Youngstown State begins a busy January and resumes Horizon League play by hosting Oakland on Monday inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Tipoff against the Golden Grizzlies is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State vs. Oakland

• When: Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information

Tickets | Gameday & Parking Information | Visitors Guide | Promotional Schedule | YSU Mobile App - iOS - Android

Advance tickets for Monday'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 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Promotions

• Fans in attendance will receive $5 Dunkin' gift card

Game Preview

The Penguins enter a nine-game month and a three-game week after winning their final three contests of December. YSU earned big wins over UMass and Cleveland State away from Youngstown to bookend the holiday break, and it finished its nonconference slate with a 97-20 win over Division II Salem University on New Year's Eve. The 77-point win over the Tigers was the second-largest margin of victory in program history, and the Penguins set a new program record for fewest points allowed in a game. YSU improved to 10-4 overall, and it looks to build on its 3-1 start to Horizon League play with three straight conference games on Rosselli Court during this four-game homestand.

Eight different Penguins scored at least six points in Wednesday's nonconference finale, and bench players contributed 52 of the team's 97 points. Hayden Barrier scored a career-high 18 points, and Paulina Hernandez was in double figures for the second straight game with 15 points. The junior forward averaged 16.5 points and shot 65% from the field in two games last week, and she leads the Horizon League with 1.9 blocks per game. Erica King was the top-scoring starter against the Tigers with 16 points, and the sophomore guard ranks second on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game.

Sixth-year senior Casey Santoro continues to lead the Penguins in scoring with 12.9 points per game from the point-guard position, and she is 11-for-23 on 3-point attempts in the last three games. The other three starters — Sophia Gregory, Danielle Cameron and Sarah Baker — average between 8.1 and 10.3 points per game as Youngstown State continues to showcase a balanced attack in an improved offense that ranks among the top three in the Horizon League in scoring, field-goal percentage, 3-point field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and assists. Gregory, a Preseason First-Team All-Horizon League selection, is the only one in the group who started more than eight games last season.

A Win Would…

• Give the Penguins an 11-4 record, which would be their best mark through 15 games since the 2021-22 team started 14-1. YSU would be 11-4 or better for the seventh time in the last 14 seasons.
• Improve the Penguins' all-time record against Oakland to 22-15 and be their seventh straight win over the Golden Grizzlies.
• Improve YSU's home record to 5-1 this season.
• Give YSU at least four wins in its first five Horizon League games for the fifth time in program history.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 95th career win, her 23rd at Youngstown State, and her fourth career victory over Oakland.

Milestone Watch

• Hayden Barrier needs three points to reach 100 for her career. She has 84 points this season after scoring 13 points as a freshman.
• Sophia Gregory needs two blocks to reach 50 for her career.
• Paulina Hernandez is 15 points shy of 200 in her career. She has scored 99 of her 185  career points this season.
• Casey Santoro is closing in on 300 career assists, needing 15.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Notes

• YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins are 10-4 overall and 4-1 at home. YSU is 6-3 away from home, which is already three more wins than it had in 2024-25.
• 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.
• While 73% of YSU's roster consists of returners, only Sophia Gregory and Erica King played in more than 10 games and averaged at least 14 minutes per game for YSU in 2024-25.
• YSU has used the same starting lineup of Gregory, 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.
• The Penguins didn't get their eighth Division I victory until their 26th game on Feb. 22 last season, and they are 8-4 against Division I opponents in 2025-26.
• The Penguins are shooting 45% from the field, which is second in the league and 7.2% better than last season. YSU is also second in the HL in 3-point percentage at .340, up from .283 in 2024-25. The Penguins are averaging 70.0 points, up from 59.7.

Player Notes

Sarah Baker is averaging 10.3 points, which ranks third on the team, and Danielle Cameron is averaging 8.1 points. Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Both have earned Horizon Freshman of the Week honors this season... 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 she's sixth with 3.0 assists per game... Paulina Hernandez leads the Horizon League and ranks 29th in the nation with 1.9 blocks per game... Erica King is averaging 5.1 more points than last season, and she has already surpassed her freshman totals in assists, steals and rebounds... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin in her third season with the program... Casey Santoro, a sixth-year senior transfer point guard, is the team's leader in points, assists, 3-pointers and minutes.

