Youngstown State returns home on Saturday to host IU Indianapolis for its fourth game this month inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Tipoff against the Jaguars is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 1390 WNIO and iHeartRadio.
Gameday Info
Youngstown State vs. IU Indy
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android
Advance tickets for Saturday'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 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Promotions
- Middle School/High School Team/Youth Sports Day/AAU Programs/Campers Day
- Piggy Bank giveaway courtesy of WesBanco, Mission BBQ, and 21 WFMJ
- Foul shots after the game for kids age 12 and under
- Veterans Appreciation Day, presented by NECA IBEW
Game Preview
The Penguins have battled for close victories in each of their last two contests, a 58-54 triumph at home over Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday and a 78-67 overtime victory at Wright State on Wednesday. YSU has won six of its last seven contests dating back to its 72-69 win over UMass on Dec. 20, and it enters Saturday's game against the Jaguars with a 13-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in conference play. The Penguins have already surpassed their overall win total from the 2024-25 season, and they are one victory from matching their conference win total from last season, which was the first under head coach Melissa Jackson. As the league schedule approaches the midway point, YSU occupies the second spot in the standings.
In Wednesday's win over the Raiders, the Penguins rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to force overtime, and they held an 18-7 edge in the extra session. Redshirt-freshman forward Sarah Baker set new career highs with 25 points and 11 rebounds to highlight a strong post presence for the Penguins. Paulina Hernandez, like Baker, posted her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and Sophia Gregory scored 12 of her 13 points in the second half. Casey Santoro scored 18 points and helped seal the win as part of a 9-for-9 effort at the free-throw line, and Danielle Cameron added 10 points.
Santoro, a sixth-year transfer point guard, is YSU's top scorer this season with 12.4 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, Baker and Erica King — alongside her in the starting lineup every game this season, and those four players average between 8.8 and 11.1 points per game. As a team, YSU is averaging 69.2 points per game, which ranks second in the conference and is a 9.5-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 14-5 record, which would be their best mark through 19 games since the 2022-23 team started 14-5. YSU would be 14-5 or better for the seventh time in the last 14 seasons.
- Give YSU a 7-2 record in Horizon League play, which would be its best start since 2022-23. The Penguins have been 7-2 or better four times — 2012-13, 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23.
- Improve YSU's record at home to 7-2 this season.
- Snap a two-game slide against IU Indy.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 98th career win, her 26th at Youngstown State, and her first career victory over IU Indy.
Milestone Watch
- Sophia Gregory is two assists shy of 100 in her career.
- Casey Santoro needs two assists to reach 300 in her career. She is also five 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 13-5 overall and 6-2 in Horizon League play, and they have already surpassed last season's win total.
- The Penguins finished 7-13 in league play last season, and they were 3-5 through eight games. They didn't collect their sixth league win until after they started 5-12.
- 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.
- Seven different Penguins have scored at least 18 points in a game this season.
- The Penguins are shooting 44.1% from the field, which ranks third in the Horizon League and is 6.3% better than last season.
Player Notes
Brooke Adkins has played 68 minutes over the last five games after playing 32 over YSU's first 13 contests... Sarah Baker is averaging 11.1 points and is coming off a career-high 25 points at Wright State... Danielle Cameron is averaging 8.8 points with 33 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 8.1 rebounds per game and ninth 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 4.7 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 IU Indy
- IU Indy is 6-11 overall and 2-6 in Horizon League play following an 80-70 loss in overtime at Robert Morris on Thursday. The Jaguars have beaten Milwaukee and Wright State in Horizon League play, and they will be looking for their first road victory of the season on Saturday.
- Nevaeh Foster leads IU Indy in the scoring column with 12.4 points per game, and she's made a team-best 20 3-pointers. Hailey Smith leads IU Indy with 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest, and she is one of three Jaguars who have at least 25 steals this season.
- IU Indy forces 21.8 turnovers per game, which is 2.4 more than any other team in the Horizon League, while also pacing the conference with 11.5 steals per game. The Jaguars also average 15.8 free throws per game, which is the second most in the conference, and 11.7 offensive rebounds per contest, the third most in the league.
