Taylor, PSU break Eastern Michigan zone

For the first 13-plus minutes of the game, Eastern Michigan’s zone defense held Penn State in check.

But even during the Nittany Lions’ 19-percent shooting start, senior forward Brandon Taylor looked comfortable against the Eagles. Taylor had a hand in 13 of Penn State’s first 14 points, scoring seven points and recording two assists, and stayed productive all day in the middle of Eastern Michigan’s zone.

He hit short jumpers and hooks. He finished drives through the lane. He knocked down 3-pointers.

Taylor finished with a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds to lead Penn State to an 81-70 win over Eastern Michigan (5-3) on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center. He also found his teammates, finishing with three assists and setting up other opportunities that led to free throws.

“Brandon is a great playmaker and if you put him in the middle of the zone, he can read the defense pretty good like a point guard,” Penn State guard Shep Garner said. “He made great decisions today and found us.”

Garner added 16 points, six assists and six rebounds, and Payton Banks scored a career-high 17 points for the Nittany Lions (5-2). Penn State finished 28 for 38 from the line in a physical contest, something Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers said he expected when the programs scheduled the game.

Taylor’s versatility proved valuable to breaking Eastern Michigan’s zone.

After carrying Penn State through a rough start, he drilled a pair of 3-pointers to help fuel a strong finish to the first half. His first 3 tied the game 19-19, his second pushed the Nittany Lions’ lead to five points with 4:57 left in the half.

It was part of a 14-1 run by Penn State started by a Banks’ tip-in.

The tip-in broke an 0-for-12 stretch from the field, part of a 4-for-21 start. The Nittany Lions then hit 7 of their final 12 shots to turn a four-point deficit into a 10-point halftime lead

Taylor led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds at the break.

“Normally we do a better job of defending, but he’s a really good basketball player and he makes good decisions,” Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy said.

That was on display in the final minute of the half.

He caught a pass just in front of the elbow and found Donovon Jack down low. Jack was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 32-23.

On the final play before the break, Taylor received a pass beyond the arc. He split Eastern Michigan’s Jodan Price and Ty Toney out top and drew help from 6-foot-10 center James Thompson.

Taylor dropped a pass off for Jack, who was fouled and hit both free throws to make it 34-24.

It was a complete performance for Taylor after he scored just two points in the win over Boston College on Wednesday.

“I’m just happy we got out with the win,” Taylor said. “Even though I had two points in the BC game, I don’t even care because we got the ‘W’ so that’s all that matters to me and that’s all that matters to my team.”

The Nittany Lions built on their lead out of the break.

They went ahead by 21 after Taylor swished a 3-pointer with 13:10 left. Ninety seconds later, Banks hit a pull-up jumper to push the lead to 54-31 — the Nittany Lions’ largest lead of the game.

Garner said the team talked about putting away Eastern Michigan throughout the game, from Penn State’s burst to finish the first half through the second half playing with a comfortable lead.

Eastern Michigan never threatened, but the Eagles pulled within nine points with 1:58 left.

Said Chambers: “We got to learn how to put teams away and then keep ‘em away.”

Notes: Penn State’s Josh Reaves played four minutes in the second half after hurting his hip in the first half. Reaves finished with three points, two rebounds and a steal in 13 minutes. … James Thompson scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Eastern Michigan. Thompson was also whistled for a technical foul after standing over Penn State’s Isaiah Washington after a hard foul in the second half. … Penn State returns to action at George Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Taylor, PSU break Eastern Michigan zone."