By Ben Luli
Youngstown State University men’s basketball had a season to remember after the conclusion of the 2019-2020 campaign. The Penguins finished the season with an overall record of 18-15, their most wins since 2012-2013, and tied for fourth most in YSU’s Division I history. They also compiled a Horizon League record of 10-8, tying a program record.
Beeghly Center provided a great home-court advantage for the Penguins all season long. YSU went 13-3 at home and set a Division I mark for most wins at home. Youngstown State averaged 76.9 points and 14.6 assists per game at Beeghly Center, up from 68.9 points and 10.5 assists per game when playing away from home.
The Penguins ranked fifth in the country with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, and their 1,288 total rebounds were the most in YSU’s Division I history. YSU’s 39 rebounds per game is also the fourth most by a team since 1981-82.
Defense also played a big role during the Penguins’ season. In wins, YSU held opposing teams to 65.1 points per game while in losses they surrendered 78.5 points per game. YSU posted a record of 15-5 when holding opponents under 73 points and 14-3 when opponents scored 70 or fewer points.
Junior Darius Quisenberry was named to the All-Horizon League First Team as a sophomore last season. He averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Quisenberry also finished fifth in the Horizon League in scoring and assists per game, fourth in assist-turnover ratio and sixth in field-goal and free throw percentage. He became the fourth YSU Division I player to score at least 40 points in a game. His career-high 41 points against Wright State on Feb. 20, is the sixth-highest single-game total in program history.
Quisenberry was not the only Penguin to gain recognition. Junior Garrett Covington was a Horizon League All-Defensive Selection for the second straight season. He is the third YSU player to earn consecutive all-defensive honors. Offensively, Covington finished with 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
YSU hopes to build on their strong 2019-2020 campaign. YSU is projected to finish second in the Horizon League according to a preseason poll conducted by the conference.
Individually, YSU has two Penguins on the preseason All-Horizon League teams. Quisenberry is a first team selection, while senior Naz Bohannon was named to the second team. Bohannon looks to continue his growth as a double-double machine after posting a career best 11.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season. YSU is the only squad to have more than one player on the preseason All-Horizon League teams.
YSU has a non-conference game scheduled against No. 15 West Virginia in Morgantown on Dec. 2 before they begin their conference slate of games at Northern Kentucky on Dec. 19.
You can use either image. I wasn’t sure if the writing in the first image would be clear enough so I added the other one just in case.
