Youngstown State University
Hiram
10/30/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Youngstown State begins its 52nd season of women's basketball and its third under head coach Melissa Jackson by hosting Hiram on Monday, Nov. 2, at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. YSU's first contest of the 2026-27 season is scheduled to tip at 6:30 p.m.
Gameday Info
- When: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
- Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
- Listen: 1390 WNIO | iHeart.com
- Stats: ysusports.com
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
Advance tickets for Monday's game are available online through YSUsports.com. The ticket office and gates at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
Season tickets are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
Promotions
- YSU Schedule Magnet courtesy of McDonald's, HBK, FastTrac and 21 WFMJ
- Veterans Appreciation Game presented by NECA IBEW
- First 100 YSU students receive a That's a Wrap Pepperoni Roll
Season Preview
The Penguins enter the 2026-27 season with a 12-player roster featuring seven returners, three transfers and a pair of true freshmen. Youngstown State will be looking to continue the momentum created by last year's memorable 2025-26 season which featured 25 victories and an appearance in the Postseason WNIT. YSU concluded last season with a 25-10 record, posting the program's highest win total since the 1997-98 campaign. Youngstown State reached the championship game of the Horizon League tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2001-02, and it went on to reach the Super 16 round of the Postseason WNIT.
The Penguins return a pair of forwards who garnered All-Horizon League accolades in 2025-26. Sarah Baker was named to the Horizon All-Freshman Team last season after setting a new YSU freshman record for points scored, while Paulina Hernandez was voted the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year after leading the league in blocked shots. In addition, Danielle Cameron returns after setting a new YSU freshman record for 3-pointers, and Erica King is back for her third season as a Penguin after recording 9.9 points per game, 2.7 assists per contest, 51 3-pointers and 47 steals while starting all 35 games as a sophomore in 2025-26.
Fifth year transfer point guard Jada Leonard joined YSU after being named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team at Cleveland State in 2025-26. Last season with the Vikings, Leonard led the Horizon League and ranked 21st in the country with 2.9 steals per game. She also ranked in the top 11 in the conference in free-throw percentage (.817), assists per game (3.0), free throws made (103) and points per game (12.0).
Senior transfer forward Mia Kalich was named an Honorable Mention All-American at Division II Seton Hill as a junior in 2025-26 after averaging 14.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.0 steals while shooting 63.9% from the field. Kalich averaged a double-double and was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year in each of her last two seasons.
YSU will play Division III Hiram for the first time since Jan. 19, 1978, and the Penguins will host the Terriers for the first time since 1976. YSU owns a 3-0 record in the all-time series.
A Win Would…
- Improve YSU's record to 31-21 overall in season openers.
- Allow YSU to win its season opener for the sixth consecutive campaign.
- Extend YSU's winning streak against non-Division I opponents to 33 games.
- Give the Penguins 13 victories in their last 16 games dating back to last season.
- Improve YSU's all-time record against Hiram to 4-0.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 110th career win and her 38th at Youngstown State.
Milestone Watch
- Sarah Baker is two rebounds shy of 200 in her career, 22 assists from 100 in her career and 30 points from 500 for her career.
- Mia Kalich is one point away from reaching 1,000 for her career, five steals from 300 in her career, 12 rebounds from 900 in her career and 32 assists from 300 in her career.
- Paulina Hernandez is seven blocks away from 100 in her career and one rebound from 200 for her career.
- Erica King is 11 field goals from 200 in her career and 26 assists away from 150 for her career.
- Jada Leonard is 10 3-pointers from 100 in her career, 28 steals from 250 in her career and 33 assists from 250 for her career.
- Danielle Cameron is 25 3-pointers away from 100 in her career and 25 assists from 100 for her career.
A Glimpse at the Guins
Team Notes
- YSU is in its third season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins concluded last season with a 25-10 record, posting their highest win total since the 1997-98 campaign.
- Youngstown State reached the championship game of the Horizon League tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2001-02, and it went on to reach the Super 16 round of the Postseason WNIT.
- The Penguins posted an impressive 3.82 team GPA in 2025-26 to rank fourth on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. YSU has had one of the top 25 team GPAs in the country in 15 of the past 16 seasons.
- YSU's roster in 2026-27 features seven returners including three starters as well as five newcomers.
- YSU paced the Horizon League and ranked in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense (57.7), field-goal percentage defense (.365) and blocks per game (4.9) last season.
Player Notes
- Sarah Baker averaged 11.5 points and reached double figures a team-high 23 times in 2025-26... A Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, she ranked third in the HL in field-goal percentage and set YSU's freshman scoring record (404).
- Danielle Cameron ranked second in the HL with 2.1 3-pointers per game and averaged 8.9 points... She made more 3s than any other freshman in program history (73).
