Youngstown State faces another road challenge in Michigan as it makes the short trip north of Detroit to play at Oakland on Saturday. Tipoff against the Golden Grizzlies at the OU Credit Union O'rena is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.
Gameday Info
Youngstown State at Oakland
 
Game Preview
The Penguins began the month with an 81-58 win over Oakland in Youngstown, and a win over the Golden Grizzlies to end January would allow YSU to enter the final month of the regular season in second place in the Horizon League standings. Following the 69-53 win at Detroit Mercy on Thursday, the Penguins are now 15-7 overall and 8-4 in conference play. YSU has surpassed its overall and Horizon League win totals from last season, and second-year head coach Melissa Jackson is one victory away from reaching 100 in her career.
YSU has used strong starts and strong defense in wins over Cleveland State and Detroit Mercy. The Penguins raced out to a 22-13 lead at the end of the first quarter in Sunday's 23-point win over the Vikings, and YSU went on a 13-0 run while taking a 23-8 lead after a quarter at Detroit Mercy on Thursday. YSU beat the Titans 69-53 at Calihan Hall, and four of the Penguins' five starters played under their season average as the early cushion allowed them to rest for Saturday's game at Oakland. Cleveland State shot 29.2% from the field on Sunday, and Detroit Mercy was held to 30.3% shooting on Thursday.
Danielle Cameron made five first-half 3-pointers on Dick Vitale Court on Thursday, which moved her into the Horizon League lead for 3s per game and gave her five triples in three of her last four contests. She is one of four underclassmen who have started every game alongside sixth-year transfer Casey Santoro. Santoro is YSU's top scorer with 12.1 points per game, and all five starters average at least 8.8 points. Sarah Baker, a redshirt freshman like Cameron, has reached double figures in nine of her last 11 games.
The Penguins lead the Horizon League in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, 3-point field-goal percentage defense and blocks per game. YSU is allowing just 57.1 points per game while opponents are shooting 36.0% from the field.
A Win Would...
- Give the Penguins a 16-7 record, their best mark through 23 games since the 2022-23 team started 16-7. YSU would be 16-7 or better for the sixth time in the last 15 seasons.
- Give YSU a 9-4 record in Horizon League play, its best start since 2022-23. The Penguins have been 9-4 or better five times since the 2012-13 campaign.
- Improve YSU's road record to 8-4 this season.
- Be YSU's eighth straight win overall against the Golden Grizzlies and its eighth consecutive victory at OU Credit Union O'rena.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 100th career win, her 28th at Youngstown State, and her fifth career victory over Oakland.
Milestone Watch
- Sarah Baker is two assists away from 50 in her career.
- Sophia Gregory needs four rebounds to reach 400 in her career. She is 21 points away from 500 in her career.
- Erica King is nine assists away from 100 in her career and 21 points shy of 400.
A Glimpse at the Guins
Team Notes
- YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson, who is one win away from 100 in her career. The Penguins have surpassed last season's overall and Horizon League win totals with a 15-7 overall record and an 8-4 mark in Horizon League play. YSU is 8-4 on the road and in neutral-site games, a big improvement from last season's record of 3-13.
- The Penguins posted an incredible 3.86 team GPA in the fall semester. YSU has had one of the top 25 team 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 this season. Gregory is the only player in the group who started more than eight games last season, and Santoro is the only upperclassman.
- 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 leads the Horizon League in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. It is also ranked in the top five in scoring offense and field-goal percentage.
Player Notes
Sarah Baker is averaging 11.1 points and has reached double figures in nine of her last 11 games... Danielle Cameron leads the Horizon League with 2.2 3-pointers per game and is averaging 9.6 points... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 14.7 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 in the top 10 in the league in rebounds, blocks, assists and steals... Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 32nd 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 Oakland
- Oakland has won four of its last five games, and it enters Saturday's contest with records of 8-13 overall, 5-6 in Horizon League play and 4-3 at home. The Golden Grizzlies have beaten Milwaukee twice, Detroit Mercy and IU Indy in the last five games as they've moved into seventh in the conference standings. Oakland has scored at least 80 points twice in the last four games.
- Freshman Makenzie Luehring leads Oakland in points, 3-pointers, assists and steals. She ranks ninth in the conference in scoring, and she's third in assists at 3.5 per contest. Angie Smith averages 10.4 points, and Layla Gold averages 9.1 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds.
