Nov. 14, 2010
24 Wisconsin 99, Prairie View A&M 55
Kohl Center • Madison, Wis.
| |
 |
| 1st | 2nd | Final | Prairie View A&M (0-2)
| 31 | 24
| 55 | Wisconsin (1-0)
| 41
| 58
| 99
| | | | | | Stats at a Glance
| PVAM | WIS | FG Percentage
| .420 | .500 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .419 | .419 | | FT Percentage | .818 | .818 | Offensive Rebounds
| 3 | 24
| | Defensive Rebounds | 13
| 27
| | Total Rebounds | 16
| 51
| Turnovers
| 15
| 12
| Bench Scoring
| 24 | 51 | Points in the Paint
| 16 | 36
| | |
| |
• Box Score | Box Score 
| Notes | Quotes
MADISON, Wis. -- Jon Leuer's first three shots from behind the 3-point arc opened Prairie View A&M's eyes.
By the time Leuer hit his fourth trey of the night, all the Panthers wanted to do was keep them covered.
After unloading an opening barrage that put the No. 24 Wisconsin men's basketball team out front early, the senior forward keyed a second-half run that buried the Panthers and allowed the Badgers to roll to a 99-55 win in their season-opener Sunday at the Kohl Center.
Leuer finished with a game-high 24 points, but he wasn't the only Badger to pour it on against Prairie View. Freshman guard Josh Gasser was hot on his heels with 21 points - and a game-high nine rebounds - while junior point guard Jordan Taylor added another 20 to go along with six assists.
Fast Facts
| • Badgers post highest point total since 1995 season
| • UW grabs 24 offensive boards, outrebounds Panthers, 51-16
| • Jon Leuer hits 4-of-5 3-pointers on way to game-high 24 points
| • Freshman Josh Gasser debuts with 21 points, 9 rebounds
| |
The win gave the Badgers their 13th-straight triumph in a home-opening game, including all 10 under head coach Bo Ryan.
"With the team we have this year we are going to have to do it by committee, there is no question," Ryan said "We have had teams like this before. It is going to have to come from different sources.
"But, it is going to be one of those where over the course of the game, we are going to have to find areas where we are able to attack the other team, areas where we can get an offensive advantage."
Gasser's total was the second-highest ever posted in a Badger debut and contributed to the 51 bench points racked up by UW. He did most of his damage at the free-throw line, converting 9 of 10 charity tosses, but Gasser also was 5-for-8 from the floor - including a 2-for-4 mark from distance.
"I wasn't expecting that at all," Gasser said. "I was just out there doing whatever I could to help us win. I wasn't the only one who had a great game. Those two (Leuer and Taylor) had a great game, Mike (Bruesewitz) had a great game, and others guys too. It was a team effort that got us the win."
Also coming up big off the bench was Bruesewitz, a sophomore forward who pumped in a career-best 11 points and added six boards in 19 minutes of action.
In all, 12 players scored points for the Badgers, including three freshmen who made their UW debuts: Gasser, Ben Brust (2 points) and Duje Dukan (2).
Shaking off a cold streak that set in midway through the first half, the Badgers finished the night shooting 50 percent from the field, including a 42-percent clip from 3-point range.
They also poured in 36 points in the paint, compared to just 16 for the Panthers.
Besides the final score, the Badgers' dominance came on the glass. UW hauled down 51 rebounds - its most since the 2007-08 season - by dominating on both ends. The Badgers' 24 offensive boards alone easily outpaced the Panthers' 16 total rebounds.
Of the 30 chances at rebounds provided by missed Prairie View baskets, the Badgers hauled down 27 (90 percent).
UW also pulled down 65 percent of its own misses on the offensive glass.
The Panthers kept things tight heading into halftime, but the Badgers pulled away over the final 17 minutes on the strength of 67-percent shooting in the second half.
"If you saw the first 12 minutes, it was heads butting and tough, hard, aggressive play, some shots not going down and the other team hitting some shots. It is still about that 40 complete minutes," Ryan said. "But our shot selection was better in the second half, because they had to come out and play, do some things a little differently.
"Give our guys credit for recognizing that and making pretty good decisions, finding the open guy."
After Prairie View had cut the UW advantage to seven points just 2 1/2 minutes into the period, the Badgers responded with a 21-3 run over the next 4 1/2 minutes.
By the time Leuer and Mike Bruesewitz splashed back-to-back 3-pointers to force a Prairie View timeout at the 12:59 mark, the lead had swelled to 25 points.
The Badgers never looked back, with Brusewitz scoring eight points in a span of two minutes and Gasser then pumping in six consecutive points to push the lead to 30 with nine minutes to play.
Wisconsin outscored the Panthers by 34 points in the second half.
The Badgers return to action Tuesday by hosting North Dakota at the Kohl Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game airing live on ESPN3.com.
