YSU tips off season by topping Hiram
YSU tips off season by topping Hiram
Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- For Youngstown State, Monday night's season opener was an opportunity for the team's new players to dawn the Penguins' jersey for the first time in their careers.
YSU also wanted to be disciplined with its defensive principles and continue to work through different lineup rotations and combinations.
The Penguins accomplished all that and more, as they shook off a rusty start to tip off the 2026-27 season with a 99-26 victory over nearby Division III school Hiram at Zidian Family Arena.
"We had 30 really good days of practice and two great closed scrimmages against quality Division I opponents that we got a lot out of. But there's just something about putting that jersey on and playing in front of a great crowd," YSU head coach Melissa Jackson said. "That's new for a lot of our players. So it's really just settling in and getting adjusted.
"We're a really versatile team. We can play a lot of different ways, so we're still working through a lot of that and we will be for the next couple games. But I'm proud of how we worked through some stuff and really showed how we got better throughout the game."
The offseason rust was apparent early on as YSU looked to get its legs back to game speed.
The Penguins started the contest 0-for-7 from the floor and made just one of their first 10 shots. But they closed the first quarter on a 12-0 run as Danielle Cameron started to heat up from 3-point range.
"Definitely just getting back into the swing of things," YSU's Erica King said. "We did start off a little slow, but picked it up at the end. So that's all we can ask for."
Once Cameron got going from beyond the arc, so did the rest of the team. During the second quarter, Hayden Barrier knocked down four straight shots from deep, which helped YSU balloon its lead to 41-15 by halftime. Barrier led all scorers with 17 points, a new career high for the junior.
"It was awesome. I know I always have my teammates' and my coaches' support, but to look up and be able to see my parents and all the fans that came tonight was just a whole different feeling," Barrier said. "It was a great start for me."
What was apparent from the opening tip was YSU's intensity on the defensive end.
The Penguins finished the night with 25 steals, the fourth-most steals in a game in program history. The last time YSU had 25 steals in a game was against Malone in 1990.
Jada Leonard led the Penguins with five steals, while Brooke Adkins had four, as the Terriers ended with a whopping 38 turnovers.
"I think early on, we figured out what they were running. Some of our matchups were a little bit undisciplined early on," Jackson said. "We got better as the game went on with that, which was really good to see because we're sometimes playing big, sometimes we're playing small, which gives us a little bit different ball screen coverage.
"Credit our kids, credit our communication with that. We are very athletic, especially at the guard spot. You saw Jada really get after it in the second half. That's 100% what she does best, and I think our team will continue to feed off that as we go."
All 12 players on the roster played significant minutes and scored against the Terriers.
Outside of Barrier's 17, King finished with 12 points, while Gemma Walker provided a scoring spark in the second half with 10 points.
Mia Kalich's first basket of the night pushed her over 1,000 total points for her career. She finished with eight in her program debut.
The Penguins had a balanced scoresheet after that, with 10 of 12 players scoring at least six points.
After the slow start, YSU finished the night shooting 50% overall and 41.2% from the 3-point line, knocking down 14 in all.
"I think it speaks to our versatility. It speaks to one through 12 in our locker room," Jackson said. "We talked about being ready tonight when your number is called. I thought Brooke came in, did a really good job off the bench, looked really good out there with our principles, handling the ball and rebounding the ball. So on any given night, when your number is called, you gotta show up and you gotta be ready."
YSU continues its homestand to open the season with a game against Buffalo at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night at Zidian Family Arena.