- Penguin ties: IU Indy head coach Kate Bruce was an assistant on Bob Boldon's staff at YSU from 2010-13 as then Kate Schrader. Jaguars assistant coach Mary Evans joined Bruce and Boldon at YSU in 2012-13, when the Penguins went 23-10 and won a game in the Women's NIT. Both followed Boldon to Ohio University in 2013-14.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: IU Indy leads 16-11
Home: 6-6 // Away: 4-9 // Neutral: 1-1 // Jackson (career): 0-2
Current Win Streak: 2 by IU Indy
- IU Indy holds a 16-11 lead in the all-time series between the programs in a series that dates back to the 1998-99 season when both schools were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. YSU left the Mid-Con for the Horizon League in 2001-02, and IU Indy joined the Penguins in the Horizon League in 2017-18. YSU is 6-6 at home and 1-1 on neutral floors in the series, and it is 4-9 in road contests.
- The teams split the season series in the first three years that IU Indy was in the Horizon League, and IU Indy won seven straight games in the series before the Penguins won two of the three contests in 2023-24. The Jaguars swept the season series in 2024-25.
- The Penguins and Jaguars have played some classics in Youngstown recently with the last five regular-season meetings being decided by three points or going to overtime.
Last Time vs. IU Indy
Feb. 15, 2025 at YSU: Malia Magestro set a program record for free-throw shooting, but Youngstown State fell 73-68 in overtime to IU Indianapolis at Beeghly Center. Magestro finished with 22 points, going 14-for-14 from the charity stripe to break a school record that had stood since 2011. Sophia Gregory added her third double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Despite leading by six with 32 seconds left in regulation, YSU surrendered three 3-pointers in the final half-minute, including a 26-foot equalizer by Nevaeh Foster with 1.6 seconds left. The Jaguars outlasted the Penguins in the extra period, and Katie Davidson scored 29 points. IU Indy finished 22-of-23 from the free-throw line, while YSU went scoreless for a stretch of nearly three minutes in overtime.
Recapping Wright State
Game Summary
Sarah Baker recorded career highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Youngstown State to a 78-67 overtime comeback victory against Wright State at the Nutter Center on Wednesday.
The Penguins overcame a 15-point third-quarter deficit to force overtime and outscored the Raiders 18-7 in the extra session to secure the win. Baker was one of five Penguins in double figures, joined by Paulina Hernandez, who also posted her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Casey Santoro added 18 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 mark from the free-throw line.
YSU took its first lead since the opening minutes midway through the fourth quarter. After a late Wright State 3-pointer forced overtime, the Penguins went 5-for-7 from the field in the extra period to pull away.
Notes
- Youngstown State had its first victory in overtime since winning 68-67 at Oakland on Jan. 7, 2023. The Penguins were 0-2 in overtime contests last season, including one against Wright State.
- YSU won for the first time when trailing by at least 10 points at halftime since its 71-64 win at Robert Morris on Jan. 30, 2021. The Penguins trailed that contest 42-31 at the intermission.
- The 18 points in overtime were the most YSU has scored in an overtime period since at least the 2000-01 season. The previous high since then — YSU's first season in the Horizon League was 2001-02 — was 16 in a 77-69 win at Cleveland State on Feb. 11, 2022.
- YSU overcame a double-digit deficit to win for the second time this season. On Nov. 7 in the second game of the season, the Penguins trailed 40-27 with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter and won 65-58. The last time YSU trailed by at least 15 in a victory came when it rallied from 18 points down to win 68-64 at Northern Kentucky on Feb. 24, 2024.
- YSU had five players score in double figures for the second time this season (Akron).
- For the second time this season, YSU had two players finish with a double-double. Sarah Baker finished with career highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Paulina Hernandez posted 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Previously, Sophia Gregory and Casey Santoro both had a double-double in the win at Akron.
- Baker's 25 points were the most by a Penguin this season, and they were the third-most ever by a YSU player in a Horizon League contest. Nneka Obiazor scored 29 points against Cleveland State on Feb. 19, 2021, and Chelsea Olson scored 26 against the Vikings on Jan. 20, 2018.
- Casey Santoro played the entire game for the second straight contest, going all 45 minutes. It was the 18th time in school history that a Penguin played at least 45 minutes in a game. Santoro went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line in her 18-point night.
- Gregory went over 450 career points in the game by scoring 12 of her 13 points in the second half.
Up Next
Youngstown State makes its shortest Horizon League trip on Wednesday to take on Robert Morris. The Penguins and Colonials will play at 6 p.m. at the UPMC Events Center, and the game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
