Three Up, Three Down: Wagner Edition

Continuing to struggle with non-conference opponents, Penn looks to end its 3-game skid with a road win against Wagner. Here's our final Three Up, Three Down of 2012:

Three Up-

Greg Louis: Louis put 19 points on the board in Penn's last game against Delaware, the first time he scored in double-digits this season. Although Louis's minutes have varied this season, his ability to score is much needed on a team shooting just 40.4 percent from the field. Louis may need to play a larger role in the next few games even if the five suspended players return. Louis's minutes have increased in each of the last three games, so look for his large presence to continue against Wagner.

Fran Dougherty: The junior forward leads the Quakers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Second in minutes to Miles Cartwright --one of the five Quakers currently suspended-- Dougherty will need to continue to lead the team if they hope to end their current three-game losing streak. Against Delaware, Dougherty scored 18 points, while also tallying 9 rebounds. He has scored 10 or more points in seven of Penn's 10 games this season. With the Quakers' in flux regardless of who starts Saturday, Dougherty will likely continue to lead the team in minutes.

Wagner's rebounding: The Seahawks rank 72nd in Division I with 38.4 rebounds per game, 6.2 more than the Quakers' average. Senior guard Jonathon Williams leads Wagner in both scoring and rebounding, with 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He logged 17 boards in an overtime win against Coppin State on Dec. 15. Sophomore forward Mario Moody also brings a strong rebounding presence off the bench for Wagner, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Penn gave up a whopping 50 rebounds to Delaware in its last game, a stat that could spell even greater danger against Wagner.

Three Down-

Penn's Rotation: Against UD, Penn coach Jerome Allen went with a seven-man rotation as a result of the recent suspension of five players. The seven-man rotation was unable to keep it going, and eventually lost by 23 to the Blue Hens. It would be surprising to see anything different against Wagner, especially because of the team's collective inexperience. If the Quakers can limit their turnovers and somehow keep the Seahawks off the boards, the team could carry at least some momentum into 2013.

Penn's second-half defense: The Quakers gave up 51 points in the second half to the Blue Hens in their last game. To keep that in perspective, against Penn State on Dec. 1, the Quakers scored 47 points for the entire game. If this squad wants to start turning its season around, it will need to limit the Seahawks' scoring in the second half. Against Delaware, Penn had some early success but was outscored 51-34 in the second half. To beat Wagner, the Quakers will need to play a full 40 minutes for the first time this season and limit Wagner's scoring chances as the game continues on.

Turnovers: The Quakers turned the ball over 17 times against Delaware, on par with the team's season average, even without Miles Cartwright and his team-leading 3.1 turnovers per game. Wagner has now held two teams under 30 percent shooting this season and is limiting the opposition to just 38.5 percent shooting, including 24.7 percent from long range. Both totals lead the Northeast Conference (NEC). If the Quakers struggle again from the field, turnovers will surely follow.