Wisconsin Badgers
UW-Superior
Badgers swat down Yellowjackets, 80-47
November 11, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2009
Box Score 
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MADISON, Wis. – Showing the same high-energy approach two weeks in a row is certainly a good sign of things to come for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team. With a dominating performance in the paint, the Badgers ran away from UW-Superior with an 80-47 win in their second and final exhibition game at the Kohl Center.
The team relied on teamwork Wednesday to snag today’s win, with four standout players contributing heavily for UW.
| Wisconsin 80, UW-Superior 47 | 1st | 2nd | Final |
| UW-Superior (0-1, 0-0 WIAC) | 24 | 23 | 47 |
| Wisconsin (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) | 42 | 38 | 80 |
| Statistical Leaders | |||
| Points: Keaton Nankivil (UW) 16 | Marcus Helland (UWS) 12 | |||
| Rebounds: Ryan Evans (UW) 8 | Marcus Helland, Aaron Corry (UWS) 8 | |||
| Assists: Trevon Hughes (UW) 9 | Jake Smith (UWS) 4 | |||
The twin towers of Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil used their size advantage to gain an edge over the Yellowjackets in scoring. Nankivil led the Badgers with 16 points in 18 minutes, including a pair of dunks that brought the announced crowd of 17,230 to its feet in the first half. Wisconsin pushed UW-Superior around inside to the tune of a 50-to-14 advantage in the paint.
Leuer and Jason Bohannon also scored in double-digits, tying for second-most points with 14 apiece. Leuer also boasted seven rebounds while Bohannon notched six assists and four steals. A week after combining for 13 assists and four turnovers vs. Bemidji State, UW’s starting backcourt of Hughes and Bohannon combined for 15 assists to just two turnovers vs. UW-Superior.
The undisputed leader on the floor Wednesday was senior captain Trevon Hughes, who narrowly missed a triple-double with 10 steals, nine assists and nine points overall. Had this game been in the regular season, Hughes’ 10 steals would have tied the school record held by Mike Kelley and Michael Finley.
Wisconsin shot 45 percent from the field and established a game-high 37-point lead with 5:27 left in the game. Overall, the team recorded 24 assists to six turnovers, while accumulating 15 steals and forcing 24 UW-Superior turnovers.
UW gained separation from the Yellowjackets early in the game both energetically and around the basket. Ryan Evans (eight points and game-high eight rebounds) brought an instant spark to the floor just five minutes into the game when he pulled down a huge alley-oop dunk from Bohannon to put the Badgers up 10-5. Nankivil followed suit with two big dunks with 13:47 and 12:15 left in the first half. Shortly afterwards, Leuer capped a 9-0 run midway through the first half with a turnaround jumper in the lane.
Wisconsin would pull away later in the first half with a four-minute, 12-0 streak to gain a 23-point lead over the Yellowjackets with just under three minutes left in the half. Five different players scored for UW in that span, easing the Badgers to a 42-24 halftime cushion.
The second half would open with more of the same as Wisconsin maintained control, racing out on an 11-0 scoring run over the first five minutes of the second stanza.
UW head coach Bo Ryan stuck with his veteran starting lineup on Veteran’s Day, using senior guards Bohannon and Hughes along-side a junior frontcourt of Tim Jarmusz, Leuer and Nankivil. All 15 players again saw court time for the second time this season.
| UWBadgers.com Complete Post-Game Coverage |
 Beyond the Box | In-Game Blog |  Highlights | Coach Ryan and UW Players Postgame |
The Badgers will usher in the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 15 vs. IPFW. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Kohl Center and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
