UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –The Penn State men’s basketball team dropped a 98-71 result to the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday night inside Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions made their return to the program’s historic home for the third season in a row, participating in its sixth Return to Rec game since a permanent move to the Bryce Jordan Center in 1996. Senior forward Josh Reed led PSU’s offensive efforts with a season-high 18 points on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting performance, adding six rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V contributed 17 points off the bench, freshman guard Mason Blackwood registered a career-high 14, and freshman forward Ivan Jurić hauled in a career-best 12 rebounds to finish with the game-high mark in that statistic.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Wisconsin controlled the opening tip and immediately turned the ball over, but PSU was unable to capitalize on its opening possession the other way. The Nittany Lion defense remained stalwart early on, and Kayden Mingo logged the game’s first four points with an athletic finish in the lane and step back jumper from mid-range. Wisconsin rattled off seven unanswered, but a turnaround jumper from Reed and a friendly bounce for Dilione V slowed the Badger momentum. Both teams exchanged blows from there, playing to the tune of a 12-11 Badger advantage at the 12:39 mark of the first half.
- PSU kept its strong start rolling on the other side of the game’s first media break, with Eli Rice finding Melih Tunca in transition for an impressive breakaway bucket. The Badgers replied with a quick and-one opportunity and made it an 13-0 scoring run shortly thereafter to push their advantage to 25-13. Reed knocked down a 3-ball to stymie the Badger stretch, but a Wisconsin answer from long range made it 28-16 with less than eight to play in the first.
- Wisconsin went on an extended scoring run over the next five minutes to balloon the lead to 25 points. Dominick Stewart connected from mid-range on the other side of the first half’s final media break, and the Blue & White added a few more points at the charity stripe, but Wisconsin led 50-22 at the break.
- The early moments of the second half saw both teams exchange buckets, but the Badgers remained largely in control through the first two media breaks in the period. A scoring burst from Reed and Dilione V saw the Nittany Lions gain some momentum, but an and-one dunk from Wisconsin paved the way to a 70-42 score with 11:17 to go.
- Reed and Dilione V continued to push the pace offensively, with both student-athletes cementing strong individual scoring performances as the game wound down. Wisconsin remained in control through the final horn, finishing the 98-71 result in Rec Hall.
GAME NOTES
- Penn State falls to 9-10 overall and 0-8 in Big Ten Conference competitions in the 2025-26 season. Wisconsin rises to 14-5 overall and 6-2 in league play.
- Senior forward Josh Reed led the team in scoring for the second time this season, scoring 18 points to mark his highest-scoring game in a Nittany Lion uniform. Reed added six rebounds on the night.
- Freshman forward Ivan Jurić led the team in rebounds with a career-high 12 boards, marking the second time this season that he reached double figures. Jurić tallied five points on the night.
- Freshman guard Kayden Mingo led the team in assists for the 12th time this season, tallying five on the night. Mingo added six points and collected two rebounds.
- Redshirt Junior guard Freddie Dilione V impressed in the second half, scoring 15 out of his 17 points in the period. Dilione V's 17 points gave him his 14th game reaching double-digits this season, leading the team in that category.
- Freshman forward Mason Blackwood surpassed his career high in scoring with 14 points on the night in 22 minutes. He added six rebounds to go along his career-best scoring mark.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions hit the road for their next two matchups, beginning with a trip to Ohio State Monday night for a 7 p.m. tipoff on FS1.