Youngstown State finishes the regular season and goes for its fifth straight victory when it hosts Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. Tipoff inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center is set for 6:30 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+, 1390 WNIO and iHeartRadio.com. Casey Santoro, YSU's lone senior, will be celebrated before tip.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State vs. Detroit Mercy

• When: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 1390 WNIO | 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 Wednesday's game are available online through YSUsports.com or at the YSU Athletic Ticket Office in Stambaugh Stadium. The ticket office and gates inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Promotions

• Senior Day
• Team Picture giveaway, courtesy of McDonald's and 21 WFMJ
• Ticket special: two tickets for $20 on upper reserved and general admission seats
• Veterans Appreciation Day, presented by NECA IBEW

Game Preview

The Penguins locked up the second seed in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship by winning twice on the road last week against teams that were tied for third in the standings heading into the week. YSU won 75-55 at Northern Kentucky on Thursday and 76-71 at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday. The win over the Norse was YSU's third straight against teams that had beaten the Penguins earlier this season.

Sophia Gregory delivered an incredible performance in YSU's win over the Mastodons on Saturday, scoring 37 points, going 16-for-19 from the field and grabbing 19 rebounds. According to HerHoopStats.com, Gregory had the first game with at least 37 points and 19 rebounds by any player in the country since 2017. Gregory scored 14 points in the final 5:28 to help the Penguins close out the win, and she was named the Horizon League Player of the Week. 

YSU has won at least 21 games for the 10th time in program history, and it has won 14 Horizon League games for just the second time. Only six teams in the country have improved their win total from last season more than YSU. 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 67.6 points, which is fifth in the conference, and rank second in the league in scoring margin at plus-9.9.

Santoro is averaging a career-best 12.5 points in 2025-26, her first and only season as a Penguin. The sixth-year point guard leads the Horizon League and ranks in the top 25 nationally in minutes per game. She has started every game and has been joined in the starting five by four underclassmen who all average at least 9.0 points.

A Win Would…

• Improve the Penguins a 22-8 record and their eighth season ever with at least 22 wins. The last season with 22-plus wins was 2021-22, when they went 24-7.
• Give YSU at least 15 Horizon League wins for the second time in 25 seasons in the conference. The only other season with 15-plus HL wins was 2021-22.
• Mark YSU's first five-game winning streak since Dec. 21, 2022, and five straight Horizon League wins for the first time since Feb. 20, 2022.
• Complete a regular-season sweep of the Titans and snap a two-game home losing streak in the series.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 106th career win, her 34th at Youngstown State and her fifth career victory over Detroit Mercy.

Milestone Watch

• Sarah Baker is 10 points shy of tying YSU's freshman single-season scoring record (346).
• Danielle Cameron is six 3-pointers from tying YSU's single-season freshman record for 3s (65).
• Sophia Gregory is 21 points away from 600 and 22 rebounds away from 500.
• Paulina Hernandez needs seven points to reach 300 in her career.
• Casey Santoro has 500 career rebounds in her sights, needing 12 more.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Notes

• YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins have nine more wins overall and seven more league victories compared to 2024-25. Only six teams in the country have improved their win total more than YSU.
• The Penguins posted an impressive 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 is one of 12 teams in the country to have used the same starting lineup in every game — Sophia Gregory, Erica King, Sarah Baker, Danielle Cameron and Casey Santoro. Gregory is the only player 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 66.6% 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 HL scoring offense and field-goal percentage.

Player Notes

Sarah Baker is averaging 11.6 points and has reached double figures in 14 of her last 18 games... She ranks third in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage... Danielle Cameron ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 2.0 3-pointers per game and is averaging 9.0 points... Baker missed YSU's final 22 games of 2024-25, and Cameron missed the last 29... Hayden Barrier is averaging 13.4 minutes, up from 6.3 last year... Sophia Gregory is the reigning HL Player of the Week after posting the nation's first 37-point, 19-rebound game since 2017... She ranks in the top eight in the HL in rebounds, blocks, assists and steals and as one of two non-seniors in the country averaging at least 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a block... Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 24th in the nation with 53 blocks, the third-most in school history... Erica King has 122 more points and 51 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 Detroit Mercy

• Detroit Mercy is 5-22 overall, 3-15 in Horizon League play and 1-10 in road contests this season. The Titans are looking to snap a four-game losing streak since a 72-69 win at Oakland on Feb. 7. They came a bucket short of winning at IU Indy on Sunday, falling 74-72. While Wednesday is the regular-season finale for Youngstown State, the Titans will host Northern Kentucky on Saturday.
• Jasmine Edwards has posted eight double-doubles this season and leads Detroit Mercy with 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Makayla Jackson is also averaging 11.1 points and ranks second in the Horizon League with 2.2 steals per game. Aaliyah McQueen, who missed the first meeting with YSU and 10 games overall, was a Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection and is averaging 9.2 points with a team-high 24 3-pointers.
• Detroit Mercy allows 73.2 points per game while scoring 62.6 points on average. The Titans rank fourth in the Horizon League in forced turnovers per game with 16.1, and they are fifth in steals.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: Youngstown State leads 31-25
Home: 18-10 // Away: 13-15 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 4-1
Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State

• Youngstown State holds a 31-25 lead in the all-time series with Detroit Mercy, and the Penguins have won 13 of the last 15 meetings dating back to the 2017-18 season. YSU won 10 straight encounters from the 2017-18 through 2022-23 seasons, and the teams have split the regular season in each of the last two seasons. The all-time series dates back to the 1982-83 campaign.
• YSU has won seven straight meetings and nine of the last 10 contests at Calihan Hall dating back to the 2014-15 season. However, the Titans have beaten the Penguins in each of their last two trips to Youngstown.

Penguin Ties: Youngstown State assistant coach Kayla DeCriscio began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Detroit Mercy in 2016-17 and spent three seasons total with the Titans on Bernard Scott's staffs in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20. Scott was YSU's recruiting coordinator from 2008-10 before he went on to become Detroit Mercy's head coach in 2015. Former Titan player and head coach Autumn Rademacher was an assistant coach at YSU during the 2019-20 campaign.

Last time vs. Detroit Mercy

Youngstown State scored 13 straight points in the first quarter and led by double digits for the final 34 minutes in a 69-53 win over Detroit Mercy on Jan. 29 at Calihan Hall. Erica King scored eight of her 14 points in the opening quarter as the Penguins built a 23-8 lead, and Danielle Cameron hit four 3-pointers in the second quarter to help YSU take a 45-26 halftime advantage. Cameron finished with a game- and career-high 19 points on five 3-pointers, marking her second straight game with five made 3s. King shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.Sophia Gregory added 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Sarah Baker scored 11 points. Youngstown State shot 50% from the field and held Detroit Mercy to 30.3% shooting.

Recapping Purdue Fort Wayne

Game Summary

Youngstown State rallied from an early deficit and got a historic performance from Sophia Gregory to earn a 76-71 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.

The Mastodons capitalized on early turnovers to build an 11-4 lead and opened the second half with a 16-4 run to take another seven-point advantage. Gregory scored 14 points in the final 5:28 to help the Penguins take the lead in the fourth quarter. YSU made key defensive stops in the final minutes and converted late free throws to secure the win.

The Penguins shot 46% from the field and committed just six turnovers over the final three quarters. Defensively, YSU held Purdue Fort Wayne to 4-for-20 shooting from 3-point range while blocking eight shots.

Up Next

Youngstown State will be the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship and host a first-round game on March 4. Tipoff inside Zidian Family Arena will be at 7 p.m. Tickets will go on sale on Feb. 25 - ticket details.