Penn State men’s basketball snaps 13-home-game winning streak with loss to Wisconsin
Penn State had its 13-game winning streak at the Bryce Jordan Center snapped Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions were defeated by the Wisconsin Badgers, 58-49.
They struggled to score from the opening tip and that proved to be a theme for the Nittany Lions in the game. Their first bucket didn’t come until the clock showed 11:24 in the first half. By that point, Wisconsin had already built an 8-0 lead and that run proved to make a big difference in the game.
The Nittany Lions were led in scoring by senior forward Lamar Stevens, who finished with 19 points. His output was outdone in the game by Wisconsin junior forward Micah Potter, who finished with 24 points to lead the game.
Potter scored 18 of his points in the first half and proved to be the difference maker. He made 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc after making 1-of-5 attempts on the season prior to the game.
Stevens scored the first seven points of the game for Penn State to keep the team afloat, but he didn’t get enough support from most of his teammates to earn the victory. Redshirt sophomore Izaiah Brockington was the second-leading scorer for Penn State with 15 points, while junior guard Jamari Wheeler and sophomore guard Myreon Jones finished with eight and seven points, respectively.
Nobody else scored for Penn State.
Penn State (12-4) has lost two games in a row and drops to 2-3 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin (10-6) moves to 3-2 in the conference after the win. The two teams won’t meet again in the regular season.
Player of the game
Micah Potter: The Badgers struggled to score just as much as Penn State did Saturday afternoon, with the exception of Potter. The junior forward lit up the scoreboard for 24 points, 18 of which came in the first half. He was a problem for the Nittany Lions at the rim and from beyond the arc in the game. He made 4-of-6 3-point attempts and 5-of-8 of his attempts within the arc. Penn State center Mike Watkins didn’t do enough defensively to deter Potter, who did damage when he faced up the Penn State big.
Turning point
Wisconsin answers Penn State’s run: Penn State went on a 7-2 run in the middle of the second half to cut the Wisconsin lead to four points at 41-37, but the Badgers immediately answered. They went on a 9-2 run of their own to make it a 50-39 game and Wisconsin never turned back. The Badgers forced Penn State to take a timeout after the run and their 11-point lead with 6:25 left in regulation proved to be too much for the Nittany Lions to overcome. The margin never got closer than six as the Badgers closed the game out and earned the victory.
Stat of the Game
Penn State scores zero points in first 8:36: The Nittany Lions couldn’t buy a bucket in the early portion of Saturay’s game and it prevented them from having a real shot in the waning moments of the contest. The Badgers taking an 8-0 lead made it difficult for Penn State to come back, especially with how poorly they shot in the game. The first 8:36 was a more dramatic version of how the Nittany Lions played Saturday, with limited made shots even though they were getting open looks.
Quotables
Penn State head coach Pat Chambers on stopping “speed bump” losses from turning into a skid:
“(It won’t happen) because we’re different. We’re older and we’re a little bit more talented. Our frontline is older ... These guys have been here. (It’s) experience.”
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard on Penn State building its program:
“It’s a complete commitment from the whole university and specifically athletic (to build a program). I think Pat has done a great job. ... The first thing that he changed when he came here was the culture and how hard they played. In this league you have to play hard or you’re going to get your socks knocked off. I think he’s continued to build on that. Obviously he’s gotten good players and they’ve got a really good team. It takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Everybody wants instant gratification. It’s hard to win at a high level. ... He’s got things cemented in the right position in terms of culture and those types of things. ... He understands how to compete in this league. There’s goings to be ebbs and flows. We all go through it.”
Up next
Minnesota: Penn State will head on the road for its next matchup. The Nittany Lions will head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their sixth Big Ten game of the season. The Golden Gophers are the No. 40 team in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings.
Wisconsin will take on Maryland at home Tuesday night.
This story was originally published January 11, 2020 at 5:33 PM.
