Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. YSU center Imanuel Zorgvol pulls down an offensive rebound against Akron's Amani Lyles on Wednesday at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

YOUNGSTOWN — It certainly didn’t feel like an exhibition game on Wednesday night.

With plenty of history between Youngstown State and Akron, the energy on the floor was palpable between the two nearby programs, as the Penguins tipped off the 2025-26 season with a splash.

After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, YSU rallied in the second half for an 84-78 victory over the Zips in a preseason exhibition at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center.

“This time of year, and I’m sure their team feels the same way, you’re just really excited to be playing against somebody else,” head coach Ethan Faulkner said.

“If you think about it, we’ve been practicing for five months, and we got to play one game, and that was a (closed) scrimmage game a couple weeks ago. So obviously a lot of excitement to have the season here and to feel the energy from the crowd. Even though it was an exhibition game, certainly two great teams going at it in a well-fought game.”

The Penguins put more emphasis on the offensive side of the ball during the offseason in order to prevent some of the scoring and shooting woes that YSU had at the start of last year.

So the Penguins know they’re a little further ahead offensively than they would like to be on the defensive side of the floor.

It showed against the Zips in the first half, as Akron started off hot, shooting 64% overall and 50% from three, while scoring 44 points. Tavari Johnson (22 points) and Shammah Scott (18 points) combined for 40 points to lead the Zips.

“As positive as it is to win a game against a team as quality as Akron is, I think we left a lot out there,” Faulkner said. “I think we’ve got a lot to get better at, certainly on the defensive end of the floor. … Execution wasn’t where it needed to be.”

Some missed rotations defensively led to some easy baskets for the Zips early. But YSU settled in on that end of the floor after trailing by nine at halftime.

Akron shot 35.5% in the second half, as the Penguins outscored the Zips 49-34.

“I think we executed better in the second half,” Faulkner said. “They did miss some open shots that they were making in the second half. But credit to our guys. We knew defensive rebounding was going to be a huge key. So even when we made mistakes, we won the rebounding battle by three. That shows some toughness and physicality, and that’s something we preached a lot during the week as we got into the scout on these guys.”

After a streaky shooting start, YSU found more of an offensive rhythm in the second half, shooting 47.8% overall, which included knocking down eight 3-pointers.

“We moved the ball better,” Faulkner said. “Obviously when the ball goes in the basket, that helps everything, which it certainly did in the second half. This will certainly help the development of our team. But both sides of the ball, we got a ways to go to get to where we feel like we’re reaching our potential as a team.”

Newcomer and junior JUCO transfer Tae Blackshear played a key role in YSU’s scoring surge in the second half. He provided a spark off the bench, leading the Penguins with 19 points.

“My coaches believe in me. My teammates believe in me,” Blackshear said. “So no matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench, I know I got that support. I also believe in myself. So whether or not I’m coming off the bench or I’m starting, it’s the same game.”

After a quiet first half, senior Houston Christian transfer Bryson Dawkins exploded for 11 of his 16 points in the second half.

Right after halftime, Dawkins knocked down back-to-back threes to start YSU’s rally. With about seven minutes left, he also scored the driving layup that finally tied things up at 63 for the first time since the first few minutes of the contest.

Senior center Imanuel Zorgvol played a key role on YSU’s 2023-24 team, before missing all of last year with an injury.

Wednesday’s game against the Zips was Zorgvol’s first time back on the court in front of a crowd since that 2023-24 season, as he scored 13 points, while pulling down three rebounds.

“I can’t explain how good it felt just being out there,” Zorgvol said. “It’s just a blessing from God. I’m just happy and I’m really grateful to be out there.”

The 7-footer even knocked down a three in that second half for YSU, which he said is something he added to his game while working his way back from his injury.

“That’s just something I work on every day,” Zorgvol said. “I feel like last year when I got hurt, just watching from the bench and seeing everybody, I just wanted to expand my game. So I was like, ‘when I come back, when I’m fully healthy, I’m going to start working on that.’ Not saying that I didn’t ever have it, but I just didn’t believe in it. Now I’m just working on it and I knocked it down today.”

YSU opens the regular season for real on Monday at 7 p.m. against Pitt at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.