Youngstown State continues one of its best seasons in more than two decades into the Postseason WNIT on Tuesday against Maryland Eastern Shore. Tipoff inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center in the second-round game against the Hawks is set for 6:30 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.com.

Gameday Info

Youngstown State vs. Maryland Eastern Shore

• When: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center | Youngstown, Ohio
• Watch: ESPN+ | espn.com
• Listen: 570 WKBN | 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 Tuesday'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 Tuesday.

Promotions

• T-shirt giveaway for the first 150 YSU students, courtesy of Eagle Wear
• Free pizza for the first 150 YSU students, courtesy of Fox's Pizza Den
• $2 Busch Light 12-ounce cans for all fans 21 and over, as supplies last
• Two $250 gift card giveaways — four lucky YSU students will have the chance to participate in a 3-point shooting contest for a chance to win a $250 gift card

Game Preview

The Penguins earned a bye into the second round of the 48-team WNIT, and their game on Tuesday will come two weeks after they lost 57-49 to Green Bay in their first-ever trip to the championship game of the Horizon League tournament. The Penguins received the conference's automatic bid to the WNIT as the top team that was not selected for the NCAA Tournament or WBIT. This is Youngstown State's fifth appearance all-time in the WNIT and its third time as an automatic qualifier, joining the 2012-13 and 2021-22 teams. YSU was an at-large selection in 2014-15 and 2018-19.

YSU went 22-8 during the regular season and 2-1 in the conference tournament, bringing its record to 24-9 entering the WNIT. The Penguins have tied for the second-highest win total in program history, matching the 1990-91 and 2021-22 squads with 24 victories. Youngstown State has 12 more wins than it did in 2024-25, its first under head coach Melissa Jackson, and only three teams in the country have a better win improvement from last season. The Penguins have won 11 of their last 13 games dating back to Jan. 25, with the two losses both coming to Green Bay by a combined 11 points.

YSU's improvement has been driven by defense and balanced scoring. The Penguins rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, 3-point field-goal percentage defense and blocks per game. Offensively, six players average between 7.4 and 12.1 points per game. Casey Santoro, a sixth-year point guard who was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team and All-Tournament Team, leads YSU in points and assists and paces the conference in minutes. Four underclassmen have joined Santoro in the starting lineup in every game — Sophia Gregory, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, a second-team pick, and All-Tournament Team honoree; All-Freshman Team selection Sarah Baker; Danielle Cameron and Erica King. YSU is one of six teams in the country that have used the same starting lineup in every game this season.

A Win Would…

• Be YSU's first postseason tournament victory since beating UMBC in the WBI on March 19, 2016.
• Be the Penguins' second-ever WNIT victory and the first since 2013.
• Be YSU's fifth postseason tournament victory at the Division I level.
• Give the Penguins a 25-9 record and just their second season ever with at least 25 wins. The school record for wins is 28, set in 1997-98.
• Improve YSU's record at home to 12-4 this season.
• Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 109th career win, her 37th at Youngstown State and her first career victory over Maryland Eastern Shore.

Milestone Watch

• Sarah Baker is eight rebounds shy of 200 for her career and 22 points away from 400 this season.
• Sophia Gregory is nine steals away from 100 in her career.
• Paulina Hernandez is one block away from reaching 60 this season. The only Penguins to reach 60 are Donna Djorovic (85 in 1992-93) and Emily Saunders (73 in 2023-24).
• Casey Santoro is one point away from scoring 400 this season.

A Glimpse at the Guins

Team Notes

• YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins have 12 more wins and eight more league victories compared to 2024-25. Entering the postseason, only three teams in the country had improved their win total more.
• YSU is playing in a postseason tournament for the 10th time at the Division I level. This is its fifth time in the WNIT.
• 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 six teams in the country to have used the same starting lineup in every game.
• 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.
• YSU leads the Horizon League and ranks in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. It also ranks in the top five in the HL in scoring offense and field-goal percentage.

Player Notes

Sarah Baker is averaging 11.5 points and has reached double figures in 16 of her last 22 games... A Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, she ranks third in the HL in field-goal percentage and owns YSU's freshman scoring record (378)... Danielle Cameron ranks second in the League with 2.0 3-pointers per game and is averaging 8.8 points... She has made more 3s than any other freshman in program history (67)... Hayden Barrier is averaging 13.0 minutes, up from 6.3 last year... Sophia Gregory was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-HL selection... She ranks in the top eight in the HL in rebounds, blocks, assists and steals, and she is one of two players in the country averaging at least 10 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and one block per game.... HL Sixth Player of the Year Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 27th in the nation with 59 blocks, the third-most in school history... Erica King has 169 more points and 59 more assists than she had as a freshman... Bella Samz is the longest-tenured Penguin and is in her third season at YSU... Second-Team All-HL honoree Casey Santoro leads YSU in points and assists and leads the HL in minutes.