- Oakland averages 63.2 points per game offensively, which ranks sixth in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies rank fourth in the conference with 21.2 attempts from 3-point range per game, and their 11.6 offensive rebounds per contest are the third-most in the circuit.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 22-15
Home: 11-9 // Away: 10-6 // Neutral: 1-0 // Jackson (career): 4-1
Current Win Streak: 7 by Youngstown State
- Youngstown State holds a 22-15 edge in the 37-game history of the series with Oakland that dates back to the 1998-99 season. YSU has won seven straight meetings since Oakland eliminated the Penguins from the Horizon League Tournament in 2022, and the Penguins are 13-4 overall since 2018.
- YSU is 11-9 against the Golden Grizzlies at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center and 10-6 on the road in the series. The Penguins have won seven straight meetings at OU Credit Union O'rena dating back to Feb. 1, 2018.
- The programs were both members of the Mid-Continent Conference for three seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01, and they have been in the Horizon League together since 2013-14. YSU has a 19-9 record in the series since Oakland joined the league.
Recently vs. Oakland
Jan. 5, 2026, at YSU: Erica King scored a career-high 23 points to lead Youngstown State to an 81-58 win over Oakland at Beeghly Center. King scored 13 points in the second quarter as YSU went ahead 42-30 at halftime. Paulina Hernandez sparked the bench with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Sophia Gregory and Sarah Baker added 15 and 12 points, respectively. YSU's defense held the Golden Grizzlies to 1-of-18 shooting from 3-point range and kept them without a field goal for the final 4:48 of the game. The Penguins shot 48.5% from the floor offensively.
Feb. 22, 2025, at Oakland: Jewel Watkins scored 11 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Youngstown State made the final defensive stand to secure a 52-51 win at Oakland. Watkins scored the Penguins' final 11 points and drilled a key 3-pointer with 2:40 left to give YSU a four-point cushion. Oakland closed to within one in the final minute, but the Penguins forced a turnover on the Golden Grizzlies' last possession. Sophia Gregory posted 16 points and 11 rebounds for her third straight double-double while tying the program's freshman blocks record with her 30th of the season. Haley Thierry added 11 rebounds as YSU won the glass 39-31. The Penguins led for more than 30 minutes.
Recapping Detroit Mercy
Game Summary
Youngstown State scored 13 straight points in the first quarter and led by double digits for the final 34 minutes in a 69-53 win over Detroit Mercy on Thursday at Calihan Hall.
Erica King scored eight of her 14 points in the opening quarter as the Penguins built a 23-8 lead, and Danielle Cameron hit four 3-pointers in the second quarter to help YSU take a 45-26 halftime advantage. Cameron finished with a game- and career-high 19 points on five 3-pointers, marking her second straight game with five made 3s. King shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Sophia Gregory added 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Sarah Baker scored 11 points. Youngstown State shot 50% from the field and held Detroit Mercy to 30.3% shooting.
Notes
- YSU shot at least 50% from the field in a Horizon League road game for the second time this season. The Penguins previously shot 51% at Milwaukee in their league opener on Dec. 5.
- YSU made nine 3-pointers for the second straight game.
- The Penguins also posted 18 assists for the second straight contest. They have 36 assists on 47 field goals over the last two games.
- YSU held Detroit Mercy to 30.3% shooting from the field overall and 13.6% from 3-point range. The Penguins' last three opponents are a combined 10-for-50 (20%) from beyond the arc.
- Brooke Adkins set a new career high with five rebounds while playing 13 minutes.
- Sarah Baker scored 11 points in just 20 minutes, reaching double digits in scoring for the fifth straight game and for the ninth time in her last 11 contests. Baker also recorded three assists for the second straight contest.
- Danielle Cameron scored a career-high 19 points, which led all scorers on Thursday. She made five 3-pointers in a game for the third time in the last four contests. Her final 3 gave her 50 career 3-pointers in her 24th career game. YSU's freshman record for 3-pointers in a season is 65, and Cameron has a Horizon League-high 48.
- Sophia Gregory was the only starter who reached her season average in minutes as YSU led by double digits for the final 34 minutes.
- Erica King was 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 overall. The last Penguin to go at least 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in a game was Nikki Arbanas, who was 5-for-5 against Binghamton in the Women's Basketball Invitational on March 14, 2018. King matched her career high with four 3-pointers.
Up Next
Youngstown State begins a three-game homestand by hosting Milwaukee on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. It will be the program's Autism Awareness Game, presented by The Rich Center, and the Penguins will wear special jerseys that will be up for auction. The first 100 YSU students will receive a t-shirt and a free Jimmy John's sub. All fans can purchase Busch Light for $2 until halftime, and there will be a YSU Stadium Flag giveaway, courtesy of Varsity Club Youngstown, Covelli Enterprises, Pepsi, Medical Mutual, and 21 WFMJ.
