Nov 30, 2024
Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU sophomore Gabe Dynes catches big air on an alley oop off a Nico Galette pass during the second half against Bethany. Dynes led the Penguins with 23 points.
YOUNGSTOWN — The Bison were just what the doctor ordered for Youngstown State.
After lackluster shooting performances the past few games, YSU put together its best offensive showing of the season on Saturday night.
Six different players scored in double figures, as the Penguins shot 63.6% from the floor in a 128-60 demolition of Bethany (W.Va.) at the Zidian Family Arena at the Beeghly Center.
“For us, it’s about playing the game the right way, making the right basketball play, letting the defense tell you what to do,” head coach Ethan Faulkner said. “That’s something we’ve really been emphasizing and working on, and it was nice to see it translate to the floor tonight.”
YSU’s 128 points are the third-most in a single game in program history. Center Gabe Dynes led the Penguins with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Cris Carroll, who got his first start of the season, had 20 points while hitting 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc.
“I think we were playing great together. I think that was a good show of how we are off the court,” said Nico Galette, who nearly had a triple double with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. “Recently, in past games, we haven’t been hitting a lot of shots, but today we were able to do that. … In my opinion, basketball is a mental game. So to see the ball go through (the basket), it means a lot. Obviously, once we started hitting, we didn’t stop, so that was great.”
YSU’s offense is predicated on the reads the players make on the floor based on what the defense shows, and against the combination of Bethany’s full-court and half-court zones, the Penguins found their rhythm offensively.
YSU finished with 38 assists on 49 made field goals against the Bison. Those 38 assists are a program record for most in a single game, breaking the previous record of 33 set against IUPUI (now IU Indy) in 2023 and against Point Park in 1990.
“Remarkable the way we moved the ball and shared the ball, and it was nice to see the ball go in the basket a little bit too,” Faulkner said. “I hope seeing it go through helps us build some confidence. As I told our guys, it’s just amazing when you play the game the right way, how those shots start falling, how you start making layups, how you start making some open threes, how when the ball is missed it just bounces to you.
“We talked all week — the game honors toughness, and when you play with toughness and play with a mentality of playing the game the right way, it’s funny how things just go your way.”
Despite being a Division III program, the Bison are known for being an offensive juggernaut. Bethany came in on Saturday night averaging 97.8 points per game and had crossed the century mark in three games already this season.
The Bison also shoot a lot of threes, firing off an average of 36.8 attempts per game, while hitting at a 34% clip.
Despite giving up 10 made threes, the Penguins kept Bethany to below their season averages from beyond the arc, while limiting the Bison to 34.5% shooting overall and their lowest scoring output of the year.
“I got a lot of respect for what they do,” Faulkner said. “If you watch them play against the teams in their league, it is a clinic offensively with those guys. Obviously our length and athleticism disrupted that a little bit, but I think they do an excellent job. I was really proud of what we did on the defensive end of the floor, as well as the offensive end of the floor.”
Every player that dressed had a made field goal and got on the scoresheet for the Penguins and YSU finished with 14 made threes.
In addition to Dynes, Carroll and Galette scoring in double figures, Ty Harper had 10 points, EJ Farmer had 13 points and Juwan Maxey had 10 points for YSU.
The Penguins now begin Horizon League play next week by travelling to Robert Morris on Wednesday, before returning home to host defending conference champion Oakland on Saturday.
“We got two days to prep, so we gotta get ready. Obviously these teams are good,” Faulkner said. “Robert Morris is off to a great start to their year and Oakland is coming off an NCAA tournament appearance. So we’ve still got a lot of work to do, there’s no doubt about it. But I was really proud of what we were able to do tonight, and we need to continue to make growth in areas that we’re trying to emphasize in terms of our basketball team.”
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