Wisconsin sets record in win against cagers

By CRAIG KACKENMEISTER
Collegian Staff Writer

The Penn State men's basketball team had a week's break to recover from a tough, three-game losing homestand it experienced two weeks ago, during which all three losses came in the final minutes.

The time off did not help.

Saturday night at The Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., the Nittany Lions (10-12, 2-10 Big Ten) had an opportunity to avenge a previous last-minute loss to Wisconsin. But the second meeting was not as close as the first, as the No. 15 Badgers (21-5, 9-4) held on down the stretch for a 73-63 victory.

The win gave the Badgers a school-record 21 wins on the season, while Penn State dropped its fifth straight game and ninth in its last 10. Eight of those nine losses have come against ranked teams.

For the second straight game, sixth-year guard Dan Earl showed his leadership by scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half. In Penn State's last game against Northwestern, Earl rebounded from a six-point first half to score 20 in the second.

The Lions battled back from a 13-point deficit with 7:25 left in regulation with the help of Earl, who scored eight straight points to get Penn State back into the game.

But the depth of the Badgers was too much for Penn State. Wisconsin's bench outscored the Lions' bench 41-13, with Badger Mark Vershaw scoring a game-high 16 points and teammate Charlie Wills chipping in with 14. Greg Grays accounted for all 13 of the Lions' bench points.

"They made some big shots down the stretch," Lions coach Jerry Dunn said on the Penn State Radio Network. "Their big guys were able to hit some big jump shots. It was a hard-fought ball game."

The Lions hung tough with Wisconsin throughout the game, but 14 Penn State turnovers in the first half gave the Badgers an opportunity to open a 31-21 halftime lead. A lead they would not lose.

"I thought we did a good job playing through the grabbing, pushing and holding going on," said Dunn, who watched his team commit 17 turnovers. "We're on the road and we have to expect these things. Sometimes the mindset has to be stronger than other times. But (Wisconsin) did some things and created turnovers.

"They have good balance on both ends of the floor. They may be the best defensive team in the country."

Badgers guard Sean Mason, who has overcome two consecutive seasons with anterior cruciate ligament injuries, scored 15 points -- seven of which came in the opening minutes of the game.

Lions guard Joe Crispin went a perfect 5 for 5 from the field including three 3-pointers to finish with 13 points. Forwards Titus Ivory and Gyasi Cline-Heard scored eight points apiece and center Calvin Booth finished with six.

The Lions next face No. 22 Minnesota at 8 p.m. Wednesday at The Bryce Jordan Center. The Golden Gophers, who defeated Penn State 75-60 in their first meeting this season, are coming off an 84-82 final-second loss to No. 5 Michigan State Saturday.