The three-pointer that he hit in the first half was the first one he had attempted in his career.
Now he can boast that he leads the team in three-point shooting percentage.
"That felt so great," Johnson said after the game with a big smirk on his face. "If they're going to disrespect me that much and think that I can't make that shot, I'm going to continue to shoot it. I feel I'm a good shooter -- I just don't shoot."
As for Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis' reaction to his forward's outside shooting prowess?
"When I shoot a three, you're not going to see a huge smile on his face," Johnson said. "But, if it's a good shot and it's out of the offense, it's fine. They always tell me, 'Make them respect you,' and I tried to."
Aside from displaying his sparkling perimeter shooting, Johnson helped contribute to a 15-rebound edge over the Wildcats, including a key board late in the overtime period, and hit two free throws to help spur the Lions to victory.
Up one with 34 seconds left, Jan Jagla put up a trey that missed, but was pulled in by Johnson, who promptly drew a foul.
On a night when the Lions shot an abysmal 40 percent from the free-throw line, Johnson settled down and hit both of his shots to give the Lions a 61-58 lead.
They'd need both of them when Jitim Young hit a three-pointer to tie it just 17 seconds later, sending the game into overtime.
Johnson played a career-high 36 minutes in the game, a welcome boost in a game when forwards Rob Summers and Ndu Egekeze both struggled in regulation.
"We've got to get something out of Rob," DeChellis said. "And what [Johnson] does is bring us something off of the bench. I want to know that we've got 10 or 12 points sitting on the bench and give us a lift, give us a boost."
But even with all that Johnson contributed to the team tonight, there will still be just one thing that will stick out in his mind.
"When I hit that three, that was the most fun I had in two years."
