Youngstown, Ohio – Sophomore Gabe Dynes and senior Nico Galette turned in dominant second-half performances to lead the Youngstown State men's basketball team (19-11, 13-6 Horizon League) to an 81-77 Senior Day win over Green Bay (3-26, 1-17) on Sunday at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.
Dynes recorded his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds to go along with three blocks while Galette tied a season high with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Junior Jason Nelson came off the bench 13 points and dished out four assists.
Marcus Hall led the Phoenix with 16 points while Mac Wrecke scored 15 points.
The Penguins and Phoenix battled through seven lead changes and four ties through the first 13 minutes of the second before the Phoenix built a six-point lead, 64-58, on a Wrecke layup with 7:35 left in the contest.
The Penguins scored nine straight on a layup by Galette, a three-point play by Dynes, another layup by Galette and layup by Nelson gave Youngstown State a 67-64 advantage at the 4:57 mark.
Galette's 3-pointer just under four minutes remaining broke a 69-69 deadlock, and the Penguins would never trail again.
Green Bay would cut the lead down to one on two occasions in the final three minutes, but the Penguins made nine free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Youngstown State scored first four points on layups by Cris Carroll and Galette, and a 3-pointer by Galette, and two layups by Dynes pushed YSU out to an early 13-9 lead.
Green Bay went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-13 lead, but Nelson hit a 3-pointer to get back within three,
Green Bay extended its lead to 23-16 before the Penguins used 12-2 run to regain a 28-25 advantage. Siem Uijtendaal spark the surge with a 3-pointer, and two free throws by Juwan Maxey got the Penguins within two, 23-21.
Following a basket by Ty Harper, sophomore David Wilkerson capped the 12-2 run with a layup and 3-pointer to force a Green Bay timeout at the 3:46 mark.
The Phoenix regained a 30-28 lead, but YSU scored five straight on a free throw and putback by Dynes and two free throws from Nelson to give the Penguins a 33-30 lead with under a minute before the half.
The Penguins held a 33-32 lead at the intermission.
Youngstown State closes out the regular season against Northern Kentucky, Saturday, March 1. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
