Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team has a quick turnaround when a hosts Penn State-Shenango, Friday, Jan. 24. Tipoff is set for11 a.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, and the game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.
Up Next
Youngstown State returns to Horizon League play and hosts its third straight home game when it welcomes Wright State, Thursday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
Last Time Out
Youngstown State erased a 10-point second-half deficit before a driving layup from Robert Morris in the final seconds of the game lifted the Colonials to a 72-70 victory over the Penguins on Jan. 22 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Juwan Maxey paced the Penguins with a career-high 22 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Ty Harper scored 15 points, including the game-tying basket, and grabbed five rebounds. Gabe Dynes added eight points and blocked six shots.
The Penn State-Shenango Series
This is the first meeting between Youngstown State and Penn State-Shenango.
About Penn State-Shenango
The Lions enter the game with an overall record of 2-17 and are coming off an 86-68 loss to Penn State-Greater Allegheny on Jan. 21. Leading the Lions is D'Montez Owens with 21.5 points per game and Malik Davis with 15.7 points per contest.
YSU-PSU-Shenango Connection
Penn State-Shenango Head Coach Michael Wernicki is a former Youngstown State men's basketball assistant coach. Wernicki was on staff at Youngstown State for 12 seasons from 2005-17.
Maxey Sets Career High
Junior Juwan Maxey scored a career high with 22 points against Robert Morris on Jan. 22. Maxey, who connected on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, buried three 3-pointers and scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Maxey leads the Penguins with 41 3-pointers and 2.0 3-pointers made per game, which is tied for eighth in the Horizon League.
Dynes Climbing
Sophomore Gabe Dynes not only leads the NCAA in total blocks with 67 and 3.19 blocks per game, but he is also climbing the YSU single-season and career blocks charts. Dynes now ranks fourth all-time with 128 career blocks and needs seven more to move into third all-time. Dynes, who had 61 blocks last season, now ranks sixth with 67 blocks this season. His 61 from a year ago are now seventh on the list. He is just the third player in program history to record at least 60 blocks in multiple seasons.
Harper Flyin' High
Senior Ty Harper has been a force for the Penguins as of late. Over the last five games, Harper averaged 13 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He also shot 48.9 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point range. Harper made 11 3s in the last five games for and average of 2.2 per game.
Home Sweet Home
Youngstown State has been quite protective of its home court over the last five seasons. The Penguins have won 28 of the last 36 overall at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. YSU has won 70 games at home since the start of the 2019-20 season and own a 70-23 mark during that time. Youngstown State is 33-8 at home since the start of the 2022-23 season. The Penguins are 27-6 in their last 33 regular-season home 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 48-24 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 7-4 in 2024-25.
