Youngstown, Ohio – Senior EJ Farmer scored a game-high 22 points and made a career-best five 3-pointers, and the Youngstown State men's basketball team used a stifling defensive performance to pick up a 66-50 win over Oakland on Saturday afternoon at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins, who have won three straight games, improve to  5-5 overall and 2-0 in the Horizon League while the Golden Grizzlies fall to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in league action.
Defensively, Youngstown State limited Oakland to just 34.6 percent shooting from the field, including 12.5 percent from 3-point range, and won the rebounding battle, 33-30.
Fifth-year senior Nico Galette scored 11 points with nine rebounds and six assists while juniors Juwan Maxey and Jason Nelson each added 11 points.
Farmer hit three 3-pointers in the game's first five minutes, including two in a span of 39 seconds to erase a six-point deficit and tie the game at 9-9, to charge the Penguins' offense.
The Golden Grizzlies regained a slim 14-11 lead at the 12:18 mark, but the Penguins used an 6-1 run to take a 17-15 advantage after a Galette basket with 7:43 to go.
Oakland knotted the game at 17-17 with 6:30 remaining but scored just six points made two field goals the rest of the half.
A basket by Nelson and a 3-pointer by Maxey pushed the Penguins lead to 28-22, and Maxey made two free throws and Gabe Dynes' dunk gave Youngstown State a 32-23 lead at the intermission.
YSU's 13-7 run to start the second half, sparked by eight points from Farmer, boosted the advantage to 45-30 at the 15:18 mark.
Over the next six minutes, Oakland trimmed the deficit to nine points midway through the half, but the Penguins put together a 12-2 run to balloon their lead to a game-high 19 points, 59-40, with 5:21 remaining.
An old-fashioned three-point play by Galette, a basket by Farmer and a 3-pointer by Nelson sparked the run.
Oakland would not get any closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
The Penguins have a week off for finals then host Toledo Saturday, Dec. 14. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
