By Zach Flesch / The Jambar
Following a loss against University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, the Youngstown State University men’s basketball team bounced back Jan. 30 with an 85-76 win over Indiana University Indianapolis to end the homestand.
Inside Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center, senior duo Bryson Dawkins and Cris Carroll led the way for the Penguins with 18 points apiece. Junior Tae Blackshear chipped in with 14 points of his own, all coming in the second half.
Leading the way for the Jaguars was senior duo Jaxon Edwards and Matt Compas, who each contributed 15 points.
The Jaguars’ largest lead of the game was 10 points when the score was 30-20 at 5:59 in the first half, and they went into halftime with a 39-34 lead.
In the second half, the Penguins scored 18 points over three minutes and went 5-6 from the field over that stretch. The Penguins took their first lead of the second half after an alley-oop slam from senior Immanuel Zorgvol.
The Penguins shot 51% from the field and 25-29 from the free-throw line to secure the conference win.
Following the win, Head Coach Ethan Faulkner said the team’s effort on the defensive side helped with scoring.
“The turnovers in the second half were critical. We were able to force nine turnovers in the second half compared to our seven. That allowed us to be able to get out into transition and get some easy baskets,” Faulkner said.
The Penguins will return home to Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center on Feb. 7 to face Robert Morris University. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m, and will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.