By Zachary Flesch / The Jambar
Fresh off back-to-back wins, the Youngstown State University men’s basketball team entered the final stretch of the season with a 78-65 loss Feb. 25 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, inside UWM Panther Arena.
The Panthers started off the game, scoring the first eight points of the contest. Midway through the first half, the Penguins sparked a 10-0 run to put the team within two, 23-21, with 7:35 left in the half.
Coming out of the half, seniors Bryson Dawkins and Cris Carroll each added a pair of layups to tie up the game at 41-41 with 17:06 remaining in the second half.
The Panthers then went on a 12-1 run to make the score 56-42 over the next couple of minutes. Junior Tae Blackshear knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, but the Panthers pulled away quickly.
Junior Rich Rolf led the Penguins with 11 points and 10 rebounds, posting a double-double.The Panthers were led by freshman Stevie Elam who scored a game-high 19 points, followed by senior Aaron Franklin who contributed 17 points.
The Penguins hit the road again in the regular season finale with a 85-63 loss Feb. 28 against the University of Green Bay at the Kress Center.
The Phoenix controlled the game from the tip and held the Penguins to 40% shooting from the field and 29% from 3-point range. The Phoenix also outrebound the Penguins 40-24 and forced three turnovers on the Penguins.
Carroll led Youngstown State with 22 points, followed by sixth-year senior Vlad Salaridze with 12 points.
Following the loss, the Penguins went into the Horizon League tournament as No. 9 seed, set to face off against Robert Morris University.
Following the end of the regular season, Carroll was selected to the All-Horizon League Second Team. Carroll was fourth in the Horizon League with 17.4 points per game and made 87 3-pointers.
Senior Immanuel Zorgvol was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team after leading the league with 59 total blocks, averaging 1.9 per game. Zorgvol was also 23rd in the country in total blocks.
Head Coach Ethan Faulkner said his players’ accomplishments are well deserved.
“[Carroll] and [Zorgvol] becoming recognized is very deserving. [Carroll] has been one of the best and most consistent scorers in the league all year, and has done it at a very efficient rate. I also think [Zorgvol] is the best shot blocker in the league and his stats say that,” Faulkner said.
The Penguins then traveled to the UPMC Events Center to face the No. 2 seed Robert Morris Colonials on March 4.
The Penguins came into the game with a 15-17 overall record and looked to advance to the Horizon League semifinals for the second straight season.
The Penguins held tight with the Colonials in the first half and trailed by five points, going into the break 28-23.
Coming out of the half, Salaridze scored five straight points to tie the game up at 28-28 with 19:28 left to play.
However, the Colonials went on a 16-2 run to make the score 52-37 with 8:27 left in the second half.
The Penguins trailed for the rest of the contest, and RMU eventually grew the lead to 20 points.
RMU was led by junior Ryan Prather Jr. who scored a game-high 24 points, followed by sophomore DeSean Goode who scored 12 points.
With a final score of 68-53, the Penguins 2025-26 season came to an end. The Penguins finished the season with a 15-18 overall record and a 8-13 record in Horizon League play.