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Badgers rebound from Purdue loss
Madison — With his basketball team coming off a doubledigit loss at Purdue and preparing to face an Ohio State team that had lost its first three Big Ten games, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard insisted the Buckeyes were better than their record and a dangerous team.
His players, well aware that all 14 Big Ten teams entered the week with at least one loss, didn’t need the pep talk.
The 17th-ranked Badgers were sharp early Thursday night at the Kohl Center, built a double-digit lead in the first 11plus minutes and were never threatened afterward en route to an 89-66 victory in front of a noisy crowd of 17,287.
“We know the way that the Big Ten has been going so far this year, it’s been looking like March Madness,” UW senior forward Vitto Brown said. “Teams are upsetting other teams all the time.”
UW (14-3, 3-1 Big Ten) remained in a pack of four teams with just one loss in league play.
“I loved the way our guys responded tonight,” Gard said.
The Buckeyes (10-7, 0-4) suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
“We just caved in,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said, referring to a 17-7 UW run that allowed the Badgers to build an 18-point halftime lead. “We’ve got to fight. Give them credit. They were hot. They made big shots.”
UW, which lost the rebound battle at Purdue, 34-22, dominated the Buckeyes on the glass and at times was outstanding on both ends of the court.
Led by Ethan Happ (four), Nigel Hayes (three) and Brown (two), UW grabbed 14 offensive rebounds on 27 missed shots in the first half. That led to 16 second-chance points and helped
UW build a 45-27 lead.
“Those second chances really demoralize the other team,” Brown said. “I think that was probably the most important thing in terms of getting the momentum swinging in our direction.”
Brown, who had just one rebound and two turnovers in 12 minutes at Purdue, set the tone with two offensive rebounds in the first 1 minute, 57 seconds. He hit 2 of 4 three-pointers and 5 of 9 shots overall and contributed 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes.
Guard Bronson Koenig, limited to nine points and eight field-goal attempts at Purdue, vowed to be on the attack against Ohio State.
The senior drove hard to the basket from the opening minute and scored 15 of his 21 points in the decisive first half. Koenig scored inside early and then buried shots from the perimeter and finished 5 of 7 from three-point range.
“He is one of the better players in the country when he does do that,” Gard said of Koening’s aggressive play.
Hayes scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half. He hit 7 of 12 shots and tied Zak Showalter for the team lead in assists with four.
Reserve guard Jordan Hill entered the night 3 of 16 from three-point range and averaging 1.5 points per game. He hit 2 of 4 three-pointers in the opening half for six points and finished with eight points and two rebounds.
Happ missed all four of his free-throw attempts and finished with only six points. However, he grabbed 11 rebounds in 21 minutes to help UW win the rebound battle, 44-31.
The Badgers hit 12 of 22 three-pointers (54.5%) and 36 of 73 shots overall (49.3%) as 11 players scored.
“I thought we were better for longer stretches,” Gard said. “Why that happens in some games and not in others, if we could bottle that and sell that probably none of us would be here. We’d be on an island somewhere … enjoying the sun.”