3-Point Shot: Badgers hang on for 61-57 win over Penn State
MADISON, Wis. - The No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers pulled out a 61-57 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center. BadgerBlitz.com's three keys to the UW win are included below.
Pritzl's (near) perfect game
Brevin Pritzl played a near-perfect game coming off the bench in Wisconsin’s 64-57 game against Penn State on Saturday. The redshirt guard tied a season high with 17 points, shot 5-of-5 from the field and drained 4 of 4 baskets from 3-point range. Pritzl made 3 of 4 free-throw attempts.
Happ finishes strong after tough start
Ethan Happ struggled at the start of the Penn State game, and was 0 of 6 from the field. The senior standout played 14 minutes in the first. He scored six points, and had three rebounds and three assists before the halftime break.In the Badgers’ first game at Penn State on Jan. 6, Happ missed 8 of his first 10 field-goal attempts and went on to score a team-high 22 points in a 72-52 victory.On Saturday, Happ finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in 27 minutes in the victory.
Badgers clawed back from a first-half deficit
The win Saturday against Penn State marked the eighth time this season that the Badgers overcame a first-half deficit to clinch a victory. Wisconsin has outscored its Big Ten Conference opponents in the second half in 16 of 18 games during the season.
Redshirt junior Brevin Pritzl said finding a way to win boils down to experience. “It’s a testament to our experience from last year. Having Kobe (King) and ‘Meech (D’Mitrik Trice) back makes a difference because we’re not relying on guys to play as many minutes at one time,” Pritzl said.
“It goes to our leadership – Ethan (Happ), Brad (Davison), ‘Meech do a good job of just keeping us all composed throughout the game. When you’re composed, you don’t start stressing and it makes it a lot easier to peak.”