Youngstown State University
Toledo
11/9/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Youngstown State women's basketball team will face its first road test of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday morning when it visits Toledo. Tipoff inside Savage Arena is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 1390 WNIO/iHeartRadio.
Gameday Info
- When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 | 11 a.m.
- Where: Savage Arena | Toledo, Ohio
- Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
- Listen: 1390 WNIO | iHeart.com
- Stats: StatBroadcast
- Social: X | Instagram | Facebook
Game Preview
The Penguins improved to 2-0 for the third straight season under head coach Melissa Jackson with an 86-62 victory over Buffalo on Saturday night in Youngstown. In the first meeting between the programs since 2013, the Penguins held a 39-38 edge at halftime after a back-and-forth first half. After Buffalo knotted the score at 42-42, YSU went on a 22-8 run to close the third quarter while outscoring the Bulls 25-12 in the period to carry a double-digit advantage into the fourth. The Guins went on to outscore Buffalo 22-12 in the final period to earn their second home win in as many games to begin the 2026-27 season.
Fifth-year point guard and Cleveland State transfer Jada Leonard paced four Penguins in double figures on Saturday with 17 points while Danielle Cameron added 13 points and three made 3-pointers. Sarah Baker finished with 12 points, and senior transfer Mia Kalich filled the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals. Kalich, who reached 1,000 career points in her YSU debut vs. Hiram, surpassed 300 career steals on Saturday. The Olmsted Falls, Ohio, native is the only active player across all NCAA divisions with 1,000+ career points, 900+ career rebounds and 300+ career steals.
After forcing 38 turnovers in the season opener vs. Hiram, the Penguins forced Buffalo into 30 turnovers on Saturday while outscoring the Bulls 32-4 off turnovers. YSU outscored Buffalo 26-5 in transition while holding a 50-36 edge in the paint and a 29-13 advantage in bench points.
The Penguins are making their first trip to Toledo since the 2012-13 season. YSU lost a 61-43 decision at Savage Arena in the Postseason WNIT on March 23, 2013. The two programs resumed the series last November with Toledo winning a 69-65 decision in Youngstown. Youngstown State owns a 9-11 record in 20 all-time meetings with Toledo in a series which dates back to February of 1979.
A Win Would...
- Allow the Guins to start 3-0 for the second time in the last three seasons.
- Give the Penguins 15 victories in their last 18 games dating back to last season.
- Snap a three-game losing skid in the series with Toledo.
- Give the Guins their first victory over the Rockets since the 2007-08 season.
- Give YSU its first win over the Rockets in Toledo since Dec. 28, 1999.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 112th career win and her 40th at Youngstown State.
Milestone Watch
- Sarah Baker is 20 assists from 100 in her career and 12 points from 500 for her career.
- Mia Kalich is 25 assists from 300 in her career and seven games played from 100 for her career.
- Paulina Hernandez is four blocks away from 100 in her career.
- Erica King is three field goals from 200 in her career and 22 assists away from 150 for her career and 26 3-pointers from 100 in her career.
- Jada Leonard is eight 3-pointers from 100 in her career, 21 steals from 250 in her career, 25 assists from 250 for her career and six games played from 100 in her career.
- Danielle Cameron is 19 3-pointers away from 100 in her career and 21 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.
- In 2025-26, 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)... She scored a season-high 12 points in the win over Buffalo on Saturday.
- Danielle Cameron ranked second in the HL last season with 2.1 3-pointers per game and averaged 8.9 points... She made more 3s than any other freshman in program history (73)... She made three triples for the second straight contest to begin the season on Saturday.
- Hayden Barrier scored a game-high 17 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers in the season opener vs. Hiram on Nov. 2... She added eight points while shooting 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from long distance off the bench vs. Buffalo on Saturday.
- 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... She scored a season-high seven points against Buffalo on Saturday night.
- Erica King recorded 9.9 points per game, 2.7 assists per contest, 51 3-pointers and 47 steals while starting all 35 games in 2025-26... She is averaging 10.0 points through two contests after scoring a season-high 12 points and making three triples in the season opener.
- Fifth year transfer point guard Jada Leonard was named to the HL All-Defensive Team at Cleveland State in 2025-26... She scored a season-high 17 points to pace the Penguins in their victory over Buffalo on Saturday.
- Senior transfer forward Mia Kalich was named an Honorable Mention All-American at Division II Seton Hill in 2025-26... She eclipsed 1,000 career points vs. Hiram in the season opener, finishing with eight points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in her YSU debut… She is the only active player across all NCAA divisions with 1,000+ career points, 900+ career rebounds and 300+ career steals… Among all active players across NCAA Division I, II and III, Kalich ranks third with 900 career rebounds and third with 302 career steals. She is one of three active players with 900+ rebounds and one of three with 300+ steals.
