Wisconsin Badgers
UW-Oshkosh
Titanic effort: Badgers end preseason with 96-44 victory over Oshkosh
November 07, 2012 | Men's Basketball
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 | Wisconsin 96, UW-Oshkosh 44 Kohl Center • Madison, Wis. • Attendance: 16,488 Box Score | Box Score  | Photos  | Highlights  |  |
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Nov. 7, 2012
MADISON, Wis. -- Given Bo Ryan's roots in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - serving as head coach at UW-Platteville from 1984-99 - it was a fitting gesture to honor his summer induction into the conference's Hall of Fame prior to Wednesday night's exhibition game vs. the WIAC's UW-Oshkosh.
The hospitality toward the WIAC ended moments later as the Badgers rolled to a 96-44 win at the Kohl Center.
Five UW players reached double-figures in the victory, led by a 16-point, six-rebound outing from senior Jared Berggren. Fellow senior Ryan Evans poured in a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds as all 14 Badgers who saw the floor tallied points.
"It's just kind of the way this team plays," UW head coach Bo Ryan said. "There are some guys out there that are capable. Because, as you know - especially in this league - if there's only one guy or two guys you're counting on it's pretty hard. You've got to have contributions from other people."
Wisconsin, who fulfilled its lone exhibition opportunity by scheduling its ninth and final WIAC opponent in nine years, shot 50 percent from the field (16-for-32) in the first half despite a streaky run from the Titans to start the contest.
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Behind a 5-for-6 shooting start, UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 12-6 advantage three minutes into the half. From then on, it was all Wisconsin.
The Badgers used a 29-2 run over the next 11 minutes to build a 35-14 cushion with five minutes remaining before the intermission. Wisconsin held the Titans scoreless for spans of 6:51 and 5:34 during its run.
At the lead guard spot, both redshirt-freshman George Marshall and sophomore Traevon Jackson had solid outings. Marshall, who earned the starting nod against UW-Oshkosh, finished with 11 points on 5-for-7 (.714) shooting from the field in 26 minutes of action. Jackson played the role of facilitator, recording a team-best four assists, while netting six points.
"He shot it fairly well again and that's good to see," Ryan said of Marshall. "He made good decisions. I thought he guarded the ball pretty well with his feet, but he's going to have to keep getting better. That's what he's here for."
Berggren benefited from the increased offensive action in the post, as the Princeton, Minn., native went 7-for-10 (.700) from the field, including a flurry of highlight dunks in the waning moments of Wednesday night's victory. Overall, Wisconsin enjoyed a 38-10 advantage on points in the paint and a 21-1 margin on second-chance points.
Frank Kaminsky and Ben Brust - who got starting nods along with Marshall, Evans and Berggren - each finished with 12 points.
"I think we have a lot of depth," Marshall said. "It's early in the year and we are trying different combinations - playing with each other, reading the defense and playing off of one another.
"I think as we go on in time we will get better."
Wisconsin officially opens the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 11, when it welcomes Southeastern Louisiana to the Kohl Center at 1 p.m. The game will broadcast live on ESPN3.com, as well as the Badger Radio Network.
