Youngstown, Ohio — With Winter Storm Fern creating weather suitable for real penguins in much of the country, Youngstown State's women's basketball team created its own energy in an empty Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center and defeated Cleveland State 61-38 on Sunday.
YSU usually enjoys a significant home-court advantage due to its attendance, but fans were encouraged to stay home and follow the game on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN due to heavy snow in the area. The Penguins were still able to defend Rosselli Court, picking up a big win over the Vikings to improve to 14-7 overall and 7-4 in Horizon League play.
Youngstown State is currently part of a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings, and it swept Cleveland State during the regular season for the first time since 2021-22. The Vikings fell to 15-7 overall and 5-6 in conference play.
Danielle Cameron scored a game-high 17 points after connecting on three 3-pointers in the first quarter as Youngstown State set the tone and built a 22-13 lead. Sarah Baker joined Cameron in double figures with 12 points, and three Penguins scored eight or nine points. Sophia Gregory filled the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, nine points, six assists, three steals and three blocks.
Jada Leonard led Cleveland State with 14 points, and Izabella Zingaro scored 10.
The Penguins forced 23 turnovers and recorded 15 steals, with many of those turnovers coming on passes into the post. Casey Santoro led YSU with four steals, and Paulina Hernandez, the Horizon League's top shot blocker, matched Gregory with three blocks.
It was a one-possession game for the first six minutes, and Cleveland State held an 11-10 lead on a Leonard 3-pointer with 4:44 remaining in the first. Cameron hit her third triple of the period on the next possession, and YSU ended the quarter on a 12-2 run.
The Penguins then outscored the Vikings 14-2 in the second quarter, holding Cleveland State to one field goal while forcing eight turnovers. The lead reached double digits for the first time when Brooke Adkins hit a 3-pointer at the 9:03 mark, and it grew to 36-15 by halftime.
YSU's lead reached 54-26 on a transition layup by Cameron with 2:55 left in the third quarter, and the largest margin came at 59-30 on a three-point play by Hernandez with 8:55 left in the fourth. Cleveland State outscored YSU 8-2 the rest of the way with the game out of reach.
Youngstown State makes its swing through Michigan next week with games at Detroit Mercy and Oakland. The trip begins at Detroit Mercy on Thursday at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN.