Scouting Oakland

• Oakland is 4-10 overall and 1-3 in Horizon League play coming into Monday's contest. The Golden Grizzlies ended December with an impressive 61-58 win at Robert Morris, and they fell 84-64 at home against Purdue Fort Wayne in their most-recent game on Friday.
• Cali Denson is Oakland's top scorer at 12.2 points per game, and she leads the team with 24 3-pointers. She has been out the last four games. Angie Smith also averages double figures with 10.1 points per game, and Layla Gold is the top rebounder with 5.0 per contest.
• The Golden Grizzlies average 6.4 3-pointers per contest, which ranks sixth in the conference. Oakland is third in the league with 3.4 blocks per game, but opponents have been able to shoot 44.9% from the field against the Golden Grizzlies so far this season.
• Oakland has played its last 13 games against Division I opponents, including three against Big Ten opponents. Keisha Newell is in her first season as Oakland's head coach.

Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 21-15
Home: 10-9 // Away: 10-6 // Neutral: 1-0 // Jackson (career): 3-1
Current Win Streak: 6 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State holds a 21-15 edge in the 36-game history of the series that dates back to the 1998-99 season. Oddly, each team has a better record on the road in the series than on their respective home floors. YSU is 10-9 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 the OU Credit Union O'rena dating back to Feb. 1, 2018.
• YSU has won six straight meetings overall in the series since Oakland eliminated the Penguins from the Horizon League Tournament in 2022, and the Penguins are 12-4 since 2018.
• The programs were both members of the Mid-Continent Conference for three seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01, and they have been members of the Horizon League together since 2013-14. YSU has an 18-9 record in the series since Oakland joined the league.

Last Time vs. 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 on Feb. 22, 2025. 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 Salem

Game Summary

Youngstown State set a program record for the fewest points allowed in a game Wednesday, defeating Division II Salem University 97-20 at Beeghly Center.

The Penguins held the Tigers to 11.9% shooting, breaking a defensive record that had stood since 1990. Despite a 90-minute delay due to Salem's travel issues, YSU opened the game with a 16-0 run and led 59-9 at halftime.

Sophomore guard Hayden Barrier scored a career-high 18 points to lead the offense, while Erica King and Paulina Hernandez added 16 and 15 points, respectively. YSU's bench provided a significant lift, outscoring Salem's reserves 52-0.

Notes

• YSU won its 32nd straight contest against non-Division I opponents.
• Youngstown State shot 59.1% from the field, and it was shooting 60% until a miss on its final attempt of the game. The Penguins had shot 60% or better from the field just six times previously in school history.
• All 11 Penguins scored at least four points, and each starter scored at least six points. No Penguins played 21:05.
• The 59 points in the first half were the second-most the Penguins have ever scored in an opening half. The 32 points in the second quarter tied for the sixth-highest total in a quarter, and it tied for the highest-scoring second period.
• The Penguins' 26 assists were the most in a game since they had 31 against WVU Tech on Dec. 6, 2022.
• While the offense certainly had a good performance, it was the defense that had a record-breaking day.
• The 20 points allowed broke the previous record low of 25 scored by Malone on Dec. 29, 1990. YSU had allowed fewer than 30 points just four times previously. Salem's nine points in the first half were the second-fewest allowed by the Penguins, behind Detroit Mercy's eight on Jan. 13, 2007. The 11 points in the second half tied for the fifth-fewest allowed.
• Youngstown State also limited Salem to 11.9% shooting from the field as it got work in with its man-to-man and zone defenses. The Tigers went 1-for-20 from 3-point range.
• Brooke Adkins played a career-high 26 minutes.
• Hayden Barrier scored a game- and career-high 18 points, going 7-for-13 from the field overall and 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
• Sophia Gregory surpassed 400 career points, going 4-for-4 in an eight-point effort. 
• Paulina Hernandez scored 15 points and blocked at least three shots for the sixth time this season.
• Dacia Lewandowski set new career highs with seven rebounds and four assists.
• Bella Samz set a new career high with six assists.
• Casey Santoro made multiple 3-pointers for the third straight game. She is 11-for-23 from long distance in her last three contests.
• Ashlynn Van Tassell set new career highs with seven points, four rebounds, an assist and 12 minutes.

Up Next

Youngstown State will continue its four-game homestand on Thursday by hosting Northern Kentucky. The game will begin at 7:17 p.m. as part of a special promotion with 7 17 Credit Union. More details on the promotion can be found here.