Nov. 16, 2010
25 Wisconsin 85, North Dakota 53
Kohl Center • Madison, Wis.
| |
| |
 |
| 1st | 2nd | Final | North Dakota (1-1)
| 21 | 32
| 53
| Wisconsin (2-0)
| 41
| 44
| 85
| | | | | | Stats at a Glance
| UND | WIS | FG Percentage
| .383 | .620 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .308 | .455 | | FT Percentage | .684 | .857 | Offensive Rebounds
| 10 | 9
| | Defensive Rebounds | 10
| 22
| | Total Rebounds | 20
| 31
| Assists
| 5
| 20
| | Turnovers | 16
| 13
| Points in the Paint
| 22
| 40
| | |
| |
• Box Score | Box Score 
| Quotes
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's blistering shooting left North Dakota out in the cold Tuesday, as the 25th-ranked Badgers surged past the Sioux for an 85-53 win at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers improved to 2-0 for the ninth-consecutive year on the strength of 62 percent field-goal shooting, pulling away in the second half with a 32-10 run out of intermission.
Jon Leuer's game-high 22 points came on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, with fellow senior forward Keaton Nankivil hitting on 7 of 8 shots to add 17 points. Sophomore Ryan Evans added 11 points, while Jordan Taylor and Tim Jarmusz each had 10.
Jarmusz went 4-for-4 from the field, including a 2-for-2 mark from 3-point range.
Fast Facts
| • Leuer posts fourth-straight 20-point game
| • Badgers dish out 20 assists on 31 made baskets
| • UW posts highest FG percentage since 2006 (62%)
| • Wisconsin converts 18 of 21 free-throw attempts (85.7%)
| |
"It's just a matter of finding your spot during the game. None of us are going to force anything," Nankivil said. "A lot of it tonight is that they were going to double Jon (Leuer) no matter what, and he was doing a great job of finding spots and whether it's myself, Jordan Taylor, we all have to be willing to shoot the open ones and take the right shots."
Despite being double-teamed in the post, Leuer surpassed the 20-point plateau for the fourth-straight game to go with six rebounds. Paced by Leuer's career-high seven, the Badgers doled out a total of 20 assists on their 31 made baskets.
"I thought we did a great job of seeing the floor and not forcing things," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. "He'll need that against some other opponents that we play. He'll see some of the same things, and we know he can pass. It's a matter of creating some space and being able to see the floor."
The Badgers did most of their damage on the interior, scoring 40 points in the paint and getting to the foul line to convert on 18 of 21 free-throw attempts. Leuer was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Just 11 of UW's 50 field-goal attempts came from beyond the 3-point arc.
"We are always looking for one another," said Leuer. "We are an unselfish team. That's definitely one of our strengths. There were some areas tonight where the defense collapsed on me, so I was able to find some guys and thankfully they were able to knock down some shots."
A 3-pointer by Jarmusz gave the Badgers a 20-point cushion, at 41-21, heading into halftime, and the Badgers didn't let off the gas once the horn sounded to start half No. 2.
The Badgers blew things wide open over the first 3 1/2 minutes of the period with an 11-0 run that included a transition basket off a steal for Taylor. Moments later, Josh Gasser - who became the first freshman to start a game for Wisconsin since 2003 when he opened Tuesday's contest - converted a fast-break layup to give UW a 51-21 lead.
North Dakota went scoreless for four minutes to start the half, and the Badgers extended their scoring spurt into a 32-10 run over the first 10 minutes to build a 42-point advantage at 73-31.
The margin was as close as six points, at 17-11, midway through first half after Patrick Mitchell drained a 3-pointer for Sioux.
However, the Badgers responded with a 9-0 run over the next 4 minutes to open things up. Mike Bruesewitz, Evans, Taylor and Jarmusz combined to score five straight baskets as the Badgers built a 26-11 lead.
The Badgers' advantage never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.
Wisconsin now heads to Las Vegas, Nev., for its first road game of the season, a 6 p.m. matchup with UNLV on Saturday. Versus will broadcast the game live.
