Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes YSU’s Brandon Rush is fouled while going up for a shot during the first half of the Penguins’ 90-72 win over UT Martin. Rush scored 12 points.

YOUNGSTOWN — Through two games, Youngstown State’s depth and scoring are as advertised.

Six Penguins reached double figures Wednesday night as Youngstown State dispatched visiting UT Martin at the Beeghly Center, 90-72. It marked the first time since the 2016-17 season that Youngstown State scored 90-plus points on back-to-back Division I opponents.

The last time six players finished in double figures was Jan. 4, 2021, against Carlisle.

“I’m really happy for the guys. To get six guys in double figures is great,” said YSU coach Jerrod Calhoun. “We’re still learning. We’re still processing the information, and we’re all going through it together with a new group. So we’re happy with the win, and we have to stay hungry and keep getting better.”

YSU (2-0) didn’t shoot particularly well in the first half, just 13-of-36, but the Penguins were able to use 12 offensive rebounds to score nine second-chance points, and added 12 points off Skyhawks (0-2) turnovers. The Penguins forced 10 takeaways in the opening stanza.

In fact, the Penguins finished the half on an 11-2 run despite shooting just 1-of-7 at one point during that stretch, which lasted the final 6:33 of the first half.

The second half, however, began on a much different note. YSU sank its first four baskets to open on a 9-2 run to take a 46-31 lead and prompt a UT Martin timeout at the 17:51 mark. The Skyhawks never got back to within single digits from there.

Malek Green began the spurt with a layup and a pair of free throws, and then another Green layup and a 3-pointer by Dwayne Cohill finished it off.

Cohill led all scorers with 19 points on an efficient 7-of-10 night, which included a pair of 3-pointers. He also had three rebounds and five assists.

Green tallied 12 points and eight boards, while Adrian Nelson notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Garrett Covington chipped in 12 points and five rebounds, while Brandon Rush did well attacking the rim to tally 12 points, as well. Rush also hit a pair of 3-pointers.

“We got into halftime, and we were talking about how we need to really start moving the ball more,” Rush said. “The ball was stagnant and staying to one side, so when we started moving the ball and everybody’s cutting and passing, that’s how we got open shots.”

YSU took just seven second-half 3-pointers after going 4-of-15 from deep in the first half. YSU sank 19 of its 35 second-half field goals, and went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc after the intermission.

Calhoun said, “(UT Martin’s) plan coming in here was to switch every ball screen to try to front. We have a bigger lineup… and that threw us off a little bit.”

And, Calhoun pointed out, the Penguins had a quick turnaround, as they played at Canisius on Monday before hosting the Skyhawks on Wednesday.

“The guys figured it out, and things started to slow down. We didn’t shoot nearly as many threes in the second half. Now when you’re making them, it looks great, but if you don’t … I want our guys shooting open shots, but you put yourself in a tough rebounding spot if you take bad ones.”

Freshman John Lovelace Jr. had a strong night, posting 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. His best play, however, came on defense on a UT Martin fast-break opportunity. The freshman raced down the court and blocked an open layup attempt. Shemar Rathan-Mayes was subsequently fouled and went to the line, and his free throws marked the beginning of YSU’s 11-2 run to end the half.

“I said all summer when we got him, this kid’s a special talent,” Calhoun said of Lovelace. “He’s 6-foot-7, he’s athletic, and he’s one of the better defenders I’ve seen for a freshman, probably since Garrett Covington. He’s a lockdown defender on the ball, he’s a great cutter, he can make a three.

“And the thing about John is he doesn’t say a lot, but when he does, he really understands the game. He’s going to be really good. … It’s going to be fun to watch this kid by the end of the year, because I think he’s just starting to figure it out right now.”

UT Martin cut its deficit to 12 a number of times in the second half before YSU pushed its lead back out to as high as 21. The Skyhawks were paced by KJ Simon’s 19 points, and Jordan Sears added 13 points. Parker Stewart tallied 11 points.

The Skyhawks shot relatively well — 28-for-60 — but 15 turnovers were converted into 21 points for YSU. The Penguins also had a 31-17 advantage in bench points.

Youngstown State continues its nonconference slate with a trip to Notre Dame on Sunday.