Five weeks ago, senior Talor Battle hugged his coach after the Penn State men’s basketball team upset Wisconsin at the Bryce Jordan Center.
It was a special moment for both of them.
The two shared a similar moment Friday night after the Nittany Lions pulled off yet another upset of the Badgers. Only this time, there was a lot more at stake.
Despite mighty offensive struggles, Battle and the Lions extended their season at least one more day after knocking off the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, nationally ranked No. 13 Wisconsin, in a low-scoring 36-33 effort at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
And as the team’s season survives, so does it’s NCAA tournament hopes. Sitting on the wrong side of the bubble entering the Big Ten tournament, the Lions have pulled off back-to-back wins by defeating Indiana and Wisconsin to set up a showdown against Michigan State on Saturday in the semifinals.
However, it wasn’t easy or pretty. In a game that featured Battle breaking Jesse Arnelle’s school scoring record, the Lions and Badgers combined for the lowest single-game scoring output in the conference tournament’s 14-year history.
“It’s really important for us,” coach Ed DeChellis told the Big Ten Network. “It wasn’t pretty but we gutted it out and I’m really proud of our kids. We got out to a great start and then we just kind of went flat.”
The Lions jumped out to a quick, 18-2 lead to open up the game, but the Badgers slowly chipped away until knotting the game up.
Penn State would make only five more baskets for the rest of the game.
None were as big as a contested 3-point attempt by Battle in the final minutes that gave the Lions enough to hold on for the eventual victory. That shot was one of the only bright spots on the game for the senior, who finished with only nine points. However, those nine points were enough to give the guard 2,140 career points as he now sits alone atop the Penn State record books.
“The win is the most important thing,” Battle said in an interview with the Big Ten Network. “I’m not going to lie, I’m a little happy that the record of Jesse Arnelle is out of the way. I probably shot 3-of-16 from the field today, but we won the game and as a team we just really competed.”
Wisconsin was led by Jordan Taylor’s 16 points and Jon Leuer’s 10.
Down by two points in the final minute, Taylor had a chance to give the Badgers the lead with a 3-point attempt from the top of the arc. That shot missed the mark, and Battle hit a free throw to extend the lead to three. Taylor had one more shot with 1.9 seconds left, but that shot didn’t come close as Tim Frazier grabbed the rebound to lock up the win.
“Jordan Taylor is a heck of a player,” Battle said. “He made it really tough. He’s big and strong. I haven’t hit a shot yet all tournament but we are 2-0. I’ll trade all the missed shots to keep winning these games.”