Youngstown State looks to respond from its first two-game losing streak of the season as it hosts Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.
Gameday Info
Youngstown State vs. Cleveland State
  
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
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Advance tickets for Sunday'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 noon on Sunday.
Promotions
- YSU Women's Basketball Alumni Day
- Kids Day, presented by Raising Cane's & Austintown Bounce
- Post-Game Autographs, presented by Texas Roadhouse of Niles
- Pete Growth Chart giveaway, courtesy of State Farm, Compco, Complete Pest Solutions, and 21 WFMJ
- Foul shots after the game for kids age 12 and under
Game Preview
Sunday's game begins the second half of Horizon League play for the Penguins and Vikings, who are two of five teams within a game and a half of each other for second place in the conference standings. YSU is 13-7 overall and 6-4 in Horizon League play despite dropping its last two games, while Cleveland State is 15-6 overall and 5-5 in conference play. NKU is currently in second place with a 7-4 record.
The Penguins are coming off a 55-40 setback at Robert Morris on Wednesday in which they had their lowest-scoring output of the season. YSU held a 21-20 lead after 20 minutes of a defensive battle, but RMU shot 55% from the field in the second half and pulled away in the fourth quarter. It was YSU's fourth time being held under 60 points in the last five games, something that happened just twice in the first 15 games.
Despite the recent struggles on offense, YSU still ranks fourth in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage and sixth in points per game. The defense has continued to be a strength with the Penguins ranking second in the league in scoring defense and ranking third in field-goal percentage defense. YSU has already surpassed its overall win total from the 2024-25 season, and it is one victory from matching its conference win total from last season.
Casey Santoro, a sixth-year transfer point guard, is YSU's top scorer this season with 12.9 points per game. She's had the same four players — Danielle Cameron, Sarah Baker, Sophia Gregory, and Erica King — alongside her in the starting lineup every game this season, and those four players average between 8.6 and 11.1 points per game. Santoro has scored at least 14 points in four straight games while playing the entire game in three of those contests. Baker, YSU's second-leading scorer, has reached double figures in seven of her last nine games, and Cameron has made a team-high 38 3-pointers.
A Win Would…
- Give the Penguins a 14-7 record, which would be their best mark through 21 games since the 2022-23 team started 15-6. YSU would be 14-7 or better for the seventh time in the last 14 seasons.
- Give YSU a 7-4 record in Horizon League play, which would be its best start since 2022-23. The Penguins have been 7-4 or better six times since the 2012-13 campaign.
- Improve YSU's record at home to 7-3 this season.
- Give YSU its first regular-season sweep of Cleveland State since 2021-22.
- Be YSU's third straight victory over the Vikings.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 98th career win, her 26th at Youngstown State, and her third career victory over Cleveland State.
Milestone Watch
- Sarah Baker needs 12 points to reach 300 in her career. She's also five rebounds away from 150 in her career.
- Danielle Cameron is 15 points shy of 200 in her career.
- Sophia Gregory is two field goals away from reaching 200 for her career.
- Casey Santoro is two 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 13-7 overall and 6-4 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 3-7 through nine 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.
- YSU ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring defense, and it is in the top four in field-goal percentage offense and defense.
Player Notes
Brooke Adkins is averaging 13.1 minutes over her last seven games after playing 32 total in YSU's first 13 contests... Sarah Baker is averaging 11.1 points and has reached double figures in seven of her last nine games... Danielle Cameron is averaging 8.8 points with a team-high 38 3-pointers... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 14.5 minutes, up from 6.3 last year... Sophia Gregory was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 and was named to the Preseason All-League First Team... She ranks third in the HL with 7.9 rebounds per game... Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 34th in the nation with 1.9 blocks per game... Erica King 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 and minutes.
Scouting Cleveland State
- Cleveland State is 15-6 overall, 5-5 in Horizon League play and 2-5 on the road coming into Sunday's game in Youngstown. The Vikings had a three-game losing streak that began against YSU on Dec. 29, and they followed that with a three-game winning streak that included a victory over Robert Morris on Jan. 18. The Vikings dropped their last contest 80-70 at Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday.
- Izabella Zingaro, a graduate transfer from Montana, ranks among the top 10 players in the country with a .621 field-goal percentage and 101 made free throws. She is second in the Horizon League in scoring at 15.7 points per game, and she's CSU's top rebounder with 6.0 per contest. Colbi Maples, the Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year who missed the first game against the Penguins, is averaging 13.8 points and leads CSU with 37 3-pointers. Jada Leonard leads the league and ranks 23rd in the country with 3.0 steals per contest.
