By Zach Flesch / The Jambar
Following the win against Indiana University Indianapolis on Jan. 30, the Youngstown State University men’s basketball team collected a 90-61 win on the road Feb. 4 against Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Leading the way for the Penguins was senior Bryson Dawkins with 18 points while junior Rich Rolf contributed 15 points. Senior Cris Carroll chipped in 12 points.
The Penguins shot 57% from 3-point range with 16 makes from beyond the arc. Youngstown State also shot 66% from the field en route to the 29-point margin of victory.
Following the win, Youngstown State returned home Feb. 7 to face Robert Morris University, falling 72-66 in a tightly contested game.
The Penguins trailed 41-30 at halftime, then built a nine-point, second-half lead before losing 72-66 in the final minute.
Carroll led the Penguins with 20 points. Dawkins poured in 16 points, and junior Tae Blackshear added 12 points with four 3-pointers.
During the first seven minutes of the second half, the Penguins went on a 16-2 run. The team led 46-43 with just under 13 minutes left to play.
The Colonials went on a 12-0 run later in the half after senior Kaleb Brown hit a 3-pointer to make the score 64-59 with 3:14 left in the half.
Following the loss, Head Coach Ethan Faulkner said his team’s lack of execution was a key factor in the loss.
“They were mixing in man-to-zone, so we were trying to run some actions that worked against both, and again our play for the last five or six minutes wasn’t very good and we didn’t move the ball very well,” Faulkner said.
The Penguins now sit at 12-13 overall and 5-9 in Horizon League play.
The team returns to action tonight against Oakland University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ESPN +.