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No. 15 Wisconsin shoots its way past Penn State

spt-120219-wisconsin

Mike Miller

Poor Penn State. The outcome was inevitable once Wisconsin started hitting 3s.

The No. 15 Badgers hit 11 of 22 shots from beyond the arc, including five in a row at one point in the first half during a 65-55 win Sunday. Four players hit at least two from deep, giving Wisconsin some nice balance and relief for senior point guard Jordan Taylor, who often has to carry the scoring burden.

“Anytime you can have multiple weapons out there who can score it’s going to help your team,” said Josh Gasser, who finished with 15. “I think the games that we’ve played our best offensively are the games where it’s been pretty spread out scoring. Anytime that can happen, it takes a lot of pressure off Jordan.”

The victory gave Wisconsin (20-7, 9-5 in Big Ten) its ninth 20-win season under coach Bo Ryan. If that sounds impressive, it is. The Badgers had just four in 103 seasons before he arrived.

They’re all alone in third place in the Big Ten, but it’s clear that’s their spot. They’ve lost twice to Michigan State and to Michigan and Ohio State. When those 3s are falling, Wisconsin’s dangerous, but it remains a good, not great team.

“It’s always nice when you see the ball go thru the hoop,” Taylor said. “No matter what tho, we’re staying confident, aggressive.”

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.