Youngstown State at Purdue Fort Wayne
Feb. 4, 2024 | Gates Sports Center
Fort Wayne, Ind | 2 p.m.

Broadcast Information
Radio: 570 WKBN (Robb Schmidt) | Listen
TV: /ESPN+ | Watch
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Live Stats

Tipoff Notes
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (17-6, 9-3 Horizon League) plays its fifth road game in the last two weeks and goes for the season sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne, Sunday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
The Penguins begin a three-game homestand when they host Milwaukee, Thursday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. in Youngstown, Ohio.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State defeated Wright State, 88-77, to sweep the season series from the Raiders on Feb. 1.  Five players scored in double figures led by DJ Burns' 13th double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Bryson Langdon scored 17 points while Ziggy Reid and Brett Thompson each had 14 points. Brandon Rush added 10 points.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the game with a 14-8 overall record and a 5-6 mark in Horizon League play. Rasheed Bello leads the Mastodons, who have lost six of their last seven games, with 15.5 points per game.The Mastodons are averaging 81.7 points per game while allowing 71 points per contest.

Series vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
This is the 12th meeting between Youngstown State and Purdue Fort Wayne in a series that dates back to 2002. The Penguins own a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last two contests. Youngstown State won the first meeting this season, 93-85, at Beeghly Center on Jan. 10. Youngstown State owns a 1-3 record against the Mastodons in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Penguins defeated the Mastodons, 81-72, in the last meeting in Fort Wayne on Feb. 10, 2023.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 18-6 overall and 10-3 in Horizon League play.
• Mark the third straight season with at least 10 conference wins - longest streak in program history.
• Mark the first time since 1969-72 that YSU has won at least 18 games in three straight seasons.
• Be the third time since 1981-82 YSU won at least 18 times after 24 games.
• Mark the second straight year YSU began the year 18-6.
• Give YSU a 7-5 road record and a 5-2 Horizon League road mark
• Be YSU's seventh win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Be Youngstown State's third straight win over the Mastodons.
• Be the 238th in Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's career and his 114th at Youngstown State.
• Make Jerrod Calhoun the third coach in school history to record at least 114 wins.
• Be Jerrod Calhoun's fifth win over Purdue Fort Wayne.

Best Starts
A win over Purdue Fort Wayne will mark the second straight season went 18-6 to start the season. It will also mark just the third time since 1981-82 that YSU started a season with at least 18 wins after 24 contests. The Penguins went 18-6 after 24 games in 1997-98.

Plus 25 Margin of Victory
For the first time in program history, Youngstown State posted three consecutive margins of victory of at least 25 points in conference play. Over that span, the Penguins defeated Detroit Mercy by 41 (105-64), IUPUI by 28 (78-50), and Northern Kentucky by 30 (82-52).

Tenacious D
Youngstown State allowed just 243 points combined over the last four games for an average of 60.8 points per game. The Penguins also allowed Northern Kentucky to shoot just 28.8 percent from the field. That field-goal percentage is the fourth lowest allowed against a Horizon League opponent and the lowest since 2009.

Third-Highest Field-Goal Percentage
Against Detroit Mercy, Youngstown State connected on 63.3 percent of its shots from the field. It marked the third highest single-game field goal percentage in school history. It was also the highest field-goal percentage since 1982.

On the Farm 
Junior EJ Farmer has been an offensive spark for the Penguins over the last four games. Farmer averaged 13.5 point per game off the bench and shot 63.6 percent (21-for-33) from the field.

Thompson Turnin Up 
Youngstown State fifth-year senior Brett Thompson has turned up his offensive production since being inserted into the starting lineup 19 games ago. Since that time, Youngstown State owns a record of 15-4. Thompson has been impressive against Horizon League opponents averaging a team-best 14.4 points, 4.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. 

Zig Don't Zag
Ziggy Reid has been on quite a tear for the Penguins. Over the last eight games, Reid has scored in double figures in each contest and averaged 18.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 52.0 percent (51-for-98) from the floor and 47.1 percent (16-for-34) from  3-point range. He has also made 26 of his last 30 free-throw attempts.

Block Party
Youngstown State has been protecting the rim the season. The Penguins rank second in the Horizon League with 115 blocks and 5.0 blocks per game. The Penguins' 115 blocks rank tied for seventh on the YSU single-season list. The Penguins need one more to move into sole possession of seventh. YSU posted 10 blocks against IUPUI on Jan. 25. It marked the second time this season YSU had at least 10 blocks in a game. Against Navy, YSU record 10 blocks. It marked the first time in more than 10 years the Penguins had at least 10 blocks in a game. The last time YSU had 10 blocks in a game was against Westminster on Nov. 23, 2013. 

Burns Among Rebound Leaders
Senior DJ Burns has been a force on the boards and scoring the ball this season. This season, Burns has recorded 13 double-doubles and has posted at least five rebounds 22 times. He  leads the league and ranks sixth nationally in double-doubles. He is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game overall and 9.9 rebounds per game in Horizon League play. Burns has also posted a double-double in five straight games.