Coming off an important 75-55 win at Northern Kentucky, Youngstown State moves on to Purdue Fort Wayne looking to sweep its final road trip of the regular season. Tipoff against the Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center is set for 2 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State at Purdue Fort Wayne

• When: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 | 2 p.m.
• Where: Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | iHeart.com
• Stats: SIDEARM Stats
• Social: X | Instagram | Facebook

Game Preview

• The Penguins checked off several goals on Thursday night with their 20-point road win over the Norse. YSU improved to 20-8 overall and 13-5 in Horizon League play, notching its 14th 20-win season in program history. The Penguins also secured a top-four seed and a first-round home game in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship, and one win in either of their final two games will clinch the second seed in the tournament.
• YSU has won seven of its last eight games, including the last three over opponents it lost to in the opening round of the conference slate. The Penguins are now 10-4 in road games this season and are one of 14 teams in the country with at least 10 road wins, and they have tied a school record with seven Horizon League road victories. Youngstown State has won eight more games than in 2024-25, and only nine teams in the country have had a bigger win improvement.
• 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. They rank 12th in the country with their .263 opponent field-goal percentage, which is ahead of the current school record. Offensively, the Penguins average 67.3 points, which is second in the conference, and rank second in the league in scoring margin at plus-10.1.
• Sixth-year senior point guard Casey Santoro leads Youngstown State with 12.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, and she leads the Horizon League with 35.5 minutes per contest. She has started every game and is surrounded by four underclassmen who all average at least 9.1 points. Sarah Baker averages 11.8 points and Erica King averages 10.1 to join Santoro in double figures. Sophia Gregory ranks among the top eight players 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 21-8 record and their 10th season ever with at least 21 wins. The last season with 21-plus wins was 2021-22, when they went 24-7.
• Give YSU at least 14 Horizon League wins for the second time in 25 seasons in the conference. The only other season with 14-plus HL wins was 2021-22.
• Improve the Penguins' road record to 11-4, which would tie a program record for road wins. YSU also had 11 road wins in 1990-91, 1996-97 and 1997-98.
• Give the Penguins a school-record eight Horizon League road wins.
• Allow YSU to sweep the regular-season series with the Mastodons and snap a three-game losing streak in Fort Wayne.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 105th career win, her 33rd at Youngstown State and her third career victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.

Milestone Watch

• Sarah Baker is five points away from 400 in her career. A redshirt freshman who scored 66 points last year, she is 17 points shy of tying YSU's freshman single-season scoring record (346).
• Danielle Cameron is eight 3-pointers from tying YSU's single-season freshman record for 3s (65).
• Paulina Hernandez needs 13 points to reach 300 in her career.
• Casey Santoro has 500 career rebounds in her sights, needing 19 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 eight more wins overall and six 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 67.7% of the Penguins' points this season.
• 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 Horizon League in scoring offense and field-goal percentage.

Player Notes

Sarah Baker is averaging 11.8 points and has reached double figures in 14 of her last 17 games... She ranks third in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage... Danielle Cameron ranks third in the Horizon League with 2.0 3-pointers per game and is averaging 9.1 points... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 13.7 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 23rd in the nation with 50 blocks, tied for the third-most in school history... Erica King has 113 more points and 50 more assists than she had as a freshman... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin, now in her third season at YSU... Casey Santoro leads YSU in points and assists and leads the HL in minutes.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne

• Purdue Fort Wayne is 16-11 overall, 10-7 in Horizon League play and 11-2 at home this season. The Mastodons have lost three of their last four contests, including a 71-64 decision at the Gates Sports Center on Wednesday. Purdue Fort Wayne is tied for fourth in the conference standings and is a half-game out of third.
• Purdue Fort Wayne has five new starters as it has added many talented newcomers after last year's senior-led team finished 27-9 and advanced to the Horizon League Championship game. Alana Nelson, a graduate transfer from NAIA member Spring Arbor, leads the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game, and she also leads the 'Dons with 5.2 rebounds per game and 62 3-pointers. Boston College transfer Lili Krasovec is averaging 11.6 points, and Jordan Reid, last season's sixth player of the year in the conference, is averaging 10.6 points and 2.2 steals per contest.
• The Mastodons lead the Horizon League in scoring offense at 71.0 points per game, and they are fifth in scoring defense at 64.3 points per contest. The 'Dons are in the top four in the league in overall field-goal percentage and 3-point field-goal percentage, and their 7.3 3s per game is the second-best mark in the league. Purdue Fort Wayne is plus-4.33 in turnover margin, which leads the conference and ranks 37th in the country.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 12-6
Home: 9-2 // Away: 3-4 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 2-2
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State leads the all-time series with Purdue Fort Wayne 12-6, and the Penguins have a 9-2 edge on their home floor. YSU has an 8-4 advantage since the Mastodons joined the Horizon League in the 2020-21 season, but the Mastodons have won four of the last six encounters.
• The teams went nearly 10 years between meetings from 2011 until Mastodons joined the conference. YSU had its highest-scoring output ever in a Horizon League game in a 102-60 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne when the series resumed on Feb. 5, 2021. Since then, YSU has scored between 56 and 69 points in the last 11 contests.

