Penguins seek top five conference finish

Photo by John Ostapowicz / The Jambar

By Dylan Lux / The Jambar

With the women’s basketball season winding down, Youngstown State University looks to own a home conference playoff game or first-round bye — potentially both.

All seeds No. 1 through No. 4 earn first-round byes in the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Championship will boast a first-round bye. Each team will receive a home game, a goal for all conference teams to achieve.

YSU currently sits in sixth place, with nine games remaining on the schedule. The Penguins currently hold a 4-7 conference record — four games out of fourth place.

In the Horizon League, Purdue University Fort Wayne sits with an undefeated record in conference play at 11-0, followed by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay at 10-1. 

Currently Cleveland State University is in third with an 8-2 record. One game separates the University of Detroit Mercy at 6-5 and Oakland University at 5-6 for fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the Penguins’ recent stint, they went 2-1 at home and 0-1 on the road.

Northern Kentucky University traveled to Beeghly Center on Jan. 15, where Youngstown State emerged with a 75-66 victory. Senior Jewel Watkins led the game with 21 points, in addition to two steals.

Next was Robert Morris University on Jan. 18 — a team also battling for seeding in the Horizon League tournament. In the Colonials’ game with the Penguins, they took a 67-61 win over YSU.

A trip to Cleveland was next for the ’Guins, as they met with the highly-ranked Cleveland State.

The Penguins couldn’t overcome the Vikings on their home court, as they tallied a 67-53 loss — their twelfth of the season.

Another two-game homestand followed for YSU, as Oakland and Purdue Fort Wayne came to Youngstown.

The ’Guins handled the Golden Grizzlies in a 73-56 victory, where Watkins eclipsed 1,000 career points in a 22-point night for the senior.

It was an emotional day for Watkins, as she hit this milestone in her career on a day with a lot of emotional backstory.

“It definitely meant a lot,” Watkins said. “I needed 19 points, my dad died on 19th of November in 2019, so it felt good today.”

YSU will play five of the remaining nine games on the road, including games against Green Bay, Detroit Mercy and Oakland.

Youngstown State will take on two other squads that are 4-7 in the Horizon League, with matchups against Robert Morris and Indiana University Indianapolis. They will also face off against Wright State University, with a record of 3-8.

All matchups in the ’Guins final nine-game stretch will heavily impact the seeding in the Horizon League Championships. 

YSU took on top-seeded Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 29 inside Beeghly Center. To view stats from the game, visit ysusports.com.

Youngstown State will have a bye-week before playing Green Bay on the road at 7 p.m. Feb. 6. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and 1390 WNIO.

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