Tipoff Notes
Youngstown State opens Horizon League play when it visits Northern Kentucky, Thursday, Dec. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Truist Arena and will be broadcast on 570 WKBN, ESPN+, and Bally Sports Great Lakes.

Strong Start
Youngstown State seeks its first 6-2 start mark the best start after eight games since the Penguins went 6-2 to start the 2013-14 campaign. 

The Northern Kentucky Series
This is the 25th meeting between Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky in a series that dates back to 1976. Northern Kentucky leads the all-time series, 14-10, and has won the last two contests and nine of the last 10.

Scouting Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky enters the game with an overall record of 3-4 and lost three of its last four, but is 3-1 in home games. Marques Warrick leads the Norse and ranks second in the Horizon League with 21.6 points per game. Sam Vinson, who has missed the last three games, is averaging 12.3 points per game. NKU is averaging 68.7 points per game while allowing just 68.6 points per contest.

Up Next
The Penguins visit Wright State, Sunday, Dec. 4. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State is coming off an impressive 88-64 win over former Mid-Continent Conference rival Western Illinois on Nov. 26, in Macomb, Ill.
Malek Green led the Penguins with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field while Adrian Nelson recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Brandon Rush also poured in 11 points off the bench.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 6-2 and mark the best start after eight games since YSU went 6-2 to start the 2013-14 campaign. 
• Be YSU's 11th win over Northern Kentucky.
• Mark the first win over the Norse since Dec. 20, 2020.
• Mark the first win in at Truist Arena since Dec. 20, 2020.
• Mark YSU's second win at Truist Arena and the fifth in Highland Heights, Ky.
• Improve the Penguins' record to 3-2 on the road.
• Be the 202nd in Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's career and his 78th at Youngstown State.
• Tie Jerrod Calhoun for third place on the YSU all-time wins list with Dan Peters (78, 1993-99).

Ad Domination
Graduate Adrian Nelson has been dominant for the Penguins over the first seven games of the season. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding and is tied for the team lead in field-goal percentage. He has scored in double figures in each game and ranks second nationally with five double-doubles.  He is tied for fifth in the league in scoring at 14.4 ppg, second in rebounding at 9.9 rpg and tied for third with a .563 field-goal percentage. Nelson also reached the 800 career rebound mark with 11 boards against Western Illinois on Nov. 26

DC Being DC
Senior Dwayne Cohill is picking up where he left off from season ago.  Cohill is averaging 13.9 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field. He ranks sixth in the league in assists, fifth in field-goal percentage and 10th in scoring.

Go for Green
Malek Green, who is in his sixth year, is off to a tremendous start for the Penguins. He has scored in double figures five times, has two double-doubles and is posting 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native is also shooting 56.3 percent from the floor after the first seven games. He ranks tied for third in the Horizon League in field-goal percentage, is seventh in scoring and tied for eight in rebounding. He posted a 21-point, 12-rebound performance against Canisius on Nov. 7 and a 21-point outing at Western Illinois on Nov. 26.

Scoring Distribution
Through the first seven games of the season, the Penguins have been scoring the ball pretty evenly. Four different players have led the Penguins in scoring and four are averaging in double figures. Youngstown State also has three players rank in the top 10 in the Horizon League in scoring. Adrian Nelson ranks tied for fifth in the league with 14.4 points per game while Malek Green is seventh at 14.3 points per game. Dwayne Cohill rounds out the top 10 at 13.9 points per contest.

Guins Among League Best
Youngstown State is ranks among the top of the Horizon League in several team statistical categories. The Penguins lead the league in scoring (83.9 ppg), free-throw percentage (.742), and rank second in field-goal percentage (.499), 3-point percentage (.380), blocked shots (4.1 bpg), and rebounding margin (+5.0), and third in rebounding (37.1 rpg).

No Rush to Judgement
Brandon Rush, who transferred from Fairleigh Dickinson has given the Penguins an offensive boost off the bench. Rush is averaging 11 points per game while shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range and averaging 1.7 3-pointers made per game. He scored 16 points with four 3s against Canisius on Nov. 7.