This Season at YSU: Casey Santoro, Danielle Cameron and Sophia Gregory combined for 48 points to lead Youngstown State to a 58-54 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne at Beeghly Center on Jan. 10. After trailing 26-21 at halftime, the Penguins utilized a 22-9 third-quarter surge to pull ahead. Santoro finished with a team-high 18 points, including crucial late-game free throws. Gregory overcame early foul trouble to provide 13 points and seven rebounds in the second half, while Cameron added 15 points. YSU's varied defensive looks held the Mastodons to 31.7% shooting, well below their season average.

Last Season at PFW: Youngstown State fell 74-60 to Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 1, 2025, as the Mastodons extended their winning streak to seven games. Jewel Watkins led the Penguins with game highs of 18 points and four 3-pointers. Erica King added 14 points, while Sophia Gregory anchored the glass with 15 rebounds. YSU was hurt by 26 turnovers, resulting in a minus-19 turnover margin. The Mastodons scored 26 points in the third quarter to pull away after leading by eight at halftime.

Recapping NKU

Game Summary

Youngstown State led for more than 36 minutes and pulled away in the second half for a 75-55 victory over Northern Kentucky on Thursday night at Truist Arena. The Penguins clinched a first-round home game in the conference tournament and created separation in the race for second place.

The Penguins scored the game's first six points and went on a 10-0 surge to go up 16-6. After Northern Kentucky grabbed its only lead in the second quarter of the game, YSU responded with timely 3-pointers and closed the half on a 9-2 run to take an eight-point advantage into the break.

The Norse trimmed the deficit to five early in the third, but consecutive 3-pointers pushed the margin back to double digits. YSU steadily extended the lead throughout the second half, stretching it to 20 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Notes

• The previous largest margin of victory for either team in the series was 14 points, which YSU recorded in a 67-53 victory on Nov. 20, 2013. YSU won for the fourth straight time at Truist Arena.
• Youngstown State held a 42-27 rebounding advantage, a big difference from the first meeting when NKU had a 41-38 edge. The Norse, the top offensive-rebounding team in the Horizon League, were held to two second-chance points on six offensive rebounds despite shooting 34.5% from the field.
• YSU shot 47.5% overall and went 9-for-23 from 3-point range, a substantial improvement from when it went 3-for-28 in the first meeting.
• The Penguins earned their 10th road win, tying for their most since the 1997-98 season.
• Sarah Baker scored YSU's first six points and finished with 13 in just over 15 minutes of game action.
• Danielle Cameron made a 3-pointer for the eighth straight game while making all four of her attempts inside the arc. She reached double figures for the 10th time this season and for the first time since Jan. 29.
• Sophia Gregory grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, the most in a game by a Penguin since Lilly Ritz had 21 against NKU on March 2, 2023, and the most by any Horizon League player this season. Gregory recorded at least 10 rebounds for the 10th time this season and for the third time in the last five games. She added six points and five assists.
• Paulina Hernandez recorded two blocks to increase her season total to 50. That is tied for the third-most ever by a Penguin in a season. She joins Donna Djorovic (85 in 1992-93), Emily Saunders (73 in 2023-24) and Margaret Somple (50 in 1990-91) as the only players with at least 50. Hernandez finished with 15 points off the bench and made two 3-pointers.
• Erica King surpassed 450 career points while finishing with six points and a game-high six assists.
• Casey Santoro tied for game-high honors with 18 points, scoring in double figures for the 18th time this season. She made four 3-pointers, and her rebound and three-point play with 16.8 seconds left in the first half increased YSU's lead from five to eight.

Up Next

Youngstown State hosts Detroit Mercy in the regular-season finale on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. It will be Senior Day for Casey Santoro, and all fans will receive a team photo, courtesy of McDonald's and 21 WFMJ. Fans can receive two tickets for $20 on upper reserved and general admission seats as part of a special discount, and it is also Veterans Appreciation Day, presented by NECA IBEW.