- As a team, Cleveland State ranks 11th in the country with 17.05 free throws made per game. The Vikings pace the Horizon League with 72 points per game and a .452 field-goal percentage, and they are fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage. CSU allows 59.1 points per game, which ranks third in the circuit.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State 47-39
Home: 29-11 // Away: 14-27 // Neutral: 4-1 // Jackson (career): 2-3
Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State
- YSU has played Cleveland State more than any other program in its history and owns a 47-39 record against the Vikings in a series that dates back to Jan. 19, 1976. The Northeast Ohio rivals have played each other at least once in all 51 seasons of YSU's intercollegiate program.
- YSU holds an 11-9 advantage in the series since the 2016-17 season, and YSU is 16-13 against the Vikings going back to 2012-13. The Penguins have won the last two meetings, and they are going for their first regular-season sweep of the Vikings since 2021-22.
Program Ties: The Penguins certainly have some familiarity with Cleveland State as student-athlete Paulina Hernandez spent two years playing for the Vikings, and YSU head coach Melissa Jackson was an assistant at CSU for a season. Hernandez played in 55 games at CSU over the last two seasons as the Vikings went a combined 56-16. Jackson spent the 2023-24 season at Cleveland State as an assistant coach before being named the leader of the Penguins on March 14, 2024.
Last Time vs. Cleveland State
Paulina Hernandez scored a career-high 18 points on her former home court, leading Youngstown State to a 70-63 Horizon League victory over Cleveland State on Dec. 29 at the Wolstein Center. The Penguins won in Cleveland for the first time since 2022 and handed the Vikings just their fourth loss at home their its last 59 games. Hernandez was 8-for-13 from the field and added a free throw, and Casey Santoro also scored 18 points with five assists. Sarah Baker contributed 12 points in limited minutes, Sophia Gregory had eight points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Danielle Cameron made three 3-pointers in an 11-point effort. YSU tallied 24 assists on 28 field goals and outscored Cleveland State 47-42 in the second half.
Recapping Robert Morris
Game Summary
Casey Santoro scored a team-high 19 points, but Youngstown State struggled offensively in a 55-40 loss at Robert Morris on Wednesday.
The Penguins led 21-20 at halftime following a defensive opening 20 minutes. However, the Colonials surged in the second half, shooting 55% from the field to pull away. While Santoro and Sarah Baker, who added 13 points, combined for 12 field goals, the rest of the Penguins roster managed just three field goals and eight points.
Despite forcing 22 turnovers and recording 13 steals, Youngstown State shot 30% from the floor and 3-for-18 from long range. Robert Morris outscored YSU 35-19 after the intermission and controlled the boards, 44-22.
Notes
- YSU lost for the first time this season when holding a halftime lead. The Penguins were previously 10-0 this season and 20-2 all-time under head coach Melissa Jackson.
- The Penguins' 13 steals were their most against a Division I opponent this season. All five starters had at least two steals. YSU forced 22 turnovers, the most since the season opener against Thiel, but only scored six points off of them. That total tied for the second fewest this season.
- YSU had its worst rebounding margin of the season at minus-22. RMU grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, but YSU limited second-chance points to seven.
- YSU had its lowest-scoring first and second halves of the season. The Penguins also had their lowest-scoring third quarter of the season with 11 points. YSU had season lows in points (40), field goals (15) and rebounds (22).
- RMU's 14 free throws tied for the most by an opponent this season, and its 11 attempts from 3-point range were the fewest by an opponent this season.
- Sarah Baker matched her season high with two blocks while scoring 13 points.
- Danielle Cameron tied her career high with three steals but was held to a season-low one point.
- Sophia Gregory recorded her 100th career assist, becoming the 12th Penguin to have career totals of at least 100 assists, 50 steals and 50 blocks.
- Paulina Hernandez posted two blocks for the third straight game, and she's had multiple blocks in six of her last seven contests.
- Casey Santoro scored 19 points, her most in a Horizon League game, while tying her career high with three steals. She played the entire game for the third time in the last four contests. YSU has had a guard play the entire game in five straight contests.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play twice in Michigan next week, starting with a game at Detroit Mercy on Thursday at 7 p.m.
