That was a beatdown. In front of a “White Out” crowd at the Rec Hall, the Wisconsin Badgers earned their fifth straight win, dismantling the Penn State Nittany Lions 98-71.
Like against Rutgers, the Badgers put up another 50-point first half to seize control. The Badgers, averaging over 1.4 points per possession, led by as many as 37 against one of the Big Ten’s weakest defenses.
Penn State outscored Wisconsin 49-48 in the second half, partly because the Nittany Lions kept their starters in while Wisconsin played
backups.
On offense, the Badgers shot 51 percent from the floor, including 43 percent from behind the three-point line. Wisconsin also dominated down low in the paint, outscoring Penn State by an astounding 42-18 margin.
Defensively, the Badgers held the Nittany Lions to a mere 22 points and made Penn State shoot 24.2 percent in the first half. Needless to say, Greg Gard came away impressed with Thursday’s performance.
Many Badgers stood out, but here are three key performers from Wisconsin’s win over Penn State.
Braeden Carrington
Carrington continues to be a spark off the bench for the Badgers. On Thursday, the senior guard scored a team-high 17 points on an incredibly efficient 5-of-7 shots from the floor.
In the first half, Carrington buried four triples, including two that were 30 feet from the basket. Given his recent contributions, it might be time to put Carrington’s name into consideration for the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.
Nolan Winter
Stop me if you’ve heard this: Nolan Winter had another double-double.
The junior forward, who was questionable for this game due to an injury, scored 13 points and collected a team-high 10 rebounds. It’s Winter’s ninth double-double of the season, which is the third-most in the Big Ten.
Andrew Rohde
Rohde was a major factor in Wisconsin having 25 assists on 36 baskets. The senior guard had a team-high six assists on the day and did a great job moving the ball on offense. Rohde also provided some energy when he dove for a loose ball in the first half, cutting his chin open, and returned to the game with a bandage. It was that effort that helped Wisconsin earn its fifth-straight conference win.
Honorable Mention: Jack Robison
It’s always great when the Badgers have the game all but wrapped up, and we get to see players such as Jack Robison, Isaac Gard, and Riccardo Greppi get playing time. Against Penn State, Robison got into the stat sheet by scoring four points and burying his only three-point attempt of the game.
