WISCONSIN66, PENN STATE 60
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Jan. 21, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) - Penn State men's basketball battled back from a deficit as large as 17 to shrink the gap to three, but fell short in a 66-60 loss to Wisconsin Thursday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Ten of the last 11 meetings between the Nittany Lions and the Badgers have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
Wisconsin (11-9, 3-4 Big Ten) led by as many as 17 in the middle of the second half but Taylor came alive late. Although Penn State's leading scorer attempted just one first-half shot, he scored nine of Penn State's final 11 points including his lone 3-pointer with 6:20 to play. It sparked a 12-3 run to pull Penn State within five with 3:16 left.
Devin Foster drilled a 3-pointer to cut Wisconsin's lead to 63-60 with 30 seconds left. Happ secured the win with three free throws.
Payton Banks added 11 points for Penn State (11-9, 2-5) while Shep Garner and Foster scored 10 apiece.
Penn State earned its only lead of the night right out of the gate. But Julian Moore's opening layup, augmented by a Jordan Dickerson free throw, wouldn't hold up for long as the Badgers hit basket after basket. Happ was hot from the start with eight of Wisconsin's first 17 points to spot the Badgers an eight-point lead with 10:10 to play in the first.
Meanwhile, Penn State struggled to find openings. The Nittany Lions attempted just 16 first-half shots and took nearly 13 minutes to reach double figures. Taylor was kept in check by Hayes who manned up on Penn State's versatile forward. Taylor had little help as his teammates struggled get shots against a Badgers defense that had held six other teams to season-low point totals over the past 12 games.
Taylor broke out of his shooting slump with his first points of the game with 13:27 remaining. He cut Wisconsin's lead to 11 moments later with a spin move and layup around Bronson Koenig that gave a quiet crowd reason to cheer.
Penn State would keep Wisconsin within two possessions but Happ's presence at the free-throw line - he finished the game 10-for-15 - was the difference.
The Nittany Lions return to the road next week, traveling to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes Monday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.