SETTING THE SCENE
The Youngstown State men's basketball team plays its final non-conference game of 2024 when it visits USC-Upstate, Saturday, Dec 21. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. at the G.B Hodge Center in Spartanburg, S.C. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

UP NEXT
Youngstown State returns home and gets back into Horizon League action when it hosts Detroit Mercy, Sunday, Dec. 29. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

LAST TIME OUT
The Penguins are coming off their fifth straight win and picked up their second Horizon League road victory after an 80-70 decision over Wright State on Dec. 18. Ty Harper scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half to lead the Penguins. Jason Nelson poured in 15 points while Cris Carroll and Gabe Dynes each had 10 points.

SERIES VS. USC-UPSTATE
This is the second meeting between Youngstown State and USC-Upstate in a series dating back to 2019. The Penguins won the only meeting, 66-61, on Nov. 23, 2019.

SCOUTING USC-UPSTATE
USC-Upstate enters the game with an overall record of 4-10 and is coming off a 85-70 loss to South Carolina State on Dec. 18. Mister Dean leads the Spartans with 14.7 points per game. The Spartans average 76.4 points per game and allow 82.2 points per contest.

A WIN WOULD...

• Improve YSU's record to 8-5 overall.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's eightth career win and first over USC-Upstate.
• Mark Youngstown State's sixth straight victory overall and second straight win over USC-Upstate
• Give the Penguins a 4-3 road record. 

AGAINST THE ROCKETS
The Penguins won their fourth straight contest after knocking off Toledo, 93-87, on Dec. 14. EJ Farmer led five players scoring in double figures with 20 points. Nico Galette recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds and also dished out seven assists. Juwan Maxey tied a career high with 16 points while Jason Nelson had 13 points and Gabe Dynes added 12 points a career-high nine blocks.

RATED PG
Junior point guards Juwan Maxey and Jason Nelson have been a formidable backcourt combination for the Penguins recently. Over the last four games, the duo averaged a combined 25.3 points and 4.2 assists per game. Maxey averaged 12.2 points per contest while Nelson averaged 13 points per game.

FUELING THE TANK
Youngstown State has really improved on the offensive end over the last five games. The Penguins averaged 87.8 points per game and shot 50.3 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from 3-point range. Youngstown State averaged 10 3-pointers made over the last five games.

GUINS IN THE HL
Youngstown State has been on quite a run during league play over the last three-plus seasons. The Penguins own a record of 44-20 in Horizon League play since the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Youngstown State went 12-9 in 2021-22, 15-5 in 2022-23, 14-6 in 2023-24, and is currently 3-0 in 2024-25.

ALL-AROUND GALETTE
Fifth-year senior Nico Galette has been doing a bit of everything for the Penguins. Over the last four games, Galette averaged 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and shot 52 percent from the floor.

RIM PROTECTOR
Sophomore center Gabe Dynes has become one of the nation's top rim protectors. The 7-foot-3 center set a career high with nine blocks against Toledo on Dec. 14. His blocks also marked an NCAA Division I single-game high this season. Now with 100 career blocks, Dynes is the fifth player in YSU history to post 100 blocks in a career. He also ranks tied for fourth nationally with 3.2 blocks per game.

TO THE MAX
Junior Juwan Maxey has turned up his offensive production recently. Over the last six games, he averaged 11.8 points and 3.7 assists per game. Maxey has also made 16 3-pointers in the last six contests. He tied a career with 16 points against Toledo on Dec. 14, and he set his career-high 16 points with a career-best five 3-pointers in YSU's 72-58 win over Robert Morris on Dec. 4. Maxey scored 12 points and made four 3-pointers and dished out a career-best seven assists. He leads the Penguins with 30 assists and 25 3-pointers made on the season.

GUINS SET SCHOOL MARK
Youngstown State set a school single-game record with 38 assists against Bethany on Nov. 30. Nico Galette led the Penguins with a career-high eight assists while junior Juwan Maxey dished out seven. Cris Carroll and Siem Uijtendaal each delivered four assists.

MORE FOR THE RECORD BOOK
Youngstown State's 128 points and .636 field-goal percentage against Bethany rank as the third highest in school history while the Penguins 68-point margin of victory ranks fifth all-time.