Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State’s Paige Shy shakes an Akron defender during the second half Monday evening at home. After starting the season with two straight wins the Penguins begin their league slate this week against Oakland and Detroit Mercy.

YOUNGSTOWN — Now the real fun begins.

After successfully dispatching Eastern Michigan and Akron to open the season, the Youngstown State women’s basketball team turns its attention to conference play.

Tonight, the Penguins (2-0) visit Oakland (1-1) and then take on Detroit Mercy (0-2) on Saturday. It will mark the second time YSU has visited the Wolverine State the season, as the ‘Guins began their season with a 70-67 win at EMU.

It will also mark the earliest start to Horizon League competition in program history.

“You just have to be ready to go,” YSU head coach John Barnes said about the early start to league play. “I think for our team with so many newcomers, it’s almost better (to start league play early) because we just have to go. We’re just going out and trying to play and execute game plans on both ends of the floor and focus on the little things.

“If we do that, that usually puts us in a position to win, so we’ll just focus on those things.”

So far, YSU’s strength has been in its balance. Five Penguins scored in double figures at EMU, and then against Akron, five players scored at least eight points during a defensive struggle.

Sophomore guard Malia Magestro says the team is so new, opponents haven’t been sure what to expect, and that’s aided YSU early.

“The will to win we have is just so good, all of us,” she noted after the team’s win over Akron. “Nobody really knows us as a team, so they don’t really know what to expect. I think we have a big advantage in that, and all of us just work so hard and just want each other to be successful. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Magestro is coming off a career-high 16 points against the Zips, while Lilly Ritz, a transfer forward from D2 Wheeling, had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

In Oakland, the Penguins are getting a team coming off a six-day break after splitting its first two games of the season. The Golden Grizzlies fell to Toledo, 84-72, to open the year, and then topped Niagara last Friday, 77-64.

Kahlaijah Dean is Oakland’s leading scorer at 19 points per game. She also averages four assists per contest. Dean was a Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection.

In Oakland’s win over Niagara, three others — Lamariyee Williams, Breanne Beatty and Olivia Sims — each scored 12 points.

The Golden Grizzlies have shown a penchant for 3-pointers early, as they took 29 against Toledo (and made nine) and shot 20 against Niagara (and made five). Oakland’s 74.5 points per game rank third in the Horizon League in the early goings.

A season ago during the Horizon League-only slate for YSU, the teams split their meetings.

Tonight’s game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+.

Detroit Mercy, meanwhile, is 0-2 with losses to Loyola-Chicago (63-40) and Eastern Michigan (76-66). It faces Robert Morris tonight before hosting YSU on Saturday afternoon.

The Titans feature a new-look roster with 14 newcomers to the program, including five international players (four from Spain, one from Canada).

A pair of Detroit Mercy players are scoring in double figures so far, as Monique Pruitt has 11.5 points per game while Sydney Searcy has 10 points per game. Pruitt is also the team’s leading rebounder with six boards per contest.

The Penguins and Titans were slated to play last year, but the games were canceled following Detroit Mercy’s decision to call off the remainder of its season after allegations of abuse surfaced regarding former head coach Annmarie Gilbert. According to The Detroit News, she departed the school in June after previously being retained amidst the claims.

An investigation by the school into Gilbert determined there was no evidence of abuse, the outlet reported. However, all 14 of last year’s players departed the program in some fashion — some hitting the transfer portal, others simply ending their basketball careers — over the offseason, leading to the new-look team that awaits YSU now. LaTanya Collins is serving as interim head coach this season.

A successful road trip is pivotal for Youngstown State, as guard Mady Aulbach says the Penguins have “a lot to prove.”

“Outside of the Youngstown community, even in the Horizon League rankings (in which YSU was picked seventh), I think we were kind of looked down on, which kind of lights a fire behind us,” she said. “So heading into every game, we kind of have a chip on our shoulder.”