By Dylan Lux / The Jambar
To start off the 2024-25 campaign, the Youngstown State University men’s basketball team has played in three contests — including two Power Five matchups.
The team’s game-opening matchup was Nov. 9 against Chicago State University. Through a closely-contested first half, the Penguins led 32-29 over the Cougars.
In the second half, the ’Guins managed to pull away, outscoring Chicago State 48-31, leading to an 80-60 win for YSU.
In Game One, fifth-year senior Nico Galette led the game in three categories with 34 minutes played, nine rebounds and 20 points. Galette shot eight of 13 on the day.
Sophomore Gabe Dynes — a part of the Horizon League all-defensive team last season — finished the game with seven blocks for Youngstown State.
After a 1-0 start, the ’Guins traveled to Columbus for a matchup with No. 21 The Ohio State University.
The Buckeyes won their season-opener against the No. 19 University of Texas at Austin, which boosted them into the NCAA Top 25.
YSU kept the score within 15 at halftime, but the Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for an 81-47 win over the Penguins.
Despite the loss, junior Cris Carroll had 10 points and seven rebounds to go along with two steals for the ’Guins. Dynes had three blocks in the contest.
Five days later, Atlantic Coast Conference foe Syracuse University was up next for YSU in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Youngstown State came out scoring against the Orange, with a seven-point lead at halftime, 38-31. The ’Guins ended the half on a 12-7 run.
The ’Guins had a two-point lead with 14 seconds remaining after a Galette layup, but Syracuse junior J.J. Starling forced an overtime period with just eight seconds remaining, tying the score at 73.
One overtime wasn’t enough as Syracuse and Youngstown State continued for a second overtime, with an 86-86 score.
In double-overtime, Syracuse managed to pull away with a 104-95 win over Youngstown State, who put up a valiant effort against its second P5 opponent in five days.
Starling finished the game with a career and game-high 38 points and seven rebounds.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Ethan Faulker said he was proud of the team’s execution.
“For the most part, we executed our game plan very well, which gave us a chance to win. I was proud of our staff for the game plan we put together,” Faulkner said.
Though the ’Guins fought closely with an ACC opponent, Faulkner knew the opportunity was there for YSU to grab a big win for the program.
“We’re at a point in our program where there’s no moral victories. We felt like we should have won the game and we let one slip away. I’m super proud of our effort and competitive spirit of the game,” Faulkner said. “Just the bottom line, they made a few more plays than we did down the stretch.”
For YSU, four ’Guins finished in double figures, while two had over 20 points.
Galette had 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two steals, while senior EJ Farmer put up a team-high 26 points on 50% shooting.
In response to Farmer’s career night, Faulkner said he played very well and had an aggressive approach to the game.
“[Farmer] is a guy we’re going to give a lot of freedom when we need him to score the basketball for us,” Faulkner said.
Fifth-year Ty Harper had 17 points against the Orange, while junior Jason Nelson pitched in with 10 points.
The ’Guins will compete in the Axe ’Em Classic, hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University, where the team will play three games over three days.
The first of the team’s three-day triple-header will be 5 p.m. Nov. 21 against Monmouth University in Nacogdoches, Texas. The game will be broadcasted live on 570 WKBN.
