Badgers Win Regular Season Opener
November 15, 2002 | Men's Basketball
The Wisconsin men's basketball season started off the 2002 season with a runaway 81-55 victory of Eastern Washington in the NABC Classic. The Badgers advance to face Northern Illinois in the Classic championship Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
The game was close early on as Eastern Washington jumped out to a four-point lead six minutes into the contest. Mike Wilkinson scored on a lay-in with an assist from Kirk Penney to tie the game at 15 with 9:27 remaining in the first half. Penney led the Badgers with 25 points for the game, including 15 second half points. He was three for three from three-point range in the second half.
The Badgers began to pull away late in the first half going on an 8-0 run and holding the Eagles scoreless for nearly four minutes. To close out the first half, Wilkinson tipped in a Penney miss as time expired to give the Badgers a 34-25 advantage at the break.
Wilkinson finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds. The sophomore was one of four Badgers to score in double digits. Wisconsin was 14-0 in 2001 when at least four players scored in double digits.
The well-balanced Wisconsin scoring attack featured nine players in the scoring column. Andreas Helmigk, Boo Wade and Alando Tucker each scored their first points in a Badger uniform. Wisconsin shot 46 percent from the field as a team.
Wisconsin started the second half right were it left off scoring the first six points of the half and extending its lead to 15. Devin Harris was second on the team in scoring with 14 points. Harris, who had four steals, spearheaded the Badger defensive effort that forced 19 turnovers.
After the game, Head Coach Bo Ryan was pleased with the Badgers defensive performance. 'I think we wore them down inside. We took advantage of some long rebounds and some of their turnovers. We converted those into some offense.'
The victory puts Wisconsin's record at 78-27 in season openers in its 105-year history. The win also extends the Badgers current home winning streak to 12, the longest in the Big Ten.
In the first game of the NABC Classic, Northern Illinois defeated Winthrop 56-50. P.J. Smith and Marcus Smallwood led the Huskies with 15 points apiece. Eugene Bates added 11 in the Northern Illinois win. Eastern Washington plays Winthrop in the consolation at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are still available for the Saturday night session of the NABC Classic. For tickets logon to www.uwbagders.com or call 1-800-GO-BADGERS.
