from making her 200th. She needs nine more assists to reach 100 in her career, and she is 13 steals shy of 100.
Scouting the Panthers
- Milwaukee is 5-20 overall and 2-12 in Horizon League play entering Saturday's game. Nine of the Panthers' last 10 losses have been by single digits, including Thursday's 58-52 decision against Robert Morris. Milwaukee is 1-6 in league games at the Klotsche Center, and three of those losses have been by one possession.
- The Panthers attempt the second-most 3-pointers per game in the conference with 22 on average, and they are third in the league with 6.8 makes from beyond the arc per contest. Milwaukee averages 62 points per game on offense while allowing 69.3 points per game to its opponents.
- Kaucee Baumhower, a Wright State transfer, leads Milwaukee in scoring with 13.1 points per game, 45 3-pointers and 70 free throws. Forward Anna Lutz is averaging 11.1 points and a team-best 5.2 rebounds, and Kamy Peppler leads the Horizon League with 5.0 assists per game.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Milwaukee leads 33-22
Jackson: 1-0 // Home: 13-14 // Away: 8-19 // Neutral: 1-0
Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State
- Milwaukee holds a 33-22 advantage in the all-time series with YSU, but the Penguins have won 17 of the last 26 encounters dating back to the 2012-13 season. YSU has won nine of the last 12 meetings at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, and it has taken two of the last three at the Klotsche Center. More recently, the teams have split the season series in each of the past two seasons with each team going 1-1 on their home floors. YSU is trying to end that streak on Saturday as a win in Milwaukee will allow the Penguins to sweep the regular season meetings.
- The Penguins had a string of tough setbacks from 2017-21 in Milwaukee, losing by four in 2017, by one at the buzzer in 2018, by three in overtime in 2019, by five in 2020 and by nine in the conference tournament in 2021. They won 60-56 in 2022 and 61-51 in 2023 in the building.
- Youngstown State and Milwaukee have become rivals in the Horizon League Tournament as the teams have eliminated each other three times since 2017-18. YSU ousted Milwaukee in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, and the Panthers ended the Penguins' season in 2020-21.
Last Time vs. Milwaukee
Senior Jewel Watkins scored a game-high 22 points and made six 3-pointers, and freshmen Sarah Baker and Erica King each scored 16 in their first home starts as YSU beat Milwaukee 66-50 on Dec. 4 in the Horizon League opener for both teams.
That trio combined for 54 of YSU's 66 points as the Penguins led for more than 30 minutes.
Both teams had an 8-0 run in the first period, and the Panthers led 11-4 with 4:58 on the clock. Watkins and King hit back-to-back 3-pointers as YSU scored the next eight points, and it did not trail again after taking a 16-15 lead in the final minute of the period. That same duo also hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the third quarter to put YSU up 43-33.
Youngstown State had a substantial 28-11 edge in points off turnovers.
Recapping Green Bay
Game Summary
Youngstown State was within six points in the final four minutes at Green Bay on Thursday night before falling 58-47 to the Phoenix at the Kress Center.
The Penguins trailed by 15 at halftime after Green Bay held a 16-5 edge in the second quarter, but they didn't back down against the significantly more experienced Phoenix. YSU trailed by five midway through the third quarter, and it was a six-point margin at 53-47 with three-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth.
Green Bay got a big 3-pointer from Maddy Schreiber on its next possession to push its lead to 56-47, and a turnaround bucket by Sophia Gregory at the 2:52 mark accounted for the Penguins' final points. The Phoenix scored the final four points for the 11-point victory.
Jewel Watkins scored a game-high 14 points, and she went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Malia Magestro also made two triples as part of a 12-point night, and her second 3 was the 200th of her Penguins career. Gregory added 12 points and seven rebounds while going 6-for-9 from the field.
YSU forced Green Bay into a season-high 19 turnovers when the teams played last month at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, but the Phoenix had just seven on their home court on Thursday. Green Bay was plus-11 in turnover margin, and it outscored the Penguins 18-6 in points off turnovers. YSU had seven turnovers in the fourth period, which hurt its comeback bid.
Youngstown State outshot the Phoenix 39.5% to 37.3%, and it was 5-for-12 from beyond the arc compared to 3-for-16 for Green Bay. The Phoenix held a three-point edge at the free-throw line, and they attempted 16 more field goals with the help of their 11 fewer turnovers.
Notes
- Green Bay had the most assists (19) by an opponent this season with 19 on its 22 field goals. Youngstown State also had a high assist percentage with 15 assists on its 17 buckets.
- YSU had its fewest field-goal attempts in a league game this season with 43. The Penguins attempted just 12 3-pointers, which was a season low.
- Green Bay had seven turnovers, which tied for the fewest by an opponent this season. That was 12 fewer than the Phoenix committed when the teams played in Youngstown on Jan. 9. The Phoenix were plus-11 in turnover margin on Thursday, and that helped them hold an 18-6 scoring edge in points off turnovers.
- Green Bay was whistled for just eight fouls, which was the fewest by an opponent in 2024-25. Over the last two games, the Phoenix and Purdue Fort Wayne were called for 17 combined fouls against YSU.
- Youngstown lost for the first time this season while having a better field-goal percentage. The Penguins shot 39.5% from the field while holding the Phoenix to 37.3%. Green Bay utilized its advantage in turnover margin to attempt 16 more field goals.
- Faith Burch tied her career high and set a new season high with two steals. She also blocked two shots to bring her season total to 14. That matches her total from her first two seasons combined.
- Sophia Gregory scored a dozen points for the second straight game. She was 6-for-9 from the field, and she added seven rebounds, two steals and a block.
- Dacia Lewandowski missed the game with a lower body injury.
- Malia Magestro made her 200th career 3-pointer on a handoff from Sophia Gregory at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter. Magestro finished 2-for-5 from long distance and she scored 12 points while contributing four assists.
- Xoe Rosalez scored five points and posted three assists to match her high in Horizon League play this season. Rosalez scored on a breakaway layup to end the first quarter, and she made a 3 in the third.
- Bella Samz played 16:23, her most in a Horizon League game this season.
- Haley Thierry grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. It was her fourth straight contest with at least seven caroms.
- Jewel Watkins scored 14 points for her seventh straight game with at least 13. Watkins finished 5-for-12 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Up Next
- Youngstown State will host Wright State and IU Indy next week at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The homestand will begin against the Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
