Youngstown State begins a two-game road trip that could significantly impact the top half of the Horizon League standings on Thursday at Northern Kentucky. Tipoff at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Ky., is set for 6 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State at Northern Kentucky

• When: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 | 6 p.m.
• Where: The Jungle | Indianapolis, Ind.
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Game Preview

• With two weeks left in the regular season, YSU is 19-8 overall and 12-5 in Horizon League play. The Penguins are a game-and-a-half ahead of their two opponents on the road this week, NKU and Purdue Fort Wayne (10-6), for second place in the standings. Add in Cleveland State's 10-7 record, and four teams are within two games of each other from second through fifth place. YSU has seven more overall wins and five more conference victories compared to 2024-25, the first under head coach Melissa Jackson. Only 10 teams in the country have had a bigger win improvement, and YSU is one victory away from clinching its 14th 20-win season.
• YSU showed its grit last week to remain in second place, beating RMU 69-62 in overtime on Feb. 11 and IU Indy 69-65 on Sunday. The Penguins trailed by at least six with less than six minutes left but made winning plays in the final moments of regulation in both games. Sophia Gregory scored at the buzzer to force overtime against RMU, and Sarah Baker's defensive stop at IU Indy led to two Gregory free throws with 4.8 seconds left that gave YSU a four-point cushion.
• Defense and balanced scoring have been YSU's strengths this season. The Penguins lead the conference and rank in the top 35 nationally in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, 3-point field-goal percentage defense and blocks per game. Offensively, the Penguins average 67.0 points and rank second in the league in scoring margin at plus-9.7.
• Sixth-year senior point guard Casey Santoro leads Youngstown State with 12.3 points per game, and she's also YSU's leader in assists and minutes. She is one of five Penguins to start all 27 games, and she's surrounded in the starting group by underclassmen who all average at least 8.9 points. Baker averages 11.7 points, Erica King averages 10.3, Gregory ranks among the top 10 in the Horizon League in rebounds, blocks, steals and assists, and Danielle Cameron is third in the league in 3-pointers per game.

A Win Would… 

• Give the Penguins a 20-8 record and their 14th 20-win season in program history. The last season with 20 wins was 2021-22, when they went 24-7.
• Give YSU at least 13 Horizon League wins for the fourth time in 25 seasons in the conference.
• Improve the Penguins' road record to 10-4. YSU has had at least 10 road wins only once since 1999-00.
• Allow YSU to split the regular-season series with the Norse.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 104th career win, her 32nd at Youngstown State and her sixth career victory over Northern Kentucky.

Milestone Watch

• Sarah Baker is 18 points away from 400 in her career. A redshirt freshman who scored 66 points last year, she is 31 points shy of YSU's freshman single-scoring record.
• Danielle Cameron is 10 3-pointers away from breaking YSU's single-season freshman record for 3s.
• Erica King needs three points to reach 450 in her career.
• Casey Santoro has 500 career rebounds in her sights, needing 26 more.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Notes

• YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson, who recorded her 100th career victory on Jan. 31. The Penguins have seven more wins overall and five more league victories compared to 2024-25.
• 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. Players who appeared in 10 games or fewer at YSU last season have scored 67% of the Penguins' points.
• YSU leads the Horizon League and ranks in the top 35 nationally in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. It also ranks in the top five in the HL scoring offense and field-goal percentage.

Player Notes

Sarah Baker is averaging 11.7 points and has reached double figures in 13 of her last 16 games... She ranks third in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage... Danielle Cameron ranks third in the Horizon League with 2.1 3-pointers per game and is averaging 8.9 points... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 14.0 minutes, up from 6.3 last year... Sophia Gregory was the HL Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 and was named a Preseason All-League First Team selection... She ranks in the top eight in the HL in rebounds, blocks, assists and steals and is one of three non-seniors in the country averaging at least 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a block... Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 31st in the nation with 1.8 blocks per game... Erica King has 107 more points and 44 more assists than she had as a freshman... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin, now in her third season at YSU... Transfer Casey Santoro leads the team in points and assists and leads the HL in minutes.

