MADISON, Wis. – D’Marco Dunn had 25 points and Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 15 points and 11 rebounds as Penn State rallied in the second half for an 86-75 victory over No. 12 Wisconsin on Saturday, preventing the Badgers from clinching a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
After Illinois defeated the Boilermakers on Friday, Wisconsin (23-8, 13-7) could have earned the double bye with a win, but they entered the weekend in a three-way tie for third place with No. 13 Maryland and No. 18 Purdue.
Wisconsin, which had won 22 straight home games against Penn State, including 19-0 at the Kohl Center, had 19 points apiece from John Blackwell and Steven Crowl.
On Dunn’s turnaround from the lane, Penn State (16-15, 6-14), which had fallen behind 13 late in the first half, took the lead 69-62.
Wisconsin cut the lead to 72-70 on Blackwell’s 3-pointer from the right corner with 3:43 left. The Badgers then went without a field goal over the final 3:43, missing its last six shots.
Dig deeper:
The Nittany Lions closed the first half with an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 40-35.
The Nittany Lions shot 60% in the second half, making 18 of 30 shots, including 6 of 11 beyond the arc.
The Nittany Lions road win at Wisconsin was the first in 30 years, since a 78-67 win on Jan. 26, 1995 at the UW Field House.
Starting guard Klesmit missed his third straight game with a lower leg injury, but should benefit from the extra rest before the Big Ten tournament.
What’s next:
Penn State did not qualify for the Big Ten Conference tournament, and would have to receive an offer to play in the NIT and the College Basketball Crown. Wisconsin waits for Big Ten tournament seeding.
