With MTE season in full swing, Youngstown State fans are able to take a breath and enjoy playing games back home in the Zidian Family Arena after three games in three days at the Axe ‘Em Classic. The Penguins went 1-2 over the weekend, picking up a second-half comeback win against Monmouth, and dropping games against Presbyterian and Stephen F. Austin.
Although I’m still not over the fact that none of their games were streamed, there’s certain things that would have been hard to watch in the two losses. Fans did miss out on the comeback win over Monmouth, where YSU erased a 29-38 Monmouth halftime lead to win 72-62. A 12-0 run in the first five minutes of the game put the Penguins back in the game, as EJ Farmer came alive with eight points in that stretch.
From there, the Guins went on a 14-4 run to cushion the lead for the rest of the game. Farmer led YSU with 18 points on the night, while Nico Galette posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Ty Harper and Cris Carroll both scored 10 as well.
In the two losses, YSU only scored a combined 99 points, shooting 31% from the field and 26% from deep. Free throw troubles killed any positives on the offensive side, as they only shot 46% from the charity stripe.
Shooting efficiency has been one of the biggest growing pains for this team six games into the year. The Guins are only scoring 65.5 points per game this year, a drastic decrease from the past two years where they’ve averaged over 80 PPG.
The shooting splits reflect the offensive woes, as it’s hard to win games shooting 36% from the field and only 24% from three. Just three of the five starters are shooting above 40% to start the season. It’s still early in the year, but this team needs to develop a more balanced scoring identity to increase averages across the board.
After six games, it’s clear the offense relies on Nico Galette to be the driving force. Yes, he’s eclipsed the 20-point mark in half of the games this season, but when he’s not seeing his shot fall, there hasn’t been another player that can consistently step up and lead the offense.
EJ Farmer has certainly shown flashes of his scoring prowess to fill the void, with 18 points in that win over Monmouth and a YSU season-high 26 in the loss against Syracuse. His splits haven’t been great (32.4 FG%, 14.8 3PT%), but he’s not taking bad shots. You want your players to have the utmost confidence in themselves when shooting.
The good news is that the shots they’re missing aren’t necessarily bad shots. Most of their misses from the perimeter come off open shots, which are bound to start falling once over the course of the season. You can expect more of these attempts to fall once they finally play in their home gym tomorrow, as they’ve yet to play in front of YSU faithful in the 2024-2025 campaign.
Another positive take away from the weekend is the defense, as YSU only allowed 64.3 PPG in all three games. Opponents had 47 turnovers against the Guins over the weekend, including 22 turnovers from SFA. 17 of those 22 turnovers were caused by stifling defense, where YSU had 12 steals and 5 blocks. The defense is firing on all cylinders right now, making things difficult for any opponent. Whether it’s Gabe Dynes roaming in the paint protecting the rim, or perimeter players getting into the passing lanes, the Guins really seem to be on the same page with each defensively.
There’s no doubt that YSU plays hard on the defensive end in my mind. This toughness needs to translate to the boards, as they were out-rebounded 58-76 in both losses. This has been a trend all year; the team only averages 35.7 rebounds per game, while opponents are collecting 41 RPG. Galette, standing at just 6’6, leads the Guins with 6.3 RPG. There needs to be more of an emphasis on attacking the glass from the supporting cast. Dynes is an x-factor on the defensive end, but often finds himself out of position to secure rebounds once he contests shots. Because he’s busy impacting shots, the guards need to crash the glass in his absence.
Overall, the shaky start for YSU is not reason to hit the panic button, as the lack of shooting and rebounding are two things that can be fixed. The rebounding issues can be solved easier than shooting inefficiencies, but Faulkner still trusts the preparation and hard work the Guins have put in on the offensive end.
Tomorrow, YSU will make their debut in Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center against Western Michigan at 2 PM EST. The 2-4 Broncos only have one win against a D1 opponent, but have the size in their lineup to dominate down low and control the glass. With four players averaging 10+ PPG, they have balanced scoring and big wings that are apt to take opponents off the dribble and score in the paint. The Guins can take advantage of their lack of three-point shooting, but need to have offensive responses themselves to stay in this game.
