| 1st | 2nd | Final | Wisconsin
| 33 | 41 | 74 | Illinois
| 24 | 44 | 68 | | | | Stats at a Glance
| WIS | ILL | | FG Percentage | .429 | .438 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .286 | .154 | | FT Percentage | .667 | .667 | | Offensive Rebounds | 9 | 10 | | Defensive Rebounds | 29 | 22 | | Total Rebounds | 38 | 32 | | Turnovers | 9 | 9 | | Bench Pts | 28 | 15 | | Pts In the Paint | 24 | 36 | | |
Feb. 3, 2013
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The state of Illinois has long been a fertile recruiting base for the University of Wisconsin and Sunday's 74-68 win in Champaign proved to be a happy homecoming for two Badgers in particular.
Ben Brust, from Hawthorn Woods, Ill., led all scorers with 20 points, while Lisle, Ill., native Frank Kaminsky chipped in a career-high 19 points off the bench, including a 12-for-14 (.857) effort from the free throw stripe.
The Badgers (15-7, 6-3 Big Ten) shot under 30 percent for most of the first half and combined with the Illini to score just 14 points in the game's first eight minutes of action. A closely-played first half saw two ties and seven lead changes.
| Fast Facts | | • Kaminsky went 12-for-14 from the free throw stripe | | • UW allowed 60 pts for 2nd time in last 12 games | | • Wisconsin equaled its Big Ten high with 74 points | |
The pendulum finally began to swing the Badgers way late in the first stanza, as Wisconsin went 6-for-8 (.750) from the field in the final 5:54 and 6-for-6 from the free throw stripe during that span to take a 33-24 lead into the half.
Illinois (15-8, 2-7) converted on its first two baskets of the second half and pulled within five points on a few occassions, but UW countered with a heavy dose of made free throws and a solid rebounding effort. A 3-pointer from Kaminsky capped an 8-0 run early in the second half, giving the Badgers a 43-30 lead with 14:36 remaining.
The Illini wouldn't pull closer that nine until a desperation rally in the final minute and a half.
Wisconsin's lead swelled to 62-47 with 4:34 left in the game, and Illinois' late run would not be enough to fend off Wisconsin, which shot 55.6 percent (10-18) from the field in the second half and nailed 19 of the team's 28 made free throws during that span.
Kaminsky did most of the heavy lifting from the free throw stripe, netting 8-of-10 in the final 20 minutes of action and scoring 13 of his 19 points in the second half. Ryan Evans came up one rebound shy of his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Five days after not attempting a single free throw in a 58-49 loss at Ohio State, the Badgers responded by knocking down 28-of-42 at the stripe Sunday afternoon. The 42 attempts were Wisconsin's most in a Big Ten game since shooting 46 against Ohio State in 2002.
Just like this season's earlier match-up between Wisconsin and Illinois - a 74-51 UW win - the Badgers succeeded in two keys areas. The Illini were held to a season-low two made 3-pointers, going 2-for-13 from deep. Illinois went 2-for-14 from distance in the first meeting. Wisconsin also held Illinois to a mere two transition points Sunday.
Illinois was led by Joseph Bertrand's 17 points. Four other Illini scored in double figures.
The Badgers return home on Wednesday to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
