Badgers halt slide with 71-52 win over Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ethan Happ had 22 points and eight rebounds as No. 22 Wisconsin stopped a two-game slide by routing Penn State 71-52 on Sunday night.
The struggling Nittany Lions were without coach Patrick Chambers, who was suspended for the game after shoving Penn State freshman guard Myles Dread during a timeout Thursday in a loss at Michigan. Chambers apologized and said he was just trying to get the best out of Dread.
Brad Davison added 14 points and Nate Reuvers scored 11 for Wisconsin (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten), which beat the Nittany Lions for the 11th straight time. Coming off seven-point losses to Western Kentucky and Minnesota, the Badgers led by as many as 24 and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
Lamar Stevens scored 22 points and Mike Watkins grabbed 10 rebounds for Penn State (7-8, 0-4).
The Badgers took control with a 22-6 run over 8:53 of the first half. They opened their biggest lead of the half when Davison hit his second 3-pointer to make it 29-13 with 3:52 left.
Stevens scored five of Penn State's next 10 points and Dread added a 3 to cut Wisconsin's lead to 33-23 at halftime.
The Nittany Lions got no closer as the Badgers opened the second period with 10 straight points as part of a 16-2 spurt.
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: The Badgers needed to generate some momentum heading into games against Purdue, Maryland and No. 2 Michigan.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are desperate to establish some consistency. They've used six starting lineups and haven't won back-to-back games since their first two this season.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Plays at Purdue on Friday.
Penn State: Plays at No. 24 Nebraska on Thursday.
