Jacksonville, Fla. – Junior Rich Rolf scored a career-high 22 points, and the Youngstown State men's basketball team turned in an impressive defensive effort to secure a 67-61 win over Georgia Southern on Monday evening at the Adams-Jenkins Community Sports and Music Complex.

The Penguins improve a 3-4 on the year while the Eagles fall to 3-4.

Rolf connected on 9-for-14 from the field including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and senior Cris Carroll poured in 16 points and Cam Polak added 10 points.

Youngstown State limited the Eagles to a 36.8 field-goal percentage, including just 35.7 percent in the second half.

The Penguins got hot early using a 16-5 run to expand a slim one-point edge into an eight-point lead midway through the first half. Consecutive 3-pointers from Drew King and Rolf, a three-point play by Polak and another 3-pointer from Rolf gave the Penguins a 19-11 lead at the 10:21 mark.

Georgia Southern trimmed the YSU lead back down to one, 29-28, before Rolf buried his third 3-pointer of the half to push the Penguins advantage back to four, 32-28. Youngstown State held a 32-30 halftime lead.

The Eagles scored seven of the first 11 points of the second half to take a 37-36 lead with 18:05 to go.

The Penguins, who shot 52 percent from the floor in the second half, used an 11-2 run to regain 47-39 lead at the 13:15 mark. A layup by Imanuel Zorgvol and a 3-pointer by Carroll opened the spurt and 3s from Polak and another by Carroll ballooned the YSU cushion eight.

Youngstown State led by as many as nine three times and as late as 62-53 after a Rolf dunk with 2:22 left in the game.

The Penguins made 5-of-7 from the free-throw line to seal the victory.

Youngstown State hosts Chicago State, Friday, Nov. 28. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.