The Wisconsin Badgers improved to 14-5 on the season while extending the winning streak to five games after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Wisconsin returned to action against Penn State, ending a five day break away from the grueling Big Ten Conference schedule. The Badgers traveled to University Park looking to not only extend the winning streak but to also end the recent struggles against the Nittany Lions. The last two seasons in a row have consisted of upset performances out of Penn State, adding fuel to the game between the two sides this year.
The Badgers dominated the first-half of play, entering the break up 50-22 as Penn State struggled to put any offense together early. A barrage of eight three-point shots from the Wisconsin offense prevented the Nittany Lions from pulling within striking distance. Penn State made just two three-point shots in the first-half while missing ten attempts.
In the second-half of play, Wisconsin continued the success from beyond the arc with another seven triples but the defense began to slow down. Penn State outscored the Badgers 49-48 in the second-half which would have been more worrisome had the first-half been closer.
Wisconsin Badgers Extend Winning Streak to Five Games Following 98-71 win over Penn State
Leading the charge for Wisconsin on offense was the senior guard Braeden Carrington who dropped 17 points in 16 minutes off of the bench. Carrington had four rebounds and four three-point buckets, making quick and efficient work for the Badgers in his limited time on the court. The guard has come alive from the field lately with perhaps his best performance of the season coming against his former team in Minnesota (21 PTS, 5 REB).
In the starting lineup, guard John Blackwell also scored 17 points with the majority of his work done in the first-half of play. Blackwell had three triples, three rebounds, and five assists as his outside shooting helped ignite the offense. The guard has dropped 15 or more points in 11 of the Badgers’ 19 games this season. The current streak of five straight games with 15 or more points for Blackwell also aligns with the growing winning streak the team is on.
Forward Nolan Winter recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and ten rebounds against the Nittany Lions. Winter went six-for-ten from the field while adding three assists, a steal, and two blocks as his defense helped pressure Penn State down low.
Starters Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Aleksas Bieliauskas added four points, five rebounds, an assist, and a block while making his 12th start of the season for Wisconsin.
Coming off of the bench, Austin Rapp recorded 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists while going four-for-six from the field. Rapp missed a handful of games with an injury but managed to return to action for ten minutes against Rutgers without scoring. The forward looked more poised from the field and healthy against the Nittany Lions.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter (X) @JarrettGuerrera, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on all things Wisconsin sports, click here