YSU's WNIT History

• YSU is playing in the Postseason WNIT for the fifth time, all of which have come in the last 14 years. The Penguins are the Horizon League's automatic qualifier for the third time, joining the 2012-13 and 2021-22 teams. YSU was an at-large selection in 2014-15 and 2018-19.
• The Penguins won their opening round game in 2013, beating Indiana State 63-51 inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. They've lost four straight WNIT games since that victory over the Sycamores. In YSU's last appearance on March 16, 2022, Casey Santoro was a guard for Kent State as the Golden Flashes won 68-59.
• Extended season: Tuesday's game will be the latest in the calendar in program history, surpassing YSU's postseason games on March 23 in 2013 (at Toledo in the WNIT) and 2016 (at Louisiana in the WBI). The Penguins will also tie a program record for games played in a season, matching the 2015-16 team's total of 34 contests.

Scouting Maryland Eastern Shore

• Maryland Eastern Shore is having perhaps its best season in school history, setting a new program record with 20 wins and playing in its first postseason tournament. The Hawks, who earned the automatic bid to the Postseason WNIT out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, are 20-14 overall and 9-7 on the road this season. They are in the second round after winning 59-48 at Wake Forest on Thursday. It was the program's first victory over a power four conference opponent.
• The Hawks had four players earn postseason awards from the MEAC: Brianna Barnes (Sixth Player of the Year), Ashanti Lynch (First Team and All-Defensive Team), Kaliya Perry (All-Rookie Team) and Desi Taylor (All-Rookie Team). Taylor scored 19 points and made three 3-pointers in the win over the Demon Deacons, and Dakieran Turner finished with 16 rebounds.
• Maryland Eastern Shore averages more than 21 free-throw attempts per game, and it ranks 25th in the country in both free-throw attempts and free throw makes per game. The Hawks force 21.3 turnovers per contest, which ranks 16th in the nation, while also ranking 47th in steals per contest. UMES averages 62.1 points per game while surrendering 62.2.

Series History and Matchup Notes

Overall: First Meeting
Home: 0-0 // Away: 0-0 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 0-0
Current Win Streak: First Meeting // Last 10 Meetings: First Meeting

• Youngstown State and Maryland Eastern Shore have never played in women's basketball. In fact, Youngstown State has played just two games against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and Tuesday will be its first game against a team from the conference in nearly 20 years.
• YSU vs. the MEAC: Both of the Penguins' games against teams from the MEAC were against Coppin State as part of a home-and-home series during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The Penguins beat the Eagles 69-62 in Youngstown on Dec. 21, 2005, and lost 55-42 in Baltimore on Nov. 17, 2006.
• YSU vs. Maryland teams: The Penguins are 2-2 in program history against teams from the Old Line State. YSU is 1-1 against Coppin State, 1-0 against UMBC and 0-1 against Towson. The victory over UMBC was Youngstown State's last in a postseason tournament, coming on March 19, 2016, in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational. YSU's most recent opponent from Maryland is Towson, which it fell to 68-57 at the Puerto Rico Clasico on Nov. 30, 2024.

Recapping Green Bay

Game Summary

Youngstown State made its first appearance in the Horizon League Championship game but fell 57-49 to top-seeded Green Bay on March 10 at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis. The Penguins led 28-25 at halftime and carried a 40-39 deficit into the fourth quarter before the Phoenix used a late surge to pull away.

YSU briefly regained the lead at 43-42 on a Paulina Hernandez layup with 7:02 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Green Bay responded with a decisive run and held the Penguins without another lead. Sophia Gregory hit a 3-pointer with 2:30 left to cut the margin to five, but YSU could not get closer. Green Bay outscored the Penguins 17-10 in the fourth quarter.

Hernandez led the Penguins with 12 points, Gregory added 11, and Casey Santoro posted nine points and nine rebounds.

Notes

• The Penguins were held to 49 points, their fewest since scoring 40 at RMU on Jan. 21.
• Green Bay outscored YSU 12-3 at the free-throw line and had a 19-6 edge in free-throw attempts. The Phoenix had seven of those free-throw attempts during their 7-2 run over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.
• Youngstown State played just seven players, its fewest of the season.
• The Penguins had seven blocks in the game, which was its second-most ever in a Horizon League tournament game. It was the highest total since having 10 at Milwaukee on March 9, 2009.
• Danielle Cameron scored her 300th career point and made her 100th career field goal.
• Sophia Gregory attempted four 3-pointers, a career high, and made one. She recorded multiple blocks for the fourth time in the last five games. Gregory also surpassed 150 career assists.
• Paulina Hernandez went 2-for-4 from 3-point range. It was her third game with multiple 3-pointers in the last six contests. She was YSU's leading scorer for the first time since Dec. 29 at Cleveland State.
• Casey Santoro recorded a career high five steals, which tied for the second most by a Penguin in a Horizon League tournament game. She reached career totals of 1,300 points and 350 assists in the contest. Santoro also recorded nine rebounds, one shy of her career and season high, with all nine coming on the defensive end.

Up Next

If Youngstown State beats Maryland Eastern Shore, it would play either Marshall or UMBC in the Super 16 of the WNIT. The date and location of that game have not been announced. The Thundering Herd hosts the Retrievers on Monday, and the window for third-round games is March 25-27.