Youngstown State makes its first tournament semifinals appearance in seven years and continues its postseason in Indianapolis on Monday against Cleveland State. Tipoff against the third-seeded Vikings is set for 2:30 p.m. at Corteva Coliseum, with live coverage on ESPN+, 570 WKBN and iHeartRadio.com.
Gameday Info
Youngstown State vs. Cleveland State
Fan Information
YSU fans can stop by Binkley's Kitchen & Bar in Indianapolis before the Penguins play the Vikings on Monday, starting at 11 a.m. Binkley's is located only 10 minutes from the Corteva Coliseum.
Binkley's Kitchen & Bar
5902 N. College Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Game Preview
The No. 2 Penguins head to Indianapolis on a six-game winning streak, following a 76-60 victory over Wright State on Wednesday in the first round of the 2026 Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship. YSU held a 30-29 lead at halftime but outscored the Raiders 23-14 in the third quarter and 46-31 overall in the second half to pull away and advance in the tournament. Youngstown State is now 23-8 overall, tying for the fourth-highest win total in program history. YSU has won 11 more games than it did last season, which was the first under head coach Melissa Jackson.
YSU has won 10 of its last 11 games dating back to its 61-38 victory over Cleveland State on Jan. 25. The only conference team with a longer active winning streak is the Vikings, who have won seven straight and nine of 10 since losing to the Penguins.
Six Penguins scored at least eight points in their first-round victory over Wright State, continuing a theme from the regular season of balanced scoring. Erica King scored a game-high 19 points and had five steals as YSU was plus-eight in turnover margin, and YSU's four all-conference performers — Sarah Baker, Sophia Gregory, Paulina Hernandez and Casey Santoro — scored between eight and 12 points. Gregory, the Defensive Player of the Year and a selection on the All-League Second Team and All-Defensive Team, posted 13 points and six assists. Hayden Barrier scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter to help YSU fight off the Raiders.
Only four teams in the country have improved their win total from last season more than YSU, and the improvement has been carried by defense and balanced scoring. The Penguins lead the conference and 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 12.3 points per game.
A Win Would...
- Send the Penguins to the Horizon League Championship game for the first time in program history. Youngstown State joined the conference in the 2001-02 season. YSU's last appearance in a conference tournament final was in the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) in 2000.
- Give the Penguins a 24-8 record and their fourth season with at least 24 wins. The last season with 24 wins was 2021-22, when they went 24-7.
- Extend YSU's winning streak to seven games, its longest since a seven-game winning streak finished on Dec. 21, 2022.
- Give head coach Melissa Jackson her 108th career win, her 36th at Youngstown State and her fourth career victory over Cleveland State.
Milestone Watch
- Danielle Cameron is three 3-pointers from tying YSU's single-season freshman record for 3s (65).
- Sophia Gregory is five rebounds away from 500.
- Erica King needs 11 points to reach 500 in her career.
- Casey Santoro needs four rebounds to reach 500 in her career, and she is 13 points away from 1,300.
A Glimpse at the Guins
Team Notes
- YSU is in its second season under head coach Melissa Jackson. The Penguins have 11 more wins overall and had eight more league victories compared to 2024-25. As of March 6, only four teams in the country had improved their win total more.
- 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 eight 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.
- 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 11.7 points and has reached double figures in 16 of her last 20 games... An All-Freshman Team pick, she ranks third in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage... Danielle Cameron ranks second in the Horizon League with 2.0 3-pointers per game and is averaging 8.7 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 was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-League selection... She ranks in the top seven in the HL in rebounds, blocks, assists and steals, and she is one of five players in the country averaging at least 10 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one block per game.... HL Sixth Player of the Year Paulina Hernandez leads the HL and ranks 25th in the nation with 56 blocks, the third-most in school history... Erica King has 149 more points and 52 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-Horizon League honoree Casey Santoro leads YSU in points and assists and leads the HL in minutes.
