Micah Shrewsberry 'proud' of Penn State in 51-49 loss at No. 11 Wisconsin

In his first year with the Nittany Lions, Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry has made plain his distaste for losing.

Saturday night in Madison, it didn’t show.

Following a 51-49 loss to the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers, Shrewsberry relayed a message to his Nittany Lions. Having battled through travel difficulties, a dismal shooting start, and a wild swing in the game’s end, Penn State again demonstrated its mettle.

“That’s who they are. They’re a tough, resilient group,” Shrewsberry said in his postgame radio interview. “We don’t use excuses, we don’t look at the scoreboard, we don’t look at the time. We just fight until that last one goes off. And that’s what they did. 

“I’m proud of those guys. That’s what I told them. We never talk about moral victories, but what they did, what these guys did today, I’m proud of these guys.”

Penn State’s fight at Wisconsin

The props were hard-earned for Penn State against the Badgers.

Landing in Madison less than three hours before tip, plane issues leaving the Nittany Lions without transit to Wisconsin, Penn State showed it in the game’s start. Connecting on just 1-of-20 shots from the floor to start, the Nittany Lions found themselves trailing 14-3 with just 7:28 left to play in the first half.

For as brutal as Penn State’s offensive performance appeared, the Nittany Lions also coughed up eight turnovers before reaching the locker room, a suffocating defensive effort accompanied it. Wisconsin, one of the Big Ten’s fastest-paced offenses this season, found little success itself. 

The result was an 18-13 deficit for Penn State at the half and, more importantly, an opportunity. 

“It’s just a mindset for those guys. It starts with our leaders. It starts with our older guys. They believe if we guard on that end, then we’ll have a chance and that’s what they kept doing,” Shrewsberry said. “And we had a chance. Those guys, our assistant coaches put together a great game plan and they followed it to a tee.”

A new half of basketball

With the scoring opening up in the second half for both sides, Penn State and Wisconsin traded jabs. The two teams combined for five made 3-pointers in the first six minutes, with Penn State ultimately surging to take a lead in the middle eight minutes. 

Emboldened by Sam Sessoms heating up for 10 points in four minutes, bookended by two made 3-pointers for Greg Lee, the Nittany Lions found themselves with a 40-36 advantage with 7:42 left to play. In a building Penn State had never won, and a location in Madison in which the Nittany Lions had lost every game since January 1995, an upset bid was within sight.

“We just started sticking to some things, what we practiced. We tried to put those guys in a position where they could see it a little bit easier in terms of the areas that they can attack,” Shrewsberry said. “Sam did a good job of attacking and getting into the paint drawing help. Greg Lee did a great job of spacing the floor and putting their big guys in a bind. We played a lot better.”

Not taking it without a response, Wisconsin delivered a haymaker.

In less than four minutes, two Stephen Crowl 3-pointers and Brad Davisons’ ninth point (after being blanked in the first half) gave the hosts a 13-0 run and seemingly insurmountable 49-40 advantage with 3:44 to play.

Enduring a drought concurrent to Wisconsin’s jolt of offense, Shrewsberry acknowledged the missed opportunity. 

“They’re a good team and they go to some different stuff late and Stephen Crowl pops and makes a couple of threes that hurt you,” he said. “But, we take away those. If we’re better in that situation, then we’re probably walking out here a little happier.”

Penn State’s final push

Not finished, Penn State had a final push of its own. 

Rallying behind a 9-0 run, A Seth Lundy 3-pointer and back-to-back Myles Dread buckets tied the game at 49-49.

Still, a Tyler Wahl drive to the basket connected for the Badgers, setting up a final look for Penn State. Though trailing 51-49 with 27 seconds to play, Wisconsin’s four team fouls allowed the hosts to strike Penn State twice in the last 13 seconds as the Nittany Lions also used up three timeouts. 

Finally setting up a final look with six seconds to play, Dread couldn’t match his heroics from a recent win against Iowa. Clanking back iron instead, the would-be game-winning shot left the Nittany Lions exiting the Kohl Center on the losing end of the decision.

“We were gonna take the best shot possible,” Shrewsberry said. “Myles got the guy off his feet and dribbled into one. He’s got a knack for making those tough shots.”

Penn State (9-10 overall, 4-7 Big Ten) returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Michigan (11-9, 5-5). The game will tip at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast by the BTN.