This season has not exactly gone smoothly for Penn State this season, but they were able to get the first signature win of the [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] era with a massive 87-83 victory over the no. 8 Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday night.
After a snow day canceled class for the day, students were given free tickets and half price on chicken baskets to come see the Nittany Lions play at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The arena was packed and they were treated to the best moment of Penn State’s season so far.
The Nittany Lions got out of the gates quickly when [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] hit a three-pointer to start things off. Their hot start to the game quickly put Wisconsin in chase mode and Penn State was able to get an early 10 point lead five minutes into the half.
They held this lead for the entire first half, never trailing the ranked Badgers for one second.
In the past, the Nittany Lions have failed to piece together 40 minutes of solid basketball. Rhoades implored his team to clean up mistakes before this game to give themselves an opportunity to win.
They accomplished that and then some.
Despite Wisconsin constantly knocking on the door, threatening to take the lead, Penn State kept attacking and making shots, answering anything the Badgers did in their attempted comeback.
Things got dicey with five minutes left as the Badgers took a 70-68 lead following made three-pointer from Max Klesmit.
However, [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] made four-straight free throws on back-to-back possession to give the Nittany Lions a 72-70 lead once again.
They never trailed again, inducing the crowd to storm the court after pulling off their first win over a top-15 team since Jan. 30, 2021.
[autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was spectacular once again, scoring a game-high 27 points and adding four rebounds and three assists. 19 of those points were in the second half.
Baldwin might have had his best game in a Nittany Lions uniform, scoring 20 points on 7-11 shooting and hitting four out of his five three-pointers after making his first four attempted. For a player struggling with his long-range shooting, this was a great sign.
Kern was inserted into the starting lineup and had his third-straight game scoring double-digits with 15 points.
This was the best Penn State has played in the Rhoades era and it was fitting they were able to pull off a major upset.
Tuesday night could be the moment the season turns around for the Nittany Lions.