No. 12 Wisconsin beats Bowling Green 88-64
MADISON, Wis. — Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. 12 Badgers beat Bowling Green 88-64 on Thursday night.
Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker added 14 apiece for Wisconsin (5-0). Traevon Jackson had 13, Josh Gasser 11 and Bronson Koenig 10.
Spencer Parker led Bowling Green (1-2) with 17 points, and Jehvon Clarke added 15.
Wisconsin took control a little more than midway through the first half. With the Badgers up 23-22, Dekker started a 16-4 run by converting a three-point play and then Wisconsin began to hit from outside. Jackson, Brust and Duje Dukan each made a 3-pointer during the spurt.
Brust added another 3 before the half was over, and Wisconsin went into the break up 44-28.
It was another up-tempo offensive performance for Wisconsin, which has had a reputation as a grind-it-out team during coach Bo Ryan’s tenure.
After averaging 65 points a game last year, the Badgers are now scoring 81 a game in the early going this season.
The Badgers also are giving up more points than Ryan is used to, surrendering almost 69 points a game after holding opponents to less than 56 a season ago.
Wisconsin took control a little more than midway through the first half. Up 23-22, Dekker started a 16-4 run by converting a three-point play, and the Badgers began to hit from outside. Jackson, Brust and Duje Dukan each hit a 3 in the run.
Brust added another 3 before the half was over, and Wisconsin went into the break up 44-28.
With the Badgers starting to run away with the game in the second half, Bowling Green went to a full-court press that at least slowed Wisconsin down temporarily.
The Falcons were able to cut a 24-point deficit down to as little as 14. But going to the press also came at a price as Bowling Green started racking up fouls and sending Wisconsin to the foul line.
Guard JD Tisdale was whistled for his fourth with just more than eight minutes to go, and Parker picked up his fourth 30 seconds later. Tisdale was called for his fifth with more than 6 minutes to go, and Bowling Green got away from the press in the final minutes.