YSU's Horizon League Tournament History
- Going back to the 2012-13 season, YSU has won a game in the Horizon League tournament in nine of the last 14 seasons. The Penguins are 10-24 all-time in the tournament since joining the conference in 2001-02.
- This is YSU's sixth time in the semifinals, the previous five coming in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019. The Penguins are 0-5 in the Horizon League semifinals and are seeking their first conference tournament championship game for the first time since appearing in six straight Mid-Continent Conference championship games from 1995 through 2000.
- YSU is 2-2 all-time as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, going 1-1 in 2012-13, 0-1 in 2021-22 and 1-0 so far in 2025-26.
Scouting Cleveland State
- Cleveland State is the third seed in the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship after going 13-7 in conference play during the regular season. The Vikings are 24-8 overall, and they are coming off an 81-80 overtime victory over Oakland in the first round of the tournament. Cleveland State has won seven straight games and nine of its last 10 since its loss at YSU on Jan. 25.
- Izabella Zingaro and Colbi Maples were both voted to the All-League First Team, and Jada Leonard was an All-Defensive Team selection. Zingaro is the league's top scorer with 17.1 points per game, and she has scored 84 points in CSU's last three games. Maples ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.0 points per game, and she leads the Vikings with 58 3-pointers. Leonard averages a league-high 2.9 steals per game to complement her 12.3 points per game.
- Cleveland State averages a league-high 71.2 points per game while allowing 59.9 points per contest. The Vikings also pace the league with a .449 field-goal percentage, 16.1 made free throws per game and a plus-5.2 rebounding margin.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 48-39
Home: 30-11 // Away: 14-27 // Neutral: 4-1 // Jackson (career): 3-3
Current Win Streak: 3 by Youngstown State // Last 10 Meetings: Tied 5-5
Horizon League Tournament: Cleveland State leads 2-1
- YSU has played Cleveland State more than any other program in its history and owns a 48-39 record against the Vikings in a series that dates back to Jan. 19, 1976. The Northeast Ohio rivals have played each other at least once in all 51 seasons of YSU's intercollegiate program.
- The Penguins are 2-2 all-time against the Vikings in conference tournaments. YSU won 89-74 in the Mid-Continent Conference quarterfinals on March 12, 1993, in the last neutral-site meeting between the teams. Cleveland State won Horizon League tournament games on its home floor in 2012 and 2020, and YSU won in Youngstown in 2013.
Program Ties: The Penguins certainly have familiarity with Cleveland State as student-athlete Paulina Hernandez spent two years playing for the Vikings, and YSU head coach Melissa Jackson was an assistant at CSU for a season. Hernandez played in 55 games at CSU over the last two seasons as the Vikings went a combined 56-16. Jackson spent the 2023-24 season at Cleveland State as an assistant coach before being named YSU's head coach on March 14, 2024.
This Season vs. Cleveland State
Game 1 – Dec. 29, 2025 – at Cleveland State
Game Summary
Paulina Hernandez scored a career-high 18 points on her former home court, leading Youngstown State to a 70-63 Horizon League victory over Cleveland State on Dec. 29 at the Wolstein Center. The Penguins won in Cleveland for the first time since 2022.
Hernandez was 8-for-13 from the field and added a free throw, and Casey Santoro also scored 18 points with five assists. Sarah Baker contributed 12 points in limited minutes, Sophia Gregory had eight points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Danielle Cameron made three 3-pointers in an 11-point effort. YSU tallied 24 assists on 28 field goals and outscored Cleveland State 47-42 in the second half.
Notes
- The Penguins handed the Vikings their only home loss this season and just their fourth loss at the Wolstein Center in a four-year period.
- After the teams combined for 44 points in the first half, Youngstown State outscored the Vikings 47-42 in the second half.
- Sarah Baker surpassed 200 career points in her 12-point effort
- Sophia Gregory had five assists, all of which came in the second half after foul trouble limited her to six minutes in the first half.
