Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team closes its Michigan swing when it visits Detroit Mercy, Saturday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.,  and the game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
Youngstown State returns home to host Purdue Fort Wayne, Wednesday, Feb. 12. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. 

Last Time Out
Senior EJ Farmer led four players scoring in double figures with a game-high 25 points to lead the Youngstown State men's basketball team to an 84-75 win over Oakland on Feb. 6. Farmer, who scored at the least 20 points for the fourth consecutive game, connected on 8-of-17 from the field and scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half. Junior Juwan Maxey poured in 19 points with four 3-pointers while Nico Galette posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Cris Carroll also reached double figures for the Penguins (15-10, 9-5 Horizon League) with 10 points and seven boards.

Scouting Detroit Mercy
Detroit Mercy enters the game with an overall record of 8-17 and a 4-10 mark in the Horizon League. The Titans are coming off a 71-56 loss at Robert Morris on Feb. 5. Leading the Titans is Orlando Lovejoy, who is averaging 15.4 points per game. The Titans are averaging 65.7 points per game while allowing 73.2 points per contest.

Series vs. Detroit Mercy
This is the 60th meeting between Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy in a series dating back to 1953. The Titans lead the all-time series, 40-19, but the Penguins have won the last seven contests, including a 73-64 win on Dec. 29, 2024, and 10 of the last 12 games.  Youngstown State has won seven times in Detroit, including the last four contests. Last season, Youngstown State defeated the Titans, 105-64, at Calihan Hall on Jan. 20, 2024. The last time Detroit defeated the Penguins at Calihan Hall was a 93-91 victory on Jan. 12, 2018.

Last Time Against Detroit Mercy
Youngstown State used a hot start in both halves and never trailed on the way to its seventh-straight win with a 73-64 victory over Detroit Mercy on Dec. 29 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Senior EJ Farmer led the Penguins with a team-high 16 points while Gabe Dynes scored 12 points with five rebounds and four blocks. Nico Galette added 10 points and Cris Carroll narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 16-10 overall and 10-5 in the Horizon League.
• Mark the third straight season and the fifth time in program history YSU began conference play at least 10-5 after 15 games.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's 16th career win and second over Detroit Mercy.
• Mark Youngstown State's 20th win over Detroit Mercy and the eighth at Calihan Hall.
• Be YSU's fifth straight win at Calihan Hall.
• Give the Penguins a 8-5 record overall and a 6-2 Horizon League road record. 

Farmer 20-20 Vision
Senior EJ Farmer has scored at least 20 points in four straight games. It's just the sixth time since 2001-02 (HL Era) that a player has scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games. He's also just the fifth player to do so. The last to score at least 20 in four straight was Cameron Morse who reached the feat with five in 2017. 

Consecutive 20-Point Games (HL Era)
1. 6, Keston Roberts -12/5/06-12/30/06
2. 5, Cameron Morse - 2/4/17-2/18/17
3. 4, EJ Farmer - 1/24/25-2/6/25
3. 4, Cameron Morse - 1/28/16-2/6/16
3. 4, Marcus Keene - 11/23/14-12/2/14
3. 4, Kendrick Perry - 11/30/13-12/14/13 

Carroll Steppin' Up
Since Jan. 4, junior Cris Carroll's offensive production has skyrocketed. Carroll averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. During that span, Carroll has made 18 3-pointers for an average of 1.8 made per game. He also posted a career-high 24 points with three 3-pointers in the Penguins' 73-69 win over Green Bay on Jan. 19.

Fly High Ty
Fifth-year senior Ty Harper showcased his offensive prowess recently. Harper averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over the last nine games. He also made 20 3-pointers. 

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 50-25 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 9-5 in 2024-25.

Rim Protector
Sophomore center Gabe Dynes has become one of the nation's top rim protectors. He leads the nation with 78 total blocks and ranks second with 3.12 blocks per game as of Feb. 7, and he also ranks third all-time at Youngstown State 139. The 7-foot-3 center set a career high with nine blocks against Toledo on Dec. 14. His nine blocks also marked an NCAA Division I single-game high this season. 

More Dynes
With his 78 blocks this season, sophomore Gabe Dynes now ranks sixth on the single-season list. His 61 blocks last year rank seventh. Dynes is also just the third player in program history to record at least 50 blocks in a season multiple times.