National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wisconsin 89, Penn St. 72
When: 1:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Where: Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Officials: # Lewis Garrison, # Lamont Simpson, # Gene Steratore
Attendance: 17279

No. 4 Wisconsin 89, Penn State 72: Frank Kaminsky recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds as the host Badgers cruised in their Big Ten opener.

Nigel Hayes led a balanced attack with 21 points for Wisconsin (13-1, 1-0), which raced past Penn State (12-2, 0-1) after trailing by three points late in the first half. Hayes shot 7-of-9 from the field, Sam Dekker added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and Traevon Jackson scored 16 points as the Badgers shot a season-best 63.8 percent from the field.

D.J. Newbill, the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 21.4 points entering the game, scored 29 on 11-of-18 shooting as the Nittany Lions’ 10-game winning streak ended. Shep Garner and Geno Thorpe each scored 11, but Brandon Taylor, Penn State’s second-leading scorer, finished with two points.

Newbill scored nine of Penn State’s first 13 points, helping the Nittany Lions rally from an 8-0 deficit to go ahead 13-12 on Newbill’s jumper just over seven minutes into the contest. Penn State held a 30-27 advantage with six minutes left before Hayes scored nine points to fuel a 16-6 surge, sending Wisconsin into halftime leading 43-36.

Dekker hit two jumpers in the opening minutes of the second half and Hayes’ three-point play pushed the Badgers’ advantage to 54-38 with just over 16 minutes to play. Thorpe scored four points during a 7-0 run that brought the Nittany Lions within 54-45, but Duje Dukan’s three-point play sparked an 19-6 Wisconsin burst, with Kaminsky scoring six points in the run as the Badgers stretched their lead to 73-51 on Dekker’s basket with a little more than 7½ minutes to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Newbill hit his first six shots from the field but did not score in the final 9:46 of the first half. … Hayes has scored in double figures in four of his past five games. … Wisconsin has won its past six meetings with Penn State and leads the series 32-10.
Top Game Performances
 
Penn St.   Wisconsin
D.J. Newbill 29 Scoring Nigel Hayes 21
Shep Garner 2 Assists Nigel Hayes 3
Ross Travis 5 Rebounds Frank Kaminsky 14
D.J. Newbill 5 Free Throws Made Traevon Jackson 6
D.J. Newbill 2 Steals Traevon Jackson 2
N/A Blocks Matt Ferris 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Penn St. 72 53.7 5-12 9-14 7 20 0 5 9
Wisconsin 89 63.8 6-13 23-28 9 25 3 4 9