Coming off its dramatic, last-second victory over Michigan State, Thursday night’s trip to University Park looked like it could potentially be a trap game for Wisconsin.
Though Penn State made things interesting down the stretch, the Badgers were able to hold on to pick up a road win and earn back-to-back Big Ten victories for the first time this season.
Redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to record his seventh double-double of the season, as Wisconsin (3-4 Big Ten, 11-9 overall) outlasted the Nittany Lions (2-5, 11-9) 66-60.
The Badgers led by as much as 17 in the second half, but a late, furious Penn State rally cut the deficit as low as three. But, thanks to a string of three consecutive free throws by UW, the Nittany Lions were unable to complete the comeback, allowing the Badgers to escape the Bryce Jordan Center with a win.
Junior forward Nigel Hayes added 15 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block for Wisconsin. Though it wasn’t his best offensive showing (he finished 5-14 from the field), Hayes still rose to the occasion when his team needed him most, scoring seven points in the last three minutes of the game, including a huge 3-pointer with 2:51 left.
Hayes was solid on the defensive end, holding Penn State leading scorer Brandon Taylor, who came in averaging 16.4 points per game, in check for most of the night. Though Taylor finished with 13 points, he took only nine shots (his second-lowest total of the season) and didn’t score his first points until the 13:08 mark in the second half.
Though the Nittany Lions opened the game with a 3-0 lead, Wisconsin responded with a 13-2 run and would never trail again. The Badgers took a 27-18 lead into the locker room after Alex Illikainen buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The freshman forward gave interim head coach Greg Gard quality minutes off the bench, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds during a career-high 26 minutes of playing time.
In that first half, Wisconsin shot 42.3 percent as a team and turned it over six times. However, any of its struggles were outweighed by those of Penn State, which finished the half with more turnovers (9) than shots made (5).
Following Illikainen’s triple, the Badgers picked up right where they left off in the second half, going on an 11-3 run over the first 5:58 of the half.
Despite spending much of the half trailing by double digits, the Nittany Lions went on a 28-14 run, aided by some missed free throws by UW down the stretch, to pull within three with 30 seconds remaining.
But Happ was able to seal the deal by making three of his last four free throws to preserve the victory.
Wisconsin did much of its work inside the arc, attempting just 10 3-pointers and outscoring Penn State 24-12 in the paint. The Badgers finished the night 41.7 percent from the field, compared to a 38.6 percent mark for the Nittany Lions.
Next up for Wisconsin is No. 25 Indiana (6-0, 16-3), who won their first meeting at Assembly Hall earlier in the month 59-58. The Badgers and the Hoosiers will square off at the Kohl Center Tuesday at 6 p.m.
