Setting the Scene
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (13-14, 6-10 Horizon League) returns home to host in-state rival Cleveland State, Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
Youngstown State plays its final regular-season home game and celebrates Senior Day, Sunday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Zidian Family Arena and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Last Time Out
Junior Tae Blackshear and senior Bryson Dawkins combined for 42 points and nearly led the Youngstown State men's basketball team to a 15-point second-half comeback, but the Penguins suffered a 76-70 setback to Detroit Mercy on Sunday afternoon at Calihan Hall. Blackshear scored a career-high 22 points and tied a school single-game record going 9-for-9 from the field for a 1.000 shooting percentage. Dawkins scored 16 of his 20 points and went 6-for-9 from the field in the second half.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 14-14 overall and 7-10 mark in the Horizon League.
• Give YSU 9-5 home record this season.
• Mark Youngstown State's 49th win over Cleveland State and the 17th at Zidian Family Arena.
• Be third win in the last four games against the Vikings and the first at home since 2023.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's 35th career win and third win over Cleveland State.

Scouting Cleveland State
Cleveland State enters the game with an overall record of 10-17 and a 6-10 mark in the Horizon League. The Vikings, who are coming off a 102-90 loss to Wright State on Feb. 15, have lost three straight games. Dayan Nessah leads the Vikings with 15.5 points per game while Tre Beard is averaging 13.6 points per contest. Cleveland State is averaging 80.3 points per game and allowing 84.9 points per contest.

Series vs. Cleveland State
This is the 109th meeting between Youngstown State and Cleveland State in a series dating back to 1930.  The Vikings own a 60-48 advantage in the all-time series, but the Penguins have won two of the last three games.  Earlier this season, Cleveland State defeated the Penguins 80-78 on Jan. 17 in Cleveland, Ohio. Youngstown State has defeated Cleveland State 28 times in Youngstown and 16 times at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. Cleveland State has won the last two games against the Penguins played at Zidian Family Arena. 

Last Time Against The Vikings
Senior Cris Carroll led five players scoring in double figures with his first double-double of the season, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team fell to Cleveland State, 80-78, on Jan. 20 at the Wolstein Center. Carroll scored 21 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Penguins. Senior Bryson Dawkins poured in 14 points while senior Jason Nelson and junior Rich Rolf posted 11 points each and Vlad Salaridze added 10 points.

Blackshear Getting Hot
Junior Tae Blackshear scored a career-high 22 points in the Penguins' 76-70 loss to Detroit Mercy on Feb. 15. Blackshear also tied a school single-game record going 9-for-9 from the field for a 1.000 shooting percentage. He is the first player to make all his field-goal attempts (min. 7) since TeJay Anderson against Southern Utah on Jan. 13, 2001. Over the last five games, Blackshear is averaging 12.4 points per game while shooting 71 percent (22-for-31) from the field and 59 percent (13-for-22) from 3-point range.

Oakland Recap
Senior Cam Polak scored a season-high 26 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Youngstown State to an 86-82 road victory against Oakland on Feb. 12 at the OU Credit Union O'Rena. Senior Bryson Dawkins scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds while Cris Carroll recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Penguins, who made 12 3-pointers, were perfect from the free-throw line, connecting of all 18 shots from the charity stripe. 

Guins Perfect From the Line
Youngstown State was perfect from the free-throw line in its 86-82 win over Oakland on Feb. 12, going 18-for-18. It's the first time the Penguins shot 100 percent (minimum 10 made free throws) from the free-throw line since going 15-for-15 against Detroit Mercy on Jan. 20, 2024. 

Carroll Now Seventh
Senior Cris Carroll has moved into YSU single-season top 10 chart for most 3-pointers made in a season. Carroll ranks tied for seventh with 78 3s and one more to move into a tie for sixth on the list. Carroll also needs two more 3s to become just the fifth player in school history to make at least 80 3s in a season. Carroll needs 17 more 3s to break the single-season record of 94 set by Blake Allen in 2012-13.

Dawkins in 2026
Senior Bryson Dawkins has thoroughly enjoyed the calendar turn from 2025 to 2026. Since Jan. 1., Dawkins averaged 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and shot .561 percent from the floor (83-for-148) in a 13-game span. He has also scored in double figures in 11 of those 13 games. Dawkins scored at least 20 points in consecutive games for the first time this season and he as four 20-point games in the last 13 contests.

200 3s Streak Extended, Nearing Single-Season Record
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 279 this year, which ranks fourth on the single-season list, needs eight more to move into third and 25 more to break the school mark of 303 set in 2018-19. Last year, the 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 12-4 in games when it leads at halftime, 1-7 when it trails at the intermission, and 0-2 when the game is tied.