Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (8-8, 2-4 Horizon League) returns home to take on Horizon League foe Purdue Fort Wayne, Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 7:17 p.m. and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
Youngstown State hosts Bryant & Stratton Friday, Jan. 9, in kids school field trip day at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Gameday Promotions
Jan. 7 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne

• 7 17 Night: Free Upper Reserved and General Admission Tickets for all fans courtesy of 7 17
• Lower Reserved tickets $17 courtesy of 7 17
• Rally Towel Giveaway courtesy of 7 17
• Burgan Real Estate Welcome Back Students Night
• YSU Student T-Shirt Giveaway and first 100 YSU Students will receive free Pizza
• One lucky student will have the chance to make a half-court shot for $717 cash

Last Time Out
Senior Cris Carroll made a career-high seven 3-pointers, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team suffered a 94-79 setback to Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky on Sunday. Carroll scored a game-high tying 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 7-for-14 from behind the arc. Senior Bryson Dawkins and junior Rich Rolf each scored 10 points to help the Penguins cause.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 9-8 overall and 3-4 in the Horizon League.
• Give YSU a 6-2 home record this season.
• Mark Youngstown State's ninth win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Be Youngstown State's third straight win over the Mastodons and the fifth in the last seven games.
• Mark the eighth time YSU defeated Purdue Fort Wayne at Zidian Family Arena.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's 30th career win and third win over Purdue Fort Wayne.

Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the game with an overall record of 9-8 and a 3-3 mark in the Horizon League. The Mastodons, who are 1-7 on the road this season, are coming off a 74-71 win over Cleveland State on Jan. 4. Corey Hadnot II leads the Mastodons with 20.4 points per game while DeAndre Craig, Jr. is averaging 15.1 points per contest.  Purdue Fort Wayne is 0-2 on the road in league play and averages 80.7 points per game while allowing 77.2 points per game.

Series vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
This is the 16th meeting between Youngstown State and Purdue Fort Wayne in a series dating back to 2002.  The Penguins own a slim 8-7 advantage against the Mastodons and have won the last two contests.  Youngstown State owns a 7-2 mark against Purdue Fort Wayne in games played at Zidian Family Arena and has won the last three contests in Youngstown.  In the last meeting, Youngstown State defeated the Mastodons 72-67 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Barbasol Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship at Zidian Family Arena.  Nico Galette finished with a game-high 22 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double, and Ty Harper scored 20 points.  Cris Carroll recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and tied a career high with 12 boards.

King Reaches 300 Assists
With four assists against Northern Kentucky on Jan. 4, junior Drew King recorded the 300th assist of his collegiate career. King leads the Penguins with 57 assists and 3.6 assists per game. He also ranks seventh in the league in total assists and assists per game. 

Osborne Named Top 100 Impactful Assistants
Associate Head Coach Dwaine Osborne was named to the 7th Annual Silver Wave Media Top 100 Impactful Mid-Major Assistants List. Osborne, who is in his second season with the Penguins, has helped Youngstown State to 29 victories since his arrival.

Full Nelson
Senior Jason Nelson has been displaying a full arsenal over the last few games. Nelson averaged 11.3 points, 5.0 assists and 1.3 assist per game. He nearly missed a triple double with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists against Oakland on Jan. 1.

Guins Off to Fast HL Start
A trio Youngstown State players are off to a hot start in Horizon League play. Senior Cris Carroll ranks fourth in the league with 20.2 points per game and is shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 44.2 percent from 3-point range. Senior Bryson Dawkins averages 13.3 points per contest and has a 52.4 field-goal percentage.  Junior Rich Rolf is also averaging in double figures with 10.2 points per contest.

Carroll Hits Career-High 7 3s; League Leader
Senior Cris Carroll has been deadly from distance all season long. He posted a career-best seven 3-pointers against Northern Kentucky on Jan. 4. The last player to make at least seven 3s in a game was Brandon Rush who made 10 on Nov. 13, 2023. Carroll leads the Horizon League with 52 made 3s, 3.3 3-pointers made per game and a .464 3-point percentage. He also ranks third in scoring with 17.4 points per game.

Zorgvol Leads League
Senior Imanuel Zorgvol has been a tremendous rim protector this season. Zorgvol leads the Horizon League with 26 total blocks and 1.6 blocks per game. He has recorded at least one block in 13 of 16 games and multiple blocks nine times. Zorgvol posted four blocks against Grand Canyon (Nov. 7) and USC Upstate (Dec. 20).