Penn State basketball stumbles at Wisconsin, 63-60, after blowout win over Indiana
Penn State was unable to capitalize on the momentum from Wednesday’s blowout win over Indiana, falling to the Wisconsin Badgers 63-60 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday night’s game.
Mahaffey’s career high in minutes
It was clear early on that freshman wing Evan Mahaffey was going to set a career high in minutes in this game. He came into the game earlier than usual and tallied 11 minutes in the first half alone, over halfway to his previous career high of 19. He eclipsed that mark and took advantage of his time on the floor in his 21 minutes.
He came entered the game and added the energy he usually does, tapping a rebound to a teammate and getting an early block. He kept that defensive effort up, earning another block and a steal and providing an outlet to ball handlers on cuts to the rim. Mahaffey’s progression will be a storyline to watch as the rest of the Penn State season unfolds.
Nittany Lions excel in first half
First halves have generally not been an issue for Penn State this season, and that was the case again Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions were willing to engage in a slog of a game in its first 10 minutes, getting stops and limiting the Wisconsin offense. As things opened up near the midpoint of the half, they took advantage.
Jalen Pickett got deep into the paint and scored, and all of the team’s ball handlers were able to find players on cuts and rolls to the rim. These were the main reasons Penn State once again headed into halftime with a lead, this one at 36-30.
Another slow start to the second half
Penn State has held leads in all three of its last three games but was 1-2 in those matchups.
The Nittany Lions once again went into the locker room up, and once again came out and struggled to start the second half. Against Purdue and Michigan, that was all it took. Those early struggles in the final 20 minutes doomed the team and led to losses. That changed against Indiana, when the team came out and put together a strong half in closing out a blowout win.
Tuesday night, it once again led to a loss. While the Nittany Lions righted the ship, Wisconsin’s 10-2 run to start the second half was ultimately too much to overcome.
Lack of perimeter shots slows offense
The Nittany Lions generally get more shots off from the 20 they got — they average about 28 per game — and that made it difficult for them on offense. Efficiency wasn’t an issue on the looks they did take, with the team making eight for a 40% night from deep, but they just didn’t get enough of them.
In fact, Wisconsin only made one fewer 3-pointer than Penn State.. Yes, that’s still an advantage, but the Nittany Lions need it to be a broader one to win more often than not. Not to mention, the loss in the turnover battle meant Wisconsin was more efficient from deep and got more looks overall in the game.
Off night from Lundy has an impact
The most glaring deficiency for Penn State was that its second best player did not play well against the Badgers. Seth Lundy was in foul trouble in the second half and was unable to get involved in the offense in the game, finishing with two points on three field-goal attempts. Lundy was mostly a bystander, with the offense centering around Pickett and Andrew Funk.
That seemed like it was mostly by design, with the Nittany Lions repeatedly attacking matchups that played to their advantage, but it was still noteworthy that Lundy didn’t find a way to get himself involved more.
