Tipoff Notes
Youngstown State plays the first of four straight road contests when it visits Detroit Mercy, Thursday, Jan. 12. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich., and the game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
Youngstown State continues its four-game road trip when it visits Oakland, Saturday, Jan. 14. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the O'Rena in Rochester, Mich.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State is coming off another impressive offensive performance with a 105-74 win over IUPUI on Jan. 7. Freshman John Lovelace, Jr., led five players scoring in double figures with 16 points. Dwayne Cohill had a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 assists.

The Detroit Mercy Series
This is the 54th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy in a series that dates back to 1953. Detroit Mercy owns a 40-13 advantage in the all-time series, but the Penguins have won four of the last six games. Last season, Youngstown State defeated the Titans, 82-69, on Feb. 11, 2022, at Beeghly Center. The Penguins have also won the last two games played at Calihan Hall, 76-72, on Feb. 13, 2020, and 72-70, in Feb. 2, 2019.

Scouting Detroit Mercy
Detroit Mercy enters the game with an overall record of 6-11 and a mark of 2-4 in Horizon League play. The Titans have lost their last three league contests. Leading the Titans is Antoine Davis who is averaging 25 points per game. The Titans are averaging 74.8 points per game while allowing 76.6 points per contest.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 13-5 and match the Penguins' best record after 18 games since going 13-5 in 1997-98.
• Mark just the second time since 1981-82 YSU has started 13-5 through 18 games.
• Give the Penguins a 5-2 record in Horizon League play and a 2-1 mark in away conference games.
• Mark the second straight win over Detroit Mercy.
• Be YSU's 14th win over Detroit Mercy and the sixth at Calihan Hall.
• Mark Youngstown State's third straight win over the Titans at Calihan Hall.
• Improve the Penguins' record to 5-3 on the road.
• Be the 209th in Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's career and his 85th at Youngstown State.
• Make Jerrod Calhoun the third coach in school history to record at least 85 wins.

Cohill Nets 1K
Senior Dwayne Cohill eclipsed an historic career-scoring milestone against IUPUI on Jan. 7. Cohill scored 13 points to surpass the 1,000-point scoring plateau and now has 1,006 career points. He also needs just 185 more to become the 42nd player in YSU history to reach 1,000 points as a Penguin. Cohill is playing extremely well against Horizon League opponents this season. He is averaging 22.5 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 64 percent from the field, 60.9 percent from 3-point range and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line. 

Hot Start
Youngstown State is off to one of the best starts in its Division I history. The Penguins' 12-5  record is tied for the best start after 17 games since 1997-98. It also marks just the third time since 1981-82 that Youngstown State has won 12 times in its first 17 contests. The last time YSU started 12-5 was in 1997-98. Youngstown State started 12-5 in 1994-95 and 1997-98. Youngstown State's best start after 18 games was 13-5 in 1997-98.

Lovelace Steps Up
Freshman John Lovelace, Jr., has one of his best games for the Penguins against IUPUI on  Jan. 7. Lovelace scored 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and a career-high four 3-pointers. He also recorded three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Guins Nationally
As of Jan. 10, Youngstown State ranks among the top 15 nationally in four different categories. The Penguins ranked eighth with a 49.9 field-goal percentage and in scoring at 84.9 points per game, ninth with a 78.9 free-throw percentage, and 13th with an effecitve field-goal percentage of 56.8. Senior Bryce McBride leads the nation with a .979 free-throw percentage while Adrian Nelson is 21st nationally with with 156 total rebounds, and Dwayne Cohill is 32nd with 307 points. 

Record Night
Youngstown State tied a pair of school single-game record against IUPUI on Jan. 7. The Penguins tied the school records for most 3-pointers with 18 and 33 assists. The 3-pointer record was set against Oakland in 2013 while the assist mark was set in 1990 against Point Park.This is also the first time in school history the Penguins were credited with at least 30 assists in a game multiple times in a season. YSU had 30 assists against Westminster on Dec. 8.