The ninth-ranked Badgers had season-lows in points, field goals, and rebounds in losing their third straight game at Penn State Sunday afternoon, 63-49.

Wisconsin falls to 16-4 overall and drops to second place in the Big Ten with a record of 7-3, one-half game behind Purdue. Penn State improves to 13-8 and 5-3 in the conference.

UW had trouble with the tight PSU defense throughout the game and managed to convert only 38 percent of its field goal attempts, while committing 22 turnovers. The Badgers did not help their cause in the paint, as they were out-rebounded 42-30 by the Nittany Lions.

“I was disappointed by my team and how they played in a big game,” said Wisconsin head coach Jane Albright. “We’re not going to win games if we turn the ball over and don’t rebound. Against a team like Penn State you have to get some offensive boards; we just had seven; they had 18. It’s just fundamental basketball.”

The Badgers jumped out to a quick 8-3 start, but PSU roared back with a 9-0 run to lead 12-8 with 11:14 left. The Badgers tied the score three times and traded baskets with the Lions for the rest of the half, as PSU took a 27-25 lead at intermission.

Penn State made only 29 percent of its field goal attempts in the opening frame, and, with baskets hard to come by, the Lions tightened their defense. Wisconsin managed only eight second-half baskets (on 21 attempts), as PSU stepped up the pressure. The Badgers did cut the lead to one point, 33-32, early in the final frame, but they could get no closer as the Lions responded with a decisive 22-7 run that pushed the lead to 55-39 with just under seven minutes on the clock.

A late rally, keyed by two Kyle Black field goals, brought the Badgers to within 57-49 with 2:04 left, but it was too little too late. Penn State went 4-6 from the foul line down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Jessie Stomski led all scorers with 20 points, and Black was the only other Badger in double figures with 14 points. For the game, Black and Stomski were a combined 12-22 from the floor, but they got little help on the offensive end as the rest of the team made only six baskets on 26 attempts.

The Wisconsin defense shut down the nation’s leading scorer, Kelly Mazzante, limiting her to 16 points — ten below her season average — on 6-19 shooting. Rashana Barnes picked up the slack for PSU and notched a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Freshmen Jess Strom finished with 13 points, including 3-6 from beyond the three-point arc. “Our game plan against Kelly Mazzante actually worked pretty good,” said Coach Albright. “She got 16 points, but she really had to work for everything.”