Scouting NKU

• Northern Kentucky is 13-14 overall, 10-6 in Horizon League play and 6-5 at Truist Arena heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. The Norse won seven straight conference games earlier this season and are currently on a three-game winning streak. In February, NKU has a one-point win over Oakland, a three-point win at Milwaukee, and an 18-point victory at first-place Green Bay.
• NKU's top two scorers are freshmen Karina Bystry and Maddie Moody, and they have combined to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Week six times. Bystry is the reigning award winner after posting 16 points in each win in Wisconsin last week, and she is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. Moody is averaging 10.3 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game. Taysha Rushton leads NKU with 45 3-pointers and 60 assists, and Mya Meredith has 38 steals to complement her 9.9 points per game.
• The Norse rank third in the Horizon League in scoring offense at 68.2 points per game, and they are ninth in defense, allowing 70.1 points. NKU leads the conference with 12.4 offensive rebounds per contest, and it leads the league and ranks 41st in the country with 24.8 3-point attempts per contest.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 11-10
Home: 7-5 // Away: 4-5 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 5-1
Current Win Streak: 1 by Northern Kentucky

• Youngstown State holds an 11-10 advantage in the all-time series with Northern Kentucky, and recent games have been tight between the programs. All three games in 2022-23 were decided in the final 12 seconds, and 11 of the last 17 meetings have been decided by six points or have gone to overtime.
• Both teams have been slightly better on their home floors as YSU is 7-5 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center and 4-5 on the road. The majority of games at Truist Arena have been close. Three of YSU's five losses all time at NKU have come at the buzzer or in overtime, and three of YSU's wins in the building have been by four points or fewer.

This Season at YSU: The Penguins struggled offensively, shooting a season-low 27.1% from the field and just 10.7% from 3-point range in a 61-49 loss to Northern Kentucky on Jan. 8. Despite the shooting woes, YSU remained competitive through three quarters, trailing by only one point entering the final period. However, the Norse pulled away in the fourth, hitting three critical 3-pointers in the first 5:08 of the period to secure the victory. Sarah Baker led YSU with 12 points, while Danielle Cameron and Erica King each added 11. NKU controlled the inside, outscoring the Penguins 38-18 in the paint and recording 20 second-chance points.

Last Season at NKU: Youngstown State outscored NKU 21-5 in the fourth quarter to rally for a 56-47 victory over the Norse on Dec. 7, 2024. YSU trailed 42-35 heading into the fourth, but Faith Burch scored eight points during a 13-0 run to start the quarter that flipped the game in the Penguins' favor. Burch finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Sophia Gregory also posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Recapping IU Indy

Game Summary

Paulina Hernandez scored seven points in the final four minutes to help Youngstown State rally for a gritty 69-65 victory at IU Indy on Sunday. The win marked the Penguins' first victory at The Jungle since 2018.

Casey Santoro led YSU with 17 points, while Erica King added 15. That pair combined for 19 first-quarter points as YSU built a 26-18 lead. Hernandez finished with 12 points and five blocks, including a critical three-point play that gave YSU its first fourth-quarter lead with 3:14 left. In the closing seconds, Sarah Baker forced a defensive stop, and Sophia Gregory iced the game with two free throws. Despite an 11-0 run by the Jaguars earlier in the half, the Penguins' defense allowed only one field goal over the final six minutes to secure the road win.

Notes

• YSU had its most points off turnovers in a Horizon League game this season with 21. The Penguins and Jaguars combined to score 40 points off turnovers. The Penguins held a 16-2 edge in the second half.
• Youngstown State outscored IU Indy 9-0 in transition in the first period as it built a 26-18 lead. The Penguins finished with a 16-4 advantage in fast-break points. That was their second-most transition points in a Horizon League game this season.
• YSU scored 38 points in the paint, 22 more than it had in the first meeting with the Jaguars.
• YSU's 26 first-quarter points were its most against a Division I opponent this season. IU Indy's 24 points in the second quarter were the most by an opponent in the second quarter this season.
• IU Indy's 15 made free throws were the most by an opponent this season.
• Danielle Cameron surpassed 250 career points.
• Sophia Gregory had six assists for the sixth time this season and the seventh time in her career. She added nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
• Erica King scored 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 15.
• Paulina Hernandez tied her career high with five blocks, matching the five she recorded at Ohio State on Nov. 5, 2024, while playing at Cleveland State.
• Casey Santoro made her 300th career free throw. She has 83 free throws this season, the most by a YSU guard since Ashlee Russo made 103 in 2005-06. Santoro scored nine of her team-high 17 points in the first quarter. She played all 40 minutes, marking three straight games in which she has played at least 40 minutes.

Up Next

Youngstown State plays its final road contest of the regular season on Saturday at Purdue Fort Wayne. The contest from the Gates Sports Center will start at 2 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+ and 570 WKBN.