- Hayden Barrier averaged 12.8 minutes in 2025-26, up from 6.1 as a freshman in 2024-25… She averaged 3.4 points per game and made 21 3-pointers over 32 games played last season after being limited to 10 games due to injury as a freshman in 2024-25.
- Reigning HL Sixth Player of the Year Paulina Hernandez led the HL and ranked 26th in the nation with 63 blocks, the third-most in school history in 2025-26.
- Erica King recorded 9.9 points per game, 2.7 assists per contest, 51 3-pointers and 47 steals while starting all 35 games as a sophomore in 2025-26.
- Dacia Lewandowski played in 31 games off the bench as a team captain for the second straight season in 2025-26 while Brooke Adkins played in 22 games off the bench during her true freshman campaign.
- Fifth year transfer point guard Jada Leonard was named to the HL All-Defensive Team as a redshirt junior at Cleveland State in 2025-26.
- Senior transfer forward Mia Kalich was named an Honorable Mention All-American at Division II Seton Hill in 2025-26 after averaging 14.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.0 steals while shooting 63.9% from the field... She was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.
- Junior guard Gemma Walker played her first two collegiate seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.)… She averaged 7.6 points and led the Red Flash with 75 made free throws during her sophomore campaign in 2025-26… Played in 25 games last season, making 16 starts, and added 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
- Freshman guard Evelyn McKnight was named the Ohio Division III Player of the Year and First-Team All-Ohio as a senior at Copley High School in 2025-26… She was voted a third-team All-Ohio selection at the Division III level and a first team all-district selection as a junior in 2024-2025 while averaging 15.4 points per game... Also honored as the Suburban League Conference Player of the Year.
- Freshman forward Kaitlyn Turinsky was named the Ohio Division IV Player of the Year and First-Team All-Ohio as a senior at Bellevue High School in 2025-26… She helped lead Bellevue to its first-ever state championship in 2025 as the Lady Red went 28-1 and won their final 16 games… Named the MVP of the state title game.
Scouting Hiram
- Division III Hiram returns nine players including three of its top five scorers from last year's team that finished 7-18 overall and 4-12 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The Terriers also have a group of eight newcomers featuring seven freshmen.
- Hiram is under the direction of first-year head coach Jim Wiedie, who most recently served as the head coach at Division III Nebraska Wesleyan. Wiedie, who has 312 career wins over 21 seasons as a head coach, guided Indiana State to 166 victories and three WNIT appearances from 2000-09. The two-time Kent State graduate also served as the head coach at Division II Findlay from 2013-22.
- Junior guard Isabella Caceres is Hiram's top returning scorer after averaging 13.8 points per game last season. Caceres also paced the Terriers with 121 assists in 2025-26 while adding 52 3-pointers and 46 steals. Junior forward Maya Joiner returns after averaging 9.6 points and leading Hiram with 10.8 rebounds per game, 41 blocks and 53 steals. The Terriers also return senior forward Star Owens, who averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest last season.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 3-0
Home: 1-0 // Away: 2-0 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 0-0
Current Win Streak: Three by YSU
Previous All-Time Meetings
Feb. 7, 1976 at Youngstown State - W, 108-55
Jan. 26, 1977 at Hiram - W, 42-40
Jan. 19, 1978 at Hiram - W, 110-43
- Youngstown State is 3-0 all-time against Hiram in a series which dates back to Feb. 7, 1976. The Penguins and Terriers are set to face off for the first time since the 1977-78 season.
- The Penguins defeated the Terriers 108-55 in Youngstown in the first meeting before winning road tilts at Hiram each of the next two seasons. YSU edged Hiram 42-40 on Jan. 26, 1977, before earning a 110-43 victory on Jan. 19, 1978, in the most recent meeting between the two programs.
- YSU vs. non-Division I teams: YSU's last loss to a non-Division I opponent came against Edinboro on Jan. 13, 1990. Since then, the Penguins have won 32 consecutive games against non-Division I teams. YSU is 86-10 all-time against teams that are currently outside Division I. The Penguins have played at least one non-Division I opponent in every season since 2013-14 except 2020-21. YSU was 2-0 against non-Division I competitions last season, defeating Thiel and Salem University.
- YSU vs. PAC teams: Youngstown State is 13-0 all-time against teams currently in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. YSU holds series records of 4-0 against Geneva, 3-0 against Hiram, 3-0 against Westminster, 2-0 against Thiel and 1-0 against Grove City.
Up Next
The Penguins will remain at home to host Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. YSU will face off with Buffalo for the first time since hosting the Bulls on Nov. 13, 2013, in a series dating back to January of 1995.
