(GREEN BAY ATHLETICS) YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio –In a game that came down to the wire, the Green Bay men’s basketball team fell to Youngstown State 81-77 on the road Sunday.
The Phoenix had four players score in double figures, led by Marcus Hall for the second straight game, who had 16 points. Mac Wrecke tacked on 15 points off the bench and Ben Tweedy chipped in with 13 points and seven assists.
The Penguins also had three players finish in double figures, led by a 21-point nine-rebound performance from Nico Galette. Gabe Dynes finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Jason Nelson had 13 off the bench.
The Green Bay defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Sunday’s game, forcing 16 Youngstown State turnovers while committing 13 of their own. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Yonatan Levy’s three steals led the way individually for the Phoenix.
HOW IT HAPPENED
YSU took an early 13-9 lead, but a 14-3 run from the Phoenix gave them a 23-16 lead after a Hall three pointer with 6:48 in the half. The Penguins responded with a 12-2 run of their own to retake a 28-25 lead before eventually taking a 33-32 lead into the half.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the second half when it looked like the Phoenix might take control of the game after back-to-back Wrecke threes gave GB a 55-51 lead and forced a Penguins timeout with 10:13 to go. Green Bay held that lead for a few more minutes before Youngstown State rattled off an 11-2 to take a 67-64 lead with 4:57 to go. The Penguins never surrendered the lead again, wrapping up the 81-77 win.
GAME NOTES
» Both teams shot well from the floor, with GB shooting 45.8 percent and YSU shooting 49.1 percent.
» The Phoenix shared the ball well, recording an assist on 70 percent of made field goals (19 assists).
» YSU’s bench outscored GB’s bench 38-27.
» The paint battle was close, with YSU ending the game with a 40-36 advantage.
» Green Bay cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Green Bay got a team-high eight rebounds from C.J. O’Hara.
ON THE HORIZON
Green Bay will return home for their final two games of the 2024-25 regular season. The Phoenix will host Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. and Oakland on Saturday, March 1 at 6 p.m