- Erica King posted a career-high seven assists while surpassing 300 career points.
- Casey Santoro played all 40 minutes and finished with 18 points. She made four 3s, four free throws and one two-pointer. She also distributed five assists and grabbed her 400th career rebound.
Game 2 – Jan. 25, 2026 – at Youngstown State
Game Summary
Despite an empty arena due to Winter Storm Fern, Youngstown State generated its own momentum to defeat Cleveland State 61-38 on Jan. 25 inside Zidian Fmily Arena at Beeghly Center. Danielle Cameron led the Penguins with 17 points, sparked by three first-quarter triples as YSU took a 22-13 lead. Sarah Baker added 12 points, while Sophia Gregory flirted with a triple-double, recording 10 rebounds, nine points and six assists. YSU's defense was the story, forcing 23 turnovers and recording 15 steals. The Penguins held Cleveland State to just two points in the second quarter and limited them to 15 total points in the first half.
Notes
- The victory secured a regular-season sweep of the Vikings for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
- The Penguins held Cleveland State to 38 points on 29.2% shooting from the field, the Vikings' lowest point total since scoring 30 at Green Bay on March 6, 2019, their first season under Chris Kielsmeier. CSU also recorded its lowest field-goal percentage since shooting 26.2% in the 2022-23 season opener at Iowa State.
- The Penguins had 15 steals, their most against a Horizon League opponent since they had 15 against the Vikings in the conference tournament on March 5, 2012.
- YSU blocked nine shots, marking just the eighth time it has blocked at least nine shots in a Horizon League game. The nine blocks were also tied for the most in a Horizon League game this season.
- Danielle Cameron tied her career high five 3-pointers and scored 17 points.
Recapping Wright State
Game Summary
Youngstown State pulled away in the second half to defeat Wright State 76-60 in the first round of the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship on Wednesday inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
The teams battled through a tight first half that featured seven lead changes, and the Penguins held a slim 30-29 advantage at the break. Wright State erased an early deficit and briefly grabbed the lead in the second quarter before the teams traded one-point edges late in the half.
Youngstown State seized control after halftime, opening the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers to stretch the margin and later closing the period on an 8-0 run to build a 53-43 lead. The Penguins maintained control in the fourth quarter and never allowed the Raiders to get closer than nine points down the stretch.
Notes
- The 76 points were the most YSU has ever scored in a Horizon League tournament game, and 46 points in the second half were YSU's highest-scoring half.
- YSU made 10 3-pointers, marking the fourth time this season it has made at least 10 3s in a game. The Penguins surpassed 200 3-pointers for the season and now have 208. YSU has made at least 200 3-pointers in 14 of the last 16 seasons, with one of the exceptions being the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21.
- YSU shot at least 44% from the field for the fifth straight game.
- YSU was 0-7 previously against Wright State in the conference tournament.
- Sarah Baker scored in double figures for the 21st time this season. She added three assists, giving her 13 in her last three games.
- Hayden Barrier was a huge spark off the bench, scoring all eight of her points in the fourth quarter as YSU outscored the Raiders 23-17.
- Danielle Cameron made a 3-pointer for the 11th straight game.
- Sophia Gregory posted her third straight game in double figures with 13 points, which put her over 600 career points. She recorded six assists for the seventh time this season. Only two Horizon League players have had more six-assist games.
- Erica King scored 19 points, which tied her second-most in a game in her career. Her five steals were a career high.
- Casey Santoro scored 12 points and recorded six assists. She was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, which tied for the sixth-best performance at the free-throw line in program history. Her 10 free throws were the most by a Penguin this season and the most ever by a Penguin in a Horizon League tournament game.
Up Next
If Youngstown State prevails against Cleveland State, it would advance to the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship game on Tuesday at noon at Corteva Coliseum. The game, which would be against Green Bay, Purdue Fort Wayne or IU Indy, would be broadcast live on ESPN2 and 570 WKBN.
