Dec. 4, 2010
Wisconsin 76, South Dakota 61
Kohl Center • Madison, Wis.
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| |
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| 1st | 2nd | Final | | South Dakota (3-5) | 37 | 24 | 61 | Wisconsin (6-2)
| 42 | 34
| 76
| | | | | | Stats at a Glance
| USD | WIS | FG Percentage
| .382 | .453 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .389 | .387 | | FT Percentage | .857 | .667 | Offensive Rebounds
| 10 | 14 | | Defensive Rebounds | 24 | 23 | | Total Rebounds | 34 | 37 | Turnovers
| 12
| 9 | Points in the Paint
| 12 | 26 | Bench Points
| 26 | 14 | | |
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• Box Score | Box Score 
| Notes | Quotes
MADISON, Wis. -- A pass could have given Jordan Taylor the first triple-double in school history.
Instead of dishing, Taylor pulled up and buried a deep 3-pointer that put an exclamation point on the Wisconsin men's basketball team's 76-61 win over South Dakota at the Kohl Center Saturday.
It was that kind of day for the junior guard, who finished with the first double-double of his career by dropping in 20 points and posting career-highs with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
"If you watched South Dakota on film, you could have scripted this game yourself," UW head coach Bo Ryan said. "This is how they play. They're good. They shoot it well. They go on streaks and you have to handle the streaks."
"It was Jordan that was the difference-maker," Ryan added. "How about that performance?"
Combined with a career-high 29 points from senior forward Jon Leuer, Taylor's showing was enough for the Badgers (6-2) to fend off a pesky group of Coyotes (3-5) for their seventh-straight home win.
Fast Facts
| • Leuer scores career-high 29 points on 6-of-11 3-point shooting
| • Taylor misses first triple-double in school history by one assist
| • Badgers commit just two turnovers in second half
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"I was trying to be aggressive and tried to create different opportunities for both myself and my teammates," Taylor said. "I was trying to attack and stay aggressive, trying to put (the Coyotes) on their heels and create opportunities."
Many of those came through Leuer, who hit his first four 3-point attempts on his way to 20 first-half points and finished the day 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. He also hauled in nine rebounds and matched his career high with four blocks.
Leuer's hot hand helped the Badgers bust open a 15-point lead midway through the first half, but South Dakota refused to go away. A 20-10 run over the final seven minutes of the opening period had the Coyotes within five points at halftime.
They trimmed the lead to five again just three minutes into the second half and whittled it down to just six points with under eight minutes to go.
After Jake Thomas splashed a 3-pointer to trim the lead back to nine with 4:43 remaining, Wisconsin's defense held the Coyotes to a single field goal the rest of the way.
"We had to close out on shooters a little better, because we knew coming in how they could shoot," Leuer said. "We knew they were going to come in firing ... that's what you have to prepare to defend against."
Taylor and Leuer then fueled the Badgers' 10-4 run to finish things off.
After Taylor hit a pair of free throws, Leuer drained a 3-pointer and then threw down a dunk off a short pass left by Taylor.
That run made it a 14-point UW lead before Taylor answered South Dakota's final basket with his deep triple from the top of the key.
That's exactly how the Badgers opened the game, but with Leuer pulling the trigger.
After Josh Gasser splashed a trey on the Badgers' opening possession, Leuer knocked down four straight triples over the game's first 10 minutes to help UW build a 10-point cushion. In all, the Badgers went 8-for-17 from beyond the arc in the first half.
However, South Dakota kept things tight at least in part by converting the Badgers' uncharacteristically-high seven first-half turnovers into 13 points.
"I think the turnovers led to some of their 3s," Leuer said. "If we could have had fewer turnovers and finished around the basket, we could have eliminated some of their open looks."
The strategy worked, with the Coyotes hitting 2 of their first 11 shots in the second half as Wisconsin turned the ball over just twice. The Badgers now own a nation-leading 1.80 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Leuer and Taylor carried the scoring load for the Badgers, although sophomore Mike Bruesewitz contributed eight points and four rebounds. Junior Rob Wilson added six points on 3-for-3 shooting to go with a pair of assists in only seven minutes of action.
The Badgers, who have won 12 straight home non-conference games, host Milwaukee on Wednesday to open a stretch of three consecutive games against in-state opponents.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game airing live on Big Ten Network.
