Game Preview: Penn State vs. Eastern Michigan

Story posted December 4, 2015 in CommRadio, Sports by Mike Wszolek

Penn State will go for three straight wins on Saturday when they take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Penn State is coming off of a huge win against Boston College on the road this past Wednesday night in the B1G/ACC challenge.

Although Eastern Michigan is 5-2, three of their five wins came against teams outside of Division I basketball. Their other two wins have come against Vermont and Nebraska-Omaha. The Eagles will be looking for their first quality win on Saturday, and it would be a big one if they could knock off Penn State.

Eastern Michigan is led by junior Willie Mangum, who is been the leader of the team this year. Magnum is averaging over 15 points per game, but was not a factor in their recent game against Nebraska-Omaha. James Thompson IV and Raven Lee gave the team a spark off the bench. Lee played in his first game all season, scoring 17 points off the bench for the Eagles. Eastern Michigan’s strength is scoring, as they average over 80 points per game.

Penn State is riding high after their 67-58 victory against Boston College on Wednesday night. The lead went back and forth for a majority of the game, but Penn State pulled away late. The difference in the game was sophomore Shep Garner, who sunk eight three pointers and finished the game with 30 points.

Penn State’s defense will have to show up and play hard against the Eagles come Saturday. If the defense for Penn State can hold the Eagles under 70 points, then it should be an easy win for the Nittany Lions. It will be a close game if the defense allows anymore than that.

Donavon Jack and Jordan Dickerson will have to play exceptionally well and could ultimately be the difference for Penn State. Dickerson has a few inches on Eastern Michigan’s Thompson and needs to take advantage of the height difference. Rebounding has been a struggle all season for this team, and the ideal time to step up and get offensive boards would be Saturday. Jack has been a great captain off the bench, and his presence is always appreciated by all of the other players.

Tip-off is set for noon on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center.


Mike Wszolek is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email mewszolek@gmail.com