The Chippewas improve to 7-2 on the season and are now 2-0 following a loss and 2-1 on the road. The Penguins drop to 3-7.
"I couldn't be more proud of this team, win or lose," said coach Keno Davis. "It shows a lot of character to be able to get a win, especially on the road, when you maybe don't play your best, but I felt we played extremely hard."
HOW IT HAPPENED
CMU led by as many as 13 points in the first half but found itself tied with Youngstown State at 66-66 with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. The Chippewas had an opportunity to seal the game late but a missed heavily-contested layup with five seconds left sent the game to overtime.
Both teams exchanged baskets in the first two minutes of extra play to tie the game 73-73, but three Shawn Roundtree Jr. free throws gave CMU a 76-73 lead. The Penguins would add a free throw from Garrett Covington and a layup from Devin Morgan with 22 seconds left in overtime to tie the game at 76-76.
The Chippewas had the ball with 12 seconds remaining, but a turnover gave the ball back to Youngstown State with 1.7 seconds remaining. YSU lobbed a shot from half court at the buzzer, but the attempt did got leave Devin Morgan's hand before the buzzer sounded, forcing a second overtime.
The Chippewas found themselves trailing 82-81 with 18.4 seconds remaining in the second OT, but Roundtree made a free throw to re-tie the game. The Penguins had a chance at a win with 1.7 seconds left, but Covington could not put the ball in the basket, forcing a third overtime.
CMU took command to start triple overtime, starting on a 12-2 run to open a 10-point lead. Roundtree took the game over, scoring nine points, while Dallas Morgan knocked down five clutch free throws to secure the game for the Chippewas.
LEADERS
Larry Austin Jr. finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and of his Chippewa career. Roundtree finished with 23 points, including going 9-of-13 from the free throw line. Rob Montgomery finished with a season-high 17 points and Dallas Morgan contributed a season-best 15 points off the bench.
Morgan finished with a game-high 25 points for the Penguins.
STEALS
CMU, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the MAC and No. 10 in the NCAA in steals per game (9.6), recorded 15 in the road win. The Chippewas turned 22 YSU turnovers into 33 points.
HITTING 100
The 100 points marks the third time CMU has reached the century mark in a game this season and 20th time under head coach Keno Davis. The Chippewas scored 103 points against Siena Heights on Nov. 25 and 101 versus Chicago State on Nov. 9.
NEXT
CMU hosts Southern Utah on Saturday (4:30 p.m.) in McGuirk Arena for the first of four-consecutive home games