A busy week of basketball for Youngstown State, as they will play three consecutive games in the Axe ‘Em Classic in Nacogdoches, Texas. The field in the four-team round-robin tournament consists of Monmouth, Presbyterian, and the hosting Stephan F. Austin. YSU opens the tournament with Monmouth today at 5 PM EST.
Despite a heartbreaking 104-95 double-overtime loss to Syracuse last Saturday, there are plenty of positive takeaways the Penguins should be optimistic about. To start, EJ Farmer set a career high in scoring with 26 points on 9-18 shooting. Farmer had only scored 11 points through the first two games of the season, including an 0-7 performance against Ohio State. You can’t ask for a better response than what he did against Syracuse, showing he’s still trusted by his teammates and Coach Faulkner to be a producer offensively.
Nico Galette and Ty Harper also filled it up, posting 21 and 17, respectively. Galette came through with some big time shots when the Guins needed it, including a three late in the second for the lead, and the layup to put YSU up two with just enough seconds left on the clock to let the Orange tie the game at 73 to head into OT. Harper, despite some offensive inconsistencies, knocked down a pair of free throws to send the game into double OT. The tandem also collected 7 rebounds each.
Supplementary offensive output came from the likes of Jason Nelson and Juwan Maxey. Nelson knocked down three threes and brought a playmaking presence YSU needs to be successful, dishing out five assists. Maxey finished with nine points, but hit two threes in the first overtime period that kept the Guins alive.
Looking ahead to the matchup with Monmouth, the Hawks have yet to enter the win column in the 2024-2025 season. They managed to score 81 points against a solid Rutgers team, but have only played one game that ended in a single-digit margin.
Their offense relies on Abdi Bashir Jr. to carry the bulk of scoring, averaging 21.6 ppg. They’re shooting 36% from deep as a team so far, so understanding personnel and closing out on the right guys on the perimeter will be key for YSU heading into this matchup.
As for Presbyterian, who YSU will play Friday afternoon, they’re off to a 2-3 start with only one win against a D1 program in Wofford. They’ve come out of the gate averaging 81.8 ppg and shooting 41% from long range, though the bulk of that total comes from a 120-45 win over DII Carolina Christian.
A more balanced scoring team, with three players averaging over 12 ppg. Once again, knowing personnel and limiting open shots from beyond the arc will make the difference. They play smaller and only average 33.8 rebounds per game as a team, with the tallest player on the Blue Hose standing at 6’10. Gabe Dynes should be able to dominate the paint regarding shot blocking whenever they drive.
The last opponent in the Axe ‘Em Classic for the Guins will be Stephan F. Austin, who will be celebrating their memorable 85-83 win against Duke in Cameron Indoor before Saturday’s 7 PM game against YSU.
The Lumberjacks sit at 2-2 on the year so far, but have only beaten two DIII opponents. They’ve only scored a combined 100 points against DI opponents in their two losses against Arkansas St. and Drake. SFA makes an emphasis to hit the glass, averaging 45.5 rpg as a team, which currently ranks 11th in the nation.
YSU gets the privilege of playing three fellow mid-major opponents after consecutive high-major matchups. Presbyterian and Monmouth bring high-volume shooting from the perimeter, while SFA appears to be a more physical team that forces opponents to play at a slower pace.
The hope is that YSU comes out of this weekend with a clean record, which is certainly doable given the field of opponents. Guins’ offense showed more versatility in scoring against Syracuse compared to the Ohio State game every fan wishes to forget.
Though we’re only three games into the season, Galette appears to be the go-to guy for scoring. What’s promising is that Farmer and Harper stepped into bigger offensive roles against Syracuse, taking some of the scoring burden off Galette. Nelson excelled at facilitating last game, so it’s paramount that he further solidifies that role over the weekend. Gabe Dynes is due for a huge response this weekend after getting into foul trouble early against the Orange.
In closing, this weekend will be a great opportunity for the Guins to showcase their strength after four days of practice since their last contest. YSU has no prior history with any of these teams, so it’s hard to reference how they will fair against each of these teams.
The only downside is that none of the games will be streamed this weekend. Not even Saturday’s matchup against SFA, who is planning to celebrate their most notable win in five years that day. Unfathomable that in this day of age division one basketball games don’t have live streaming capacity. The good news is that Robb Schmidt will have the radio calls for all three games on Radio 570 WKBN. Tune in with him at 5 PM EST today!
