Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes. YSU’s Erica King (left) and Sarah Baker (right) double team and trap Robert Morris’ Aislin Malcolm during the Penguins’ overtime win over the Colonials on Feb. 11 at Zidian Family Arena.

YOUNGSTOWN — Back when Melissa Jackson took over the program in 2024, one of the first things she worked to implement was Youngstown State’s defensive identity.

Even last year when the Penguins had their struggles on the offensive end of the floor, they could always count on their defense to keep them in games.

This year, as YSU’s young squad has garnered more experience and improved offensively, the Penguins have arguably been even better defensively, which has helped them secure the Horizon League’s No. 2 seed and put together their first 20-win season since 2021-22.

“Everything has to come together, and it sure has. These kids have really bought in,” Jackson said. “We’ve added unbelievable pieces in the portal and everybody has really fit. They have gotten better and better throughout the course of the season on both sides of the ball. Our defense right now, I love where it’s at. Offensively, we continue to get better. … The 20 wins, the No. 2 seed, all that is great. But it really, it’s all about getting better every single day and being process driven, and this group has. Those are the accolades that come from that.”

With one game left in the regular season, ahead of the Horizon League tournament starting next week, YSU has the best defense in the conference.

The Penguins lead the Horizon League in scoring defense (57.7 points per game), field-goal percentage defense (36.3%) and 3-point percentage defense (26.0%).

“I think at the beginning of the year, and even in the summer, we worked really hard at it,” sixth-year guard Casey Santoro said. “I think we all bought into it and playing for each other. You have to be tough and you have to have a will to play defense. A lot of it’s effort, and I think we’ve shown a lot of effort throughout the year defensively.”

Those numbers even have YSU among the country’s best statistically. The Penguins rank 35th in scoring defense, 20th in field-goal percentage defense and 10th in 3-point percentage defense. Plus, YSU is 25th nationally in blocks per game (4.9).

“We’ve been able to continue to recruit to our style defensively and how we want to play. Obviously being healthy this year and having everybody back was really important to that,” Jackson said. “How we defend ball screens is aggressive, how we rim protect is aggressive. We don’t give up threes and we have great rim protectors.”

Heading into today’s regular-season finale against Detroit Mercy, the Penguins have won eight of their last nine games. The defense has played varying roles in helping YSU secure several key victories during that stretch.

On Jan. 25, Cleveland State’s league-leading offense scored just 38 points against the Penguins. It was the first time the Vikings were held below 40 since the 2018-19 season.

Then, three times in the last four games, YSU has rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. Against Robert Morris on Feb. 11, the Penguins trailed by seven with 3:37 to play. They tied the game on a buzzer-beating play by Sophia Gregory and went on to win in overtime.

In their recent three-game road trip, YSU trailed IU Indy 63-57 with 6:11 left. The Penguins ended the game on a 12-2 run thanks to seven points and a pair of defensive plays by Paulina Hernandez to pick up the four-point victory.

Finally, at Purdue Fort Wayne this past weekend, YSU trailed the Mastodons by five early in the fourth quarter. But the Penguins held PFW to 21% shooting during the period, while Gregory scored 14 points in the final 5:28 to help them hold off the ‘Dons in their five-point win.

“It’s their toughness, their mental toughness in those situations and their connection defensively,” Jackson said. “We talk a lot about stops, and something we track is a thing called kills, which is three stops in a row. In those games, we’ve gotten lots of kills in those fourth quarters. When push comes to shove, they know they have to get stops.

“Our best offense right now is our transition offense, and in order for us to get out in transition, we’ve gotta defend and rebound that ball, and we’re doing that at a really high level in the fourth quarter. But in those moments, to counteract that, the execution offensively down the stretch has been really good too.”

For the Penguins, connectedness among all five players on the floor has helped minimize defensive breakdowns.

That’s led to improved on-ball defense, as well as help defense in certain spots, as the Penguins have often turned those breakdowns into steals, turnovers or blocked shots.

“Technique and intensity, I think goes hand-in-hand,” Santoro said. “I think defense wins championships, so I think it’s great that we’re learning the technique. But we also have the intensity in each of us individually to want to make our defense great.”