Youngstown State opened the season and began head coach Ethan Faulkner’s tenure with an 80-60 road victory over Chicago State on Saturday night.

Four Penguins scored in double figures, led by fifth-year Nico Galette with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, sophomore Gabe Dynes provided a dominant presence in the paint for the Penguins, as he finished with 11 points, six rebounds and seven blocks in 24 minutes.

As they worked to shake off the rust, the Penguins started slow in the first half.

Both teams had several scoring droughts, including a seven-minute field goal drought by Chicago State during one stretch of the first half. That provided an opening for the Penguins to take a slight lead that it would not relinquish the rest of the evening.

YSU was able to generate some baskets in the paint, but struggled from beyond the three-point arc. The Penguins shot 1-for-9 in the first half and 5-for-19 for the game.

YSU finally hit its first three-pointer with 2:36 left in the first half, as Juwan Maxey drilled one from the top of the key. Maxey provided a much-needed scoring and shooting spark off the bench to finish with 14 points.

At halftime, YSU maintained a slim 32-29 advantage over the Cougars.

After a cold shooting start in the first half, the Penguins opened the second half on a 15-4 run, which included an 12-0 stretch.

Fifth-year Ty Harper drew a quick three fouls in seven minutes of action in the first half, which sent him to the bench. But he returned in the second half to provide a scoring boost during YSU’s run to open the second half. Harper finished with 12 points for the Penguins.

The fouls piled up quickly for the Cougars, which put YSU in the bonus with about 15 minutes left. From there, the Penguins were able to generate offense from the charity stripe, as they shot 18-for-24 from the line in the second half.

The Cougars weren’t done though. As YSU grew its lead to double digits, Chicago State began to chip away.

However, after cutting YSU’s lead to six, Chicago State went ice cold, as the Cougars couldn’t make a single field goal over the final nine minutes. The Penguins added to their lead and put the game away during that stretch.

The Cougars also had four players score in double figures with Gabe Spinelli leading Chicago State with 15 points.

The Penguins continue their season-opening road trip on Monday in Columbus as they visit Ohio State. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.