- Freshman guard Evelyn McKnight has scored eight points in each of her first two collegiate contests… She posted a career-high five assists on Saturday vs. Buffalo while matching her season and career best with three steals… She 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.
Scouting Toledo
- Toledo is 0-2 to begin the 2026-27 season after a 72-64 home loss to Michigan State on Saturday. The Rockets dropped a 61-57 result to Louisiana Tech in Toledo on Nov. 2 in their season opener. Toledo finished at 17-15 overall and 9-9 in Mid-American Conference play in 2025-26.
- Toledo was picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference ahead of the 2026-27 season. Three Rockets - Kendall Carruthers (first team), Jyah LoVett (second team) and Faith Fedd-Robinson (second team) were selected to Preseason All-MAC teams. The Rockets have made back-to-back appearances in the MAC Tournament Championship game.
- Despite losing last year's top scorer in Patricia Anumgba, Toledo returned its second through sixth leading scorers in Carruthers (12.1), Fedd-Robinson (11.7), Ella Weaver (8.7), Evalyse Cole (7.4) and Miriam Diala (6.9).
- Toledo's incoming transfer class of Reagan Wilson (Iowa State), Natiah Nelson (DePaul), Kiera Edmonds (Boston College), Jyah LoVett (Arizona State) and Judit Oliva (Long Beach State) have combined for over 1,500 points and 800 rebounds in their collegiate careers.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Toledo leads 11-9
Home: 5-5 // Away: 4-6 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 1-9
Current Win Streak: Three by Toledo
Last Five Meetings
Dec. 2, 2004 at Youngstown State - W, 53-42
Nov. 29, 2007 at Youngstown State - W, 55-48
Dec. 30, 2008 at Toledo - L, 69-61
Mar. 23, 2013 at Toledo - L, 61-43
Nov. 25, 2025 at Youngstown State - L, 69-65
- Youngstown State owns a 9-11 record in 20 all-time meetings with Toledo in a series dating back to February of 1979. The Rockets have won each of the last three meetings after a 69-65 win in Youngstown last November.
- Before last season, the Penguins and Rockets had not faced off since a meeting at Toledo in the 2013 Postseason WNIT. The two programs have played only twice since the 2008-09 season.
- Youngstown State dominated the early history of the series, winning seven of the first 11 meetings between the programs from 1979 to 1999. Toledo has won seven of the nine matchups that have occurred since the 2000-01 campaign.
- Last Season vs. Toledo: YSU had four starters reach double figures but came up four points short in a battle with Toledo inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center in Youngstown on Nov. 25, 2025. In the first regular-season meeting between the programs since 2008, and the lead changed hands five times in the fourth quarter, and it was a two-point game with four minutes remaining. Toledo took advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, converting them into 15 second-chance points. The Rockets also held a 20-7 edge in points off turnovers despite being just plus-1 in turnover margin.
Recapping Last Game
Game Summary
Youngstown State outscored Buffalo 47-24 over the final 20 minutes to pull away for an 86-62 victory on Saturday night inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
In the first meeting between the programs since 2013, the Penguins held a 39-38 edge at halftime after a back-and-forth first half. After Buffalo knotted the score at 42-42, YSU went on a 22-8 run to close the third quarter while outscoring the Bulls 25-12 in the period to carry a double-digit advantage into the fourth. The Guins went on to outscore Buffalo 22-12 in the final period to earn their second home win in as many games to begin the 2026-27 season.
Notes
- After forcing 38 turnovers in the season opener vs. Hiram, the Penguins forced Buffalo into 30 turnovers on Saturday evening while outscoring the Bulls 32-4 off turnovers.
- YSU outscored Buffalo 26-5 in transition while holding a 50-36 edge in the paint and a 29-13 advantage in bench points.
- The Penguins finished with an 8-4 edge in second-chance points despite the Bulls holding a 43-30 advantage overall on the boards.
- Fifth-year point guard and Cleveland State transfer Jada Leonard paced four Penguins in double figures with 17 points while Danielle Cameron added 13 points and three made 3-pointers.
- Sarah Baker finished with 12 points, and senior transfer Mia Kalich filled the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals. Kalich, who reached 1,000 career points in her YSU debut vs. Hiram, surpassed 300 career steals on Saturday. With nine rebounds, Kalich also reached 900 rebounds for her career.
- The Penguins shot 43.2% from the field while making seven of 21 attempts from long distance. The Bulls finished the game shooting 44% overall and 36.4% (4-11) from 3-point range.
- Freshman guard Evelyn McKnight finished with eight points for the second straight game to begin her collegiate career while adding two rebounds, five assists and three steals.
- Hayden Barrier scored eight points off the bench on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
Up Next
The Penguins will play the second of two straight road tilts at Colorado on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff at the CU Events Center in Boulder is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and 1390 WNIO.
