LDN - Sports

Koenig leads No. 15 Wisconsin to rout of Penn State

[January 25, 2017] MADISON, Wis. -- Adjustments on defense and valuable contributions from veteran players boosted No. 15 Wisconsin to its fourth straight victory.

Senior guard Bronson Koenig scored 20 points to lift the Badgers to an 82-55 Big Ten Conference victory over Penn State on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Koenig shot 4 of 9 from beyond the arc for Wisconsin, which was 9 of 23 from 3-point range. The Badgers shot 47.3 percent from the field.

Senior forward Vitto Brown registered 16 points and sophomore forward Ethan Happ added 14 for the Badgers (17-3, 6-1 Big Ten), who have won 13 of their last 14 games.

Wisconsin allowed 13 points in transition to the Nittany Lions in the first half. Penn State shot 52.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Junior guard Shep Garner shot 3 for 3 from long range and contributed a team-high nine points.

"When they were making shots, we couldn't get out and run," said Penn State coach Patrick Chambers. "There was no transition for us. We had them a little bit off balance, and that's when we were more productive on the offensive end.

"Our inexperience showed in the second half. We did some good things in the first half defensively, but they exploited our weaknesses in the second half."

Freshman guard Tony Carr and junior forward Payton Banks scored 12 points apiece for the Nittany Lions (11-10, 3-5).

Turnovers and poor second-half shooting pushed Penn State out of contention. The Nittany Lions shot 38.8 percent and had 17 turnovers.

Koenig scored 10 first-half points to give the Badgers a 36-33 lead at the halftime break. He missed a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Although the Nittany Lions posted a solid first-half shooting effort, they had problems taking care of the ball, collecting nine turnovers.

Wisconsin shot only 39.3 percent in the first half and maintained the lead despite a scoring drought of 4 minutes, 28 seconds without a field goal.

The Badgers' foul shooting gave them an edge in the first as Wisconsin shot 10 for 16 from the charity stripe.

Happ had layups on consecutive possessions to open the second half, extending Wisconsin's lead to 40-33. He scored seven points during a 13-2 run for the Badgers as the Nittany Lions became mired in a scoring drought that spanned 5:58 of the second.

The victory marked the fourth consecutive game that the Badgers shot 50 percent or more in the second half. They shot 55.6 percent in the second against Penn State.

Brown said he isn't sure why the Badgers perform better the final 20 minutes, but some half-time discussion tends to put greater emphasis on things that need to be done to put teams away.

"I think it's because people go off on us at halftime and tell us that we're not taking care of business like we should be, so we re-focus and take care of that in the second half," Brown said. "We just got to do that in the first half next time."

Lions shot 38.8 percent (19 of 49) and had 17 turnovers.

Penn State shot 52.2 percent (12 of 23) in the opening 20 minutes, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Junior guard Shep Garner shot 3-of-3 from long range and contributed a team-high 9 points.

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Wisconsin Badgers guard Bronson Koenig (24) tries to move the ball past Penn State Nittany Lions guard Tony Carr (10) and Penn State Nittany Lions forward Payton Banks (0) during the first half at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Senior guard Bronson Koenig scored 10 first-half points to give the Badgers a slim 36-33 lead at the halftime break. He missed a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Although the Nittany Lions posted a solid first-half shooting effort, they had problems taking care of the ball, collecting nine turnovers.

Wisconsin shot only 39.3 percent (11 of 28) in the first half and maintained the lead despite a scoring drought of 4 minutes, 28 seconds without a field goal.

The Badgers' foul shooting gave them an edge in the first, as Wisconsin shot 10-of-16 from the charity stripe.

Happ had layups on consecutive possessions to open the second half, extending Wisconsin's lead to 40-33. He scored 7 points during a 13-2 run for the Badgers, as the Nittany Lions became mired in a scoring drought that spanned 5:58 of the second.

Wisconsin outrebounded Penn State 39-25 in the game, getting 8 rebounds each from Happ and senior forward Nigel Hayes and 7 from Brown.

Chambers starts two freshmen, Carr and Lamar Stevens, and gives a good chunk of minutes to redshirt freshman F Mike Watkins.

Chambers said the Nittany Lions need more experience and need to learn how to handle opponents' runs at critical times.

Chamber is impressed with the Badgers' ability not to rely on one particular player on offense.

"You've got to pick your poison," Chambers said. "You've got to take away Happ and Hayes, well then Koenig is going to take advantage of you, and (Zak) Showalter and Brown. These guys are older guys, they've been there before -- been there, done that.

"Our inexperience showed in the second half. We did some good things in the first half defensively, but they exploited our weaknesses in the second half."

NOTES: Wisconsin begins a two-game road swing Saturday against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Badgers play at Illinois on Jan. 31. ... Penn State hosts Illinois on Saturday. ... The last time the Nittany Lions posted a victory over Wisconsin was a 36-33 win in the Big Ten tournament March 11, 2011. ... Penn State is 0-15 at the Kohl Center, which opened in 1998. ... Wisconsin leads the series 34-10. ... Penn State sophomore G Josh Reaves entered the game against Wisconsin averaging a Big Ten-best 2.8 steals.

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