(19) Wisconsin 72, Penn State 56: Last word

February 3, 2021
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

Three days after falling to Penn State for the first time in nearly a decade, the 19th-ranked Wisconsin basketball team got a measure of revenge on the Nittany Lions with a 72-56 win at the Kohl Center on Tuesday.

Player of the Game: Jonathan Davis

The true freshman had scored 14 points in his last three games combined, including five in Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State on Saturday. But he broke out in a big way, scoring a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the second half as the Badgers blew the game open.

While much of his offensive game to this point had been about slashing and getting to the basket, Davis did most of his damage from deep, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. His four makes matched his 3-point total from the entire season.

Davis wasn’t perfect, he had six turnovers, but it was an overwhelming positive performance and a huge boost for Wisconsin.

The good: The defense

Wisconsin got embarrassed on the defensive end of the floor against Penn State in the first game. The Nittany Lions got almost anything they wanted on their way to scoring 81 points, the most the Badgers had given up in more than two years. It included allowing them to shoot 53.6% in the second half and get 21 points in transition. After an extended film session on Monday that had Wisconsin reliving that nightmare, the Badgers got back to their defensive roots on Tuesday.

Penn State didn’t have a single fast break point and coach Greg Gard’s club limited the Nittany Lions to 24 points in the paint. For the game, they shot just 38.6% from the field and were 6-for-24 from beyond the arc.

The not so good: Turnovers

After going 34 straight games with having 11 turnovers or fewer, Wisconsin had more than that for a third straight game. The Badgers coughed it up 15 times, the most since a win at Illinois on Jan. 23, 2019. They had 11 by halftime with every player in the rotation turning it over at least once, including three by Davis. The 12th turnover didn’t come until the 9:40 mark of the second and Wisconsin leading by double digits. Still, there are few things that bother Gard more than unforced errors, which most of the turnovers were.

Stat of the Game: 50%

That’s what Wisconsin shot from the 3-point line, snapping out of a six-game stretch that saw the Badgers shooting just 30% from beyond the arc. Davis led the way hitting all four of his, while Brad Davison went 3-for-6.

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In Case You Missed It

— Brad Davison picked up the 69th charge of his career in the first half.

— Nate Reuvers became the 47th player in Wisconsin history to score at least 1,000 points in a career. The senior had nine points on the night.

— D’Mitrik Trice went scoreless for the first time in 32 games. Wisconsin’s leading scorer was 0-for-5 from the floor. He did have six assists and four rebounds.

— Trevor Anderson gave Wisconsin a lift off the bench, scoring nine points and handing out three assists in just 12 minutes of action.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (14-5, 8-4) will head to Illinois (11-5, 7-3) on Saturday to face the Fighting Illini.