MADISON, Wis. — No. 20 Wisconsin scored early and often and stifled No. 13 Ohio State defensively in a 71-49 victory over the Buckeyes Sunday at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers shot 53 percent from the field (29 of 55) and made 7 of 19 3-pointers, three each by Ben Brust and Sam Dekker.
Jared Berggren and Brust led Wisconsin (18-8, 9-4 Big Ten) with 15 points each and combined for 18 rebounds with Berggren adding four blocked shots. Traevon Jackson added 10 points for the Badgers, who have won four of their last five.
With starter Ryan Evans fighting off an illness, the freshman Dekker saw extended minutes and scored 13 points and, most importantly to the Badgers, zero turnovers. Evans still played 24 minutes and finished with nine points and five rebounds.
Wisconsin took control early and never let up, breaking a 6-6 first-half tie with an 18-0 run that gave Wisconsin a 24-6 lead after George Marshall’s dunk at the 9:20 mark. During that stretch, Ohio State (18-7, 8-5) missed 14 straight shots finally getting one when Deshaun Thomas scored on a layup with 8:58 left in the half.
Thomas finished with 18 points, by far the most for anyone on the Ohio State roster. The Buckeyes’ leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game, went 8 of 17 from the field and added six rebounds, but aside from Sam Thompson, who finished with eight points, none of his teammates scored more than six.
Continue Reading: Wisconsin 71, Ohio State 49 (The SportsXchange)
