In a game where Penn State got 30 of its first 40 points from the duo of Sharif Chambliss and Tyler Smith, Brandon Watkins became the hero in the final two minutes and 33 seconds.

The junior point guard scored eight of the Nittany Lions' 11 points after the three-minute mark -- including the last six -- in the 51-49 win over Wisconsin last night. This after being held scoreless in the first half and having only scored two points before his finishing flurry.

"At halftime, I was thinking to myself, 'It's just not my night,'" Watkins said. "It's going to (have to) be a night for me where I have to keep my head up and I got to keep everyone else into it. (Because) if I get myself down, then at one point everyone else is going to look at me."

Watkins had everyone in the Bryce Jordan Center looking at him after coming out of a timeout with 55 seconds remaining and the Badgers holding a 46-45 lead. Penn State coach Jerry Dunn had diagrammed a play where Chambliss -- who had the hot hand and led the Lions in scoring with 20 -- was to get the shot.

But Chambliss was well-guarded and Watkins took it himself, driving to the hoop for an easy lay-up.

"If the first option isn't open, then the floor is open for dribble-drive," Dunn said of the play. "I thought Brandon made a good read, he's good off the dribble, probably as good as anyone in the league, and he took advantage of it."

Watkins signaled for Smith to clear out of the basket area so that the drive to the hole was open and promptly took it to the hoop.

"I feel I can beat anyone off the dribble at any time," Watkins said.

After hitting two foul shots in Penn State's next possession, Watkins led the final rush down the floor with the game tied at 49 and 19 seconds left.

Again, Wisconsin expected Chambliss to take the important shot, leaving Watkins as the open man and the one with the chance to win it.

"Sharif, we were just chasing," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. "There should have been a rotation from a big (man) but there wasn't."

Chambliss had the ball, but was heavily pressured, and he dished it to Watkins, who knocked down a 13-footer.

"I haven't been hitting my middle-range jump shot all year, but it just happened to fall tonight," Watkins said. "It fell at the right time I guess."

"(Watkins) was able to dribble penetrate and get the jump shot, and Watkins hit it," Ryan said. "All I could say to Jerry afterwards was, 'Your guy made the play.' "

The fact that he was last night's hero was especially gratifying for Watkins in the wake of the 61-54 loss to Indiana last Saturday in which he committed several turnovers in key situations down the stretch.

"I just told myself after that Indiana game that I never want to feel the way I felt after that game," Watkins said. "I never want to feel the way I did with that pain after the way we played against Indiana."

Dunn said he has confidence in Watkins to be a go-to guy when needed.

"Brandon is a winner, he didn't have a particularly great night, especially in the first half, but he continued to play through those things, and he had the confidence in himself to take the big shots when it counted."