After an exciting game against then-No.1 Ohio State last weekend, Sunday's matinee against Penn State was sure to be lacking in terms of emotional punch. But after a loss to Purdue during the week, defending the home turf was crucial for UW as they responded with a 76-66 win over Penn State.
Though Wisconsin (10-4 Big Ten, 20-6 overall) had dropped a tough game on the road earlier this year against the Nittany Lions (7-8, 14-12), PSU had never won at the Kohl Center and until having a 16-point, 2nd-half lead last year, had really never come close to doing so.
Never trailing, the Badgers were led by senior forward Jon Leuer's 22 points and 10 rebounds and perhaps even more so by the hot hand of fellow senior Keaton Nankivil, who rebounded from a tough shooting stretch to go 8-for-9 from the field including 5-of-5 from three-point range.
The 22 points for Nankivil marked just the third time in his career he has surpassed the 20-point mark.
""We gave him open shots,"" Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said after the game. ""That's not what you really want to do with him because he's a really good perimeter shooter.""
""He's a rhythm shooter,"" Leuer added. ""When he gets into a rhythm he's as good a shooter as anyone in the country.""
Three-point shooting was key as UW shot 8-for-15 from downtown, a far cry from the 3-for-18 put up against Purdue.
""We've got to continue to shoot it well,"" freshman guard Josh Gasser said. ""Whether it's at home or on the road.""
Although he finished with 13 points and seven assists (once again without committing a turnover), junior guard Jordan Taylor was clearly without the magic of last weekend, shooting just 4-for-11 from the field and even picking up a rare technical foul after a miscommunication on a foul call that ultimately went against Leuer.
""I believe there was an erroneous number given to the scorer's table,"" UW head coach Bo Ryan said somewhat facetiously. ""Jordan said ‘that foul was not on me' and was given a technical foul.""
While the final margin of victory was just 10, this one was never in question. The Badgers took the lead on the first possession with Leuer's turnaround floater and never looked back, eventually building a 19-point lead before Penn State's shooters got hot late.
Aside from the big numbers posted by Leuer and Nankivil, freshman guard Josh Gasser returned to form after a tough game in West Lafayette, shooting three of four from the field for 11 points to go along with five assists and two rebounds. With 4 players scoring in double digits, not even the eight 2nd half three-pointers by PSU could put a Badger victory in doubt.
Ultimately, the difference came at the free throw line. As they have throughout the season, UW tried to stay aggressive offensively and managed to get to the line 21 times, converting 18 of those free throws compared to just three for Penn State.
Next up the Badgers head to Ann Arbor for a tough midweek date with a hot Wolverine team that has gotten itself back onto the bubble and this weekend overcame a double-digit deficit at Iowa to pick up a key road win.
""We are gonna play the hottest team in basketball next,"" Ryan said. ""As long as we stay resilient, we've got a chance""
