Youngstown State will go for its sixth win in its last seven games as it heads to Wright State on Wednesday for its first road game of 2026. Tipoff at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State at Wright State

• When: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 | 7 p.m.
• Where: Nutter Center | Dayton, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Game Preview

The Penguins hit the road after going 3-1 during their four-game homestand, which included a 2-1 mark last week against Horizon League opponents. YSU beat Oakland 81-58 on Jan. 5, and it split two defensive battles in the back half of the week. The Penguins lost 61-49 to a streaking NKU team that has won five straight contests on Thursday, and they responded to beat Purdue Fort Wayne 58-54 on Saturday. YSU now plays Wright State, its first repeat opponent of the conference slate, with a 12-5 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Horizon League play that has it ranked second in the league standings. Saturday's victory allowed the Penguins to match their win total from last season, which was their first under head coach Melissa Jackson.

Casey Santoro was a big part of the bounceback effort against the Mastodons with 18 points, and Sophia Gregory recorded her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Danielle Cameron continued her strong play with 15 points, and she is averaging a team-best 11.8 points over her last eight contests.

Santoro, a sixth-year transfer point guard, is YSU's top scorer this season with 12.1 points per game, and she ranks among the top 10 in the Horizon League in free-throw percentage, assists, 3-point shooting and minutes. She's had the same four players ­— Cameron, Gregory, Sarah Baker and Erica King — alongside her in the starting lineup every game this season, and those four players average between 8.7 and 10.7 points per game. Hayden Barrier and Paulina Hernandez are both averaging more than 15 minutes per game off the bench, and the starters plus the top two reserves have each scored at least 17 points in a game this season.

As a team, YSU is averaging 68.7 points per game, which ranks third in the conference and is a nine-point improvement from last season. The Penguins lead the league in blocks, and they are among the top four in most categories.

A Win Would…

• Give the Penguins a 13-5 record, which would be their best mark through 18 games since the 2022-23 team started 13-5. YSU would be 13-5 or better for the seventh time in the last 14 seasons.
• Allow YSU to surpass its win total from the entire 2024-25 season.
• Give YSU a sweep of the Raiders during the regular season.
• Be YSU's second in its last four trips to the Nutter Center.
• Improve YSU's road record to 6-3 this season.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 97th career win, her 25th at Youngstown State, and her second career victory over Wright State.

Milestone Watch

• Sarah Baker is 10 points shy of 250 for her career.
• Sophia Gregory is four assists shy of 100 in her career. She's also 10 points from 450 in her career.
• Erica King is one rebound away from 100 in her career.
• Casey Santoro is closing in on 300 career assists, needing five. She is also six steals from 100 in her career.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Notes

• YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins are 12-5 overall and have already matched last season's win total.
• The Penguins were 2-5 through seven conference games last season and didn't pick up their fifth league win until after they started 4-12.
• The Penguins posted an incredible 3.86 team GPA in the fall semester. YSU has had one of the top 25 GPAs in the country in 14 of the past 15 seasons.
• YSU has used the same starting lineup of Sophia Gregory, Erica 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.
• While 73% of YSU's roster consists of returners, only Gregory and King played in more than 10 games and averaged at least 14 minutes per game for YSU in 2024-25.
• The Penguins are shooting 44.1% from the field, which ranks third in the Horizon League and is 6.3% better than last season. YSU ranks fourth in the league by shooting 32% from 3-point range after ranking 10th in the category in 2024-25.

Player Notes

Brooke Adkins has played 59 minutes over the last four games after playing 32 over YSU's first 13 contests... Sarah Baker is averaging 10.2 points and has reached double figures nine times... Danielle Cameron is averaging 8.7 points with 32 3-pointers... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... 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 ranks second in the HL with 8.2 rebounds per game and eighth with 2.7 assists per game... Paulina Hernandez leads the Horizon League and ranks 34th in the nation with 1.8 blocks per game... Erica King is averaging 5.2 more points than last season, and she has already surpassed her freshman totals in points, assists, steals and rebounds... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin, now in her third season with the program... Casey Santoro, a sixth-year senior transfer point guard, leads the team in points, assists, 3s and minutes.

