Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (10-11, 3-7 Horizon League) plays the second of three-straight home contests when it entertains Milwaukee, Saturday, Jan. 24. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
Youngstown State closes out its three-game homestand when it hosts IU Indy, Friday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State scored on its first seven possessions of the second half, and Cris Carroll scored a career-high 34 points as the Penguins beat Green Bay 88-81 on Jan 22 inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Carroll connected on eight of YSU's 16 3-pointers, setting his career high for triples, and the Penguins made at least 10 3s for the 14th time this season. YSU finished 16-for-36 from long distance and made nine more 3s than the Phoenix. Bryson Dawkins and Rich Rolf both scored 15 points, and Jaiden Haynes scored 12 as four Penguins reached double figures to complement Carroll.

Game Day Promotions

• YSU Men's Basketball Alumni Day
• Kids Day 2 presented by Raising Canes and Austintown Bounce
• Mascot Mania Day presented by Texas Roadhouse in Niles
• YSU Student T-Shirt Giveaway and first 100 YSU Students will receive free Pizza
• Piggy Bank courtesy of WesBanco, Mission BBQ, and 21 WFMJ
• Post-Game Autographs presented by Texas Roadhouse of Niles
• Foul Shots after the game for kids 12 and under

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 11-11 overall and 4-7 mark in the Horizon League.
• Give YSU an 8-3 home record this season.
• Mark Youngstown State's 22nd win over Milwaukee and the first since 2024
• Be Youngstown State's 15th win over the Panthers at Zidian Family Arena.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's 32nd career win and first win over Milwaukee.

Scouting Milwaukee
Milwaukee enters the game with an overall record of 8-13 and a 4-6 mark in the Horizon League. The Panthers are coming off an 88-76 loss to league foe Robert Morris on Jan. 22. Milwaukee, which has lost six of its last seven league games, is led by Amar Augillard with 13.2 points per game. The Panthers, who own a 1-4 record in league road games, is averaging 77.6 points per game and allowing 80.7 points per contest.

Series vs. Milwaukee
This is the 57th meeting between Youngstown State and Milwaukee in a series dating back to 1972.  The Panthers own a 35-21 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last two contests.  Last season, the Panthers defeated the Penguins 79-64 on Jan. 17 in Milwaukee and 84-74 on Feb. 21 in Youngstown.  Prior to last season, the Penguins had won seven of eight games dating back to 2020  and 11 of 15 contests since Dec. 31, 2016.  Youngstown State has won 14 games against the Panthers at Zidian Family Arena and own a record of 7-2 in the last nine games played in Youngstown. 

Last Time Against the Panthers
Juwan Maxey scored a career-high 29 points, but the Youngstown State fell to Milwaukee 84-74, on Feb. 21, 2025 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Maxey connected on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor with four 3-pointers to lead the Penguins while senior Nico Galette posted 12 points with six rebounds.  Gabe Dynes added 10 points with six rebounds and five blocked shots. Dynes also became the third player in Youngstown State history to record at least 150 career blocks.

Carroll 30-For-30
For the second time this season, senior Cris Carroll scored at least 30 points in game with his 34 against Green Bay on Jan. 22. He also scored 31 at Robert Morris on Dec. 17. He is the first player to score at least 30 points multiple times in a season since Michael Akuchie reached the feat in 2022. He's also just the 11th in YSU's Division I era to have multiple 30-point games.

200 3s Streak Extended
With eight 3-pointers made against Cleveland State, Youngstown State has made at least 200 3-pointers in 15 straight full seasons. Youngstown State has made 223 this year and needs 81 more to break the school mark of 303 set in 2018-19. Last year, he Penguins made 299 3-pointers. The streak dates back to the 2010-11 season, and does not include the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign. The 299 made 3s rank second on the YSU single-season list. 

Need to Lead at Half
It is imperative for the Penguins to lead after the first 20 minutes of action. All of Youngstown State's victories have come when it holds a lead at halftime. YSU is 10-4 in games when it leads at halftime, 0-5 when it trails at the intermission, and 0-2 when the game is tied.

Home Sweet Home
Youngstown State has been quite protective of its home court over the last five-plus seasons. The Penguins have won 45 of the last 59 overall at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. YSU has won 81 games at home since the start of the 2019-20 season and own a 81-28 mark during that time. Youngstown State is 45-14 at home since the start of the 2022-23 season. The Penguins are 38-12 in their last 50 regular-season home games.

Guins Go the Distance
Youngstown State has made more 3-pointers than its opponents in 19 of 21 games played this season. The Penguins have made 223 3-pointers and 10.6 3s made per game, which leads the Horizon League and ranks 25th nationally. Youngstown State has also made at least 10 3-pointers in a game on 14 occasions.

Zorgvol Leads League
Senior Imanuel Zorgvol has been a tremendous rim protector this season. Zorgvol leads the Horizon League with 41 total blocks and 1.95 blocks per game. Zorgvol ranks 21st nationally in total blocks and 32nd in blocks per game. He has recorded at least one block in 18 of 21 games and multiple blocks 14 times. Zorgvol posted four blocks against Wright State (Jan. 15), Grand Canyon (Nov. 7) and USC Upstate (Dec. 20).

Crazy 8's
Senior Cris Carroll became just the fourth player in school history to make at least eight 3-pointers in a game and the first Brandon Rush made 10 in 2023. It also tied a school record for most 3s against Division I and Horizon League opponent.