Youngstown State’s 2024-2025 season came to an end on Tuesday, as the Penguins fell on the road 73-58 at Wright State in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.

In their final game for YSU, senior guards Jewel Watkins and Haley Thierry led the way with 14 points apiece for the Penguins. Fresh off being named Horizon League Freshman of the Year on Monday, Sophia Gregory added 13 points and nine rebounds.

In Melissa Jackson’s first year as head coach, the Penguins finish the season 12-19 overall and 7-13 in the conference.

“They just never gave up — they could have given up throughout the course of the season with all the adversity that we’ve had hit,” Jackson said. “But it really just speaks to the people that they are, the character that we have and the program that we’re building. We have the right kids in that locker room, so I’m excited for our future, but I’m really sad to see our seniors go.”

The Penguins kept things close in the first quarter, trailing 17-13 at the end of the period.

But Wright State opened up the second quarter on an 11-0 run to build a double-digit lead. A quick run by the Penguins helped them get the deficit down to eight midway through the quarter, but by halftime, Wright State had ballooned its lead back to 16.

The Raiders shot their way around YSU’s zone in the first half, knocking down eight 3-pointers, which included going 5-for-5 from deep during that second quarter.

It didn’t help that the Penguins struggled on the glass in the zone, as Wright State outrebounded YSU 24-8 in the first half and 44-26 overall for the game.

“It’s tough because we’ve been a good rebounding team all year,” Jackson said. “We’ve hung with the majority of the teams in this league. The zone is tough — sometimes you’re not one-on-one rebounding.”

Raiders’ grad student forward Amaya Staton was a big reason for that, as she scored 17 points while pulling down a new Wright State program-record 27 rebounds.

“Our gameplan was to be in zone, and they definitely shot us out of the zone,” Jackson said. “Staton’s a heck of a player, she’s tough to defend in man, she’s tough to defend in zone. I thought we could neutralize her a little bit in the zone. But she’s a really good rebounder.”

As much as the Penguins tried to chip away at Wright State’s lead in the second half, the Raiders almost always had an answer.

After trailing by as much as 17, the Penguins switched back to man on defense in the second half and were able to cut their deficit down to eight (54-46) by the end of the third quarter.

“It’s a tough matchup for us,” Jackson said. “But I love that locker room. I love our kids. They fight. They could have given up coming out at half, (but) we cut it to single digits. I think that’s a testament to our program and testament to our young ladies. They really just battle and they fight. They give me everything they’ve got.”

But the Raiders pushed their lead back to 14 to start the final period, and the lead never dropped below double digits the rest of the night.

The Penguins graduate three seniors, who have exhausted their eligibility, including Watkins, Thierry and Malia Magestro. But YSU has a sizable group that can return, including its large freshmen class, led by Gregory.

“Obviously, we’ve got a bright future ahead with a lot of young talent in that locker room,” Jackson said. “But there’s a lot of hard work that needs to go into that. So getting stronger, and getting back — I’m going to give them some rest. We’ve got a lot of injuries, so we’ve gotta get that taken care of. But I know our future is bright, and I’m really excited about the future.”