Nine 3's Helps Wisconsin Beat FIU
December 02, 2006 | Men's Basketball
The 12th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers improved to 7-1 following a 79-63 win over Florida International Saturday at the Kohl Center. Kammron Taylor hit four of Wisconsin's season-high nine 3-pointers and led UW with 16 points. FIU guard Johwen Villegas led all scorers with 24 points.
Florida International was delayed by inclement weather and arrived in Madison at 5 a.m. Saturday morning without their luggage. Two Madison companies provided shoes and jerseys for the Golden Panthers, who fell to 3-5 this season.
Villegas hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes and Facundo Giorgi added another as FIU took the early lead. Taylor answered for Wisconsin, knocking down his first trey and adding a jumper on back-to-back possessions. That ignited a 16-2 run for the Badgers and gave them a 21-11 lead midway through the first half.
Badger guard Jason Bohannon knocked down his first three 3-pointers and scored all nine of his points in the first half. He kept one possession alive by jumping out-of-bounds and flipping the ball to Alando Tucker, who gave the ball back to Bohannon for a 3. Wisconsin led 31-17 at that point and took a 38-27 lead into halftime.
Taylor hit three 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half as UW's lead grew to 20. A trey by Joe Krabbenhoft capped a 17-4 run for the Badgers and gave them their largest lead at 55-31 with just over 14 minutes left to play.
Villegas and Chris Fuller tried to keep the Golden Panthers close. All seven of Villegas ' field goals were 3-pointers, four of which came in the second half. Fuller scored all eight of his points in the final frame. Dejon Prejean didn't make a 3, but added 11 points and four steals off the bench for FIU.
Tucker reached double-digits for the 30th time in his last 31 games dating back to last season. He finished with 10 points and four assists. Marcus Landry contributed seven points off the Badger bench and added a game-high six rebounds.
Wisconsin begins a string of five consecutive games against teams that made the 2006 NCAA Tournament Monday at home against Winthrop. The game will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast by ESPN360.
Post-Game Notes
'This was the first meeting between the two schools
'Florida International didn't arrive in Madison until 5 a.m. Saturday morning due to inclement weather. Their luggage did not arrive on time and the team had to play with new shoes and jerseys provided by two Madison companies.
'Today's attendance was 17,190 ' the 58th consecutive sellout crowd at the Kohl Center.
'UW has won nine consecutive games at home dating back to last season and is 78-5 at the Kohl Center since 2001.
'Wisconsin led 38-27 at halftime ' the sixth double-digit halftime lead for UW in eight games this season.
'Alando Tucker scored 10 or more points for the 30th time in his last 31 games.
'Alex Galindo picked up his third personal foul at the 8:13 mark of the first half