Scouting Wright State

• Wright State is 6-12 overall and 2-5 in Horizon League play entering Wednesday's game. The Raiders beat Detroit Mercy on Jan. 2, and they are coming off consecutive road losses at Cleveland State (87-75) and IU Indy (70-59) last week. Wright State has been formidable at the Nutter Center with a 5-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark against conference opponents on its home floor.
• Breezie Williams leads Wright State with 12.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game, and the Bryant transfer is one of four Raiders who have made at least 20 3-pointers. Claire Henson is averaging 9.7 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds, and Rylee Sagester ranks second in the conference with 36 3-pointers.
• As a team, the Raiders rank fourth in the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 67.6 points per game. Wright State is tied with Purdue Fort Wayne at the top of the league rankings with 7.6 3-pointers per game, and the Raiders are shooting at a 31.5% clip from deep. Wright State is third in the league in turnover margin at plus-3.4 per game.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Wright State leads 43-32
Home: 19-17 // Away: 13-23 // Neutral: 0-3 // Jackson (career): 1-3
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• Wright State owns a 43-32 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 and1993-94 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 has won seven of the last 11 meetings since the start of the 2022-23 season, and it snapped a three-game slide in the series in December.
• YSU has fared better at home against the Raiders with an 19-17 record on Rosselli Court versus a 13-26 mark away from Beeghly Center.

Recently vs. Wright State

This Season at YSU (Dec. 16, 2025): Danielle Cameron scored a career-high 18 points, and Youngstown State pulled away from Wright State with a strong finish in a 65-46 win inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. The Penguins outscored the Raiders 26-6 over the final 13:57 after trailing 40-39 late in the third quarter. Cameron went 6-for-12 from the field and hit three 3-pointers, while Casey Santoro added 15 points. Sarah Baker posted nine points and eight rebounds, and Sophia Gregory and Erica King each scored eight. YSU held Wright State to 20.8% shooting in the second half and just one field goal in the fourth quarter. 

Last Time at the Nutter Center (Mar. 4, 2025): Youngstown State's season concluded with a 73-58 loss to Wright State in the opening round of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on March 4. Haley Thierry and Jewel Watkins led the Penguins with 14 points each in their final collegiate appearances. Sophia Gregory contributed 13 points and nine rebounds. Wright State dominated the glass behind Amaya Staton, who set school and tournament records with 27 rebounds. The Raiders used a 27-point second quarter, including five 3-pointers, to build a lead that YSU could not overcome despite a late third-quarter rally.

Recapping Purdue Fort Wayne

Game Summary

Casey Santoro, Danielle Cameron and Sophia Gregory combined for 48 points to lead Youngstown State to a 58-54 bounceback victory over Purdue Fort Wayne at Beeghly Center.

After trailing 26-21 at halftime, the Penguins utilized a 22-9 third-quarter surge to pull ahead. Santoro finished with a team-high 18 points, including crucial late-game free throws. Gregory overcame early foul trouble to provide 13 points and seven rebounds in the second half, while Cameron added 15 points.

YSU's varied defensive looks held the Mastodons to 31.7% shooting, well below their season average. Despite 20 points from Purdue Fort Wayne's Rylee Bess, the Penguins secured the win at the foul line to finish their homestand with three victories in four games.

Notes

• Youngstown State outrebounded Purdue Fort Wayne 41-31, which was a big point of emphasis for the game. The Penguins were outrebounded 41-38 in the loss to NKU, and Coach Melissa Jackson said in the postgame that rebounding was a huge factor in the loss.
• Purdue Fort Wayne made eight 3s in the game but shot just 25.8% from deep. Youngstown State had a lower percentage at 20% making three of its 15 tries, but the Penguins were 19-for-37 (51.4%) inside the arc.
• YSU went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line, with all 12 attempts coming in the second half. There were a combined 20 free throws in the game, and 12 of them occurred in the fourth quarter.
• YSU was outscored in every quarter but the third, which it won 22-9.
• Hayden Barrier surpassed 100 career points.
• Danielle Cameron scored 15 points, and only three of those came from 3-pointers. The redshirt freshman was 6-for-7 inside the arc after being 11-for-27 on two-point attempts coming into the contest.
• Sophia Gregory collected her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, which were all on the defensive end. The sophomore forward added two assists, three steals and a block.
• Casey Santoro played all 40 minutes for the second time in the last five games, matching her output from the Cleveland State game. She scored 18 points, matching her total from the contest against the Vikings. Santoro was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, including 5-for-6 in the fourth quarter.

Up Next

Youngstown State will return home to host IU Indy on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 1390 WNIO and ESPN+, and fans will receive a piggy bank, courtesy of WesBanco, Mission BBQ, and 21 WFMJ.