MADISON, Wis. – The Penn State men's basketball team dropped a tough 63-60 defensive battle at Wisconsin Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
Jalen Pickett led Penn State with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for his fifth double-double of the season. Andrew Funk followed with 16 points, while Myles Dread added 11.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game started as a back-and-forth battle as neither team was able to find much separation in the opening 13 minutes.
- The Badgers held a slim 22-20 lead at the 7:24 mark of the opening half before Funk drilled his second 3-pointer of the night and Evan Mahaffey followed with an offensive put-back to spark a 16-8 Nittany Lion run to close the half. Penn State went 6-for-9 from the field during the stretch and the Nittany Lion defense limited the Badgers to just three field goals in the final 7:20 of the half to help PSU take a 36-30 lead into halftime.
- Penn State started the second half cold, shooting just 1-for-9 in the first eight minutes as Wisconsin was able to string together a 12-2 run and pull ahead 42-38 with 12:12 to play. Pickett responded with a 3-pointer at the 11:47 mark to jumpstart the Nittany Lion offense before Funk scored eight points over a 1:50 stretch and Penn State knotted the score at 49-49 with 8:24 left on the clock.
- The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes with neither team leading by more than three until a Connor Essegian 3-pointer at 2:59 gave the badgers a 61-57 edge. Myles Dread answered immediately with a triple on Penn State's next possession to pull the Nittany Lions back within one at 61-60 with 2:38 to play.
- Wisconsin didn't make a field goal in the final three minutes of the game would only add two free throws with seven seconds left on the clock. Penn State had a couple chances to win or tie in the final minute, but the Nittany Lions weren't able to come up with the clutch basket as Wisconsin claimed the 63-60 win.
GAME NOTES
- The Nittany Lions shot 52.0% (13-25) from the field and 55.6% (5-9) from 3-point range in the first half, but just 37.5% (9-24) from the floor and 27.3% (3-11) from deep in the second half.
- Jalen Pickett notched his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds while adding six assists.
- Andrew Funk scored in double figures for the 11th time this season, while Dread notched his fifth double-digit scoring game.
- Penn State remains winless inside the Kohl Center, now sitting at 0-19 all-time.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for its only Saturday home game of the season when the Nittany Lions host Nebraska at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. Penn State will host its annual Coaches vs. Cancer game, with a portion of ticket proceeds bought from this link being donated to the Penn State chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.