Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes. YSU junior forward Paulina Hernandez scores on Green Bay’s Carley Duffney in the second half of the Horizon League championship game on March 10 at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.

YOUNGSTOWN — It may not be a Horizon League championship or the NCAA tournament, but it’s March, and the Youngstown State women’s basketball team still has something to play for.

For the Penguins, playing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night against Maryland Eastern Shore in the second round of the WNIT is an opportunity, one that the program is grateful to have at this time of year.

“It’s big for our program. It’s another step for our program to play in the postseason,” YSU head coach Melissa Jackson said. “It’s been really nice having a couple weeks now of practice. Obviously, I think we’ve handled that really well. I think our players are excited, but it’s a great opportunity to have another game.”

For its first postseason appearance since 2022, YSU earned the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the WNIT as the conference’s top team that was not selected for the NCAA tournament or WBIT.

The Penguins (24-9) finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed for the Horizon League tournament. YSU beat Wright State in its first tournament game to earn its first trip to Indianapolis for the Horizon League semifinals. It then downed Cleveland State, before falling to Green Bay in its first Horizon League championship game appearance.

“I think it’s just another opportunity to play,” sixth-year guard Casey Santoro said. “It’s March basketball, so it’s still another opportunity to play in March.”

After receiving a first-round bye, it will be the fourth time in program history that the Penguins will host a game in the WNIT. YSU previously beat Indiana State in 2013 and lost to Duquesne in 2015 and Kent State in 2022.

“All our hard work that we did in the preseason is now showing in the postseason,” sophomore guard Erica King said. “It means a lot that we get to play here on our home court for our first game. Just having our fans out here also means a lot. They’re a big part of our success.”

The Hawks (20-14) pulled away late on Thursday last week to knock off Wake Forest in the first round. The Demon Deacons were the only Power 4 team in the tournament field.

“They play really hard — very long, aggressive team,” Jackson said of UMES. “They’re going to press. They’re mostly man-to-man. So we spent some time on that [Friday]. Big rebounding team. Obviously I’ll watch a lot more film on them the next couple days, but I thought they did some really good things against Wake Forest, who’s an ACC opponent. We’re excited to bring them here to our arena and give them a taste of what Youngstown State women’s basketball is all about.”

For a mid-major program in a one-bid league, playing any kind of postseason basketball can serve as a springboard for the future.

For example, by also making the WNIT this year, Horizon League-rival Cleveland State has now made six straight postseason appearances under head coach Chris Kielsmeier. Despite having to retool their roster almost every offseason, the Vikings have still maintained a consistent level of success.

That’s the vision that Jackson has for the Penguins. In her second year leading a still young, but constantly growing team, getting a taste of playing in the postseason is the next logical step in the team’s growth and program’s rise.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot already out of March with making the run to Indy and playing in the [Horizon League] championship game. Taking Green Bay to the fourth quarter there was huge for our program,” Jackson said. “The opportunity to play in the WNIT, to play in the postseason is a big step for this group. They get to taste that.

“Again, I think we’re excited because at the end of the day, we’re still playing for a championship and that’s our goal. “We’re going to take it one day at a time. But we’re in a bracket, and that’s the exciting thing about March.”