Three takeaways from Penn State basketball's narrow loss to No. 11 Wisconsin

Enduring travel complications and an ice-cold offensive start, Penn State nearly took down No. 11 Wisconsin on the road, falling 51-49.

The Nittany Lions slip to 9-10 and 4-7 in conference play with the defeat.

“I’m proud of those guys,” head coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “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.”

1. Defense gives Penn State a lifeline, but it isn’t enough

Shrewsberry said before the season even began that the Nittany Lions would have to lean on their defense.

The Nittany Lions don’t have the same weapons on offense as many of their opponents in the Big Ten. A stout defense that can keep them close is their most realistic avenue to competitive games against the Big Ten’s top tier.

Penn State got that from its defense today. Even as the Nittany Lions missed 19 of their first 20 shots, scoring three points over the first 12:58, they entered halftime trailing by only five.

Penn State held the Badgers to 38 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc. They allowed the hosts to shoot just six free throws.

“It’s just a mindset for those guys,” Shrewsberry said. “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. And we had a chance. Those guys, our assistant coaches put together a great game plan and they followed it.”

Still, it wasn’t enough to drag the Nittany Lions over the finish line. Penn State’s offense woke up in the second half, thanks primarily to Sam Sessoms. But the Lions still shot only 32 percent for the game on their way to a season-low 49 points.

Wisconsin’s 51 points marked the lowest total for the program since November 26, 2019, when the Badgers scored just 50 in a loss to New Mexico.

“To play this team to the 51 points, we just got to muster up a few more,” Shrewsberry said.

2. Interior scoring dries up for Lions

Penn State big man John Harrar posted a career-high 19 points on Monday against Iowa. Greg Lee complimented him with 16 points.

It was the first time since at least 2004 that Penn State had two big men (6-foot-9+) score 15 or more points in the same game. Most of those points came on the interior.

Saturday, the Nittany Lions got 14 points in the paint total.

Harrar had just two, both coming from the free-throw line. Lee produced a nice game offensively, but his contribution came primarily from the perimeter, connecting on a pair of triples.

The well of easy scoring opportunities totally dried up, leaving Penn State dependent on jump shots. Some teams can get away with that, but the Nittany Lions haven’t shown themselves to be one of them over the course of this season.

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

3. PSU keeps Johnny Davis at bay

The Nittany Lions held future NBA lottery pick, Johnny Davis, to his worst performance of the season by a large margin.

Davis, who entered the game averaging 21.4 points per contest, managed only four.

He connected on two of his 13 field goal attempts, failing to reach double figures for the first time this season. His previous scoring low had been 13 points.

Most of the acclaim has to go to Penn State forward Seth Lundy, who is consistently matched up against the opposition’s best player.

Lundy has transformed himself into one of the better defenders in the Big Ten this season, and this is just the latest evidence.