Penn State men’s basketball competed in a scrappy contest against the University of Louisiana at Monroe on Saturday. The Nittany Lions came out on top 54-50 despite ULM playing tough the entire time, tearing off runs and playing hard defense. This was the second and final game being played at Rec Hall this season and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. The crowd’s energy helped fuel the team in the final couple minutes and Penn State, led by freshman phenom Josh Reaves, managed to finish the game off.

How It Happened

The game started off slowly as both teams had low shooting percentages. The Warhawks began to catch fire a bit and started shooting extremely well, yet Penn State managed to keep the game close with superior talent and strong defense. Brandon Taylor kept the Nittany Lions in the game by making two big three-pointers in the first half. Josh Reaves flew all over the place and made some incredibly athletic plays, proving again that the hype surrounding him is well-deserved. Penn State ended half leading 25-24 despite shooting 25.8 percent from the field.

Penn State managed to get hot in the second half thanks to Shep Garner, who was held scoreless before exploding for eight points in the final 10 minutes. ULM had no answer to Penn State’s deeper pool of talent. Payton Banks contributed with six points in the second half, but more importantly helped spark Penn State’s suffocating defense with his effort and aggressiveness. Forward Travis Munnings of ULM left it all on the floor with 22 points and 10 rebounds but it wasn’t enough as Penn State pulled away at the end, thanks in a big part to incredible individual efforts from Reaves. Bad free throw shooting on Penn State’s part kept it sort of tight, but ULM failed to capitalize and never recovered.

Player Of The Game

This goes to Josh Reaves, who contributed with nine points, five rebounds, and one humongous block to seal the game for Penn State. Reaves continues to show how he may be the next big star for Penn State basketball. His athleticism combined with a sweet shooting stroke played a major part in the Nittany Lions’ win today. More importantly his natural instincts on defense were on full display today.

Josh Reaves, ladies and gentlemen! That big-time swat sealed @PennStateMBB‘s win in its #ReturntoRec. https://t.co/MpM72WFhg9

— Penn State on BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) December 12, 2015

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to the City of Brotherly Love to play Drexel next Saturday. The Nittany Lions are on a two-game win streak and will face the 1-6 Dragons in a night game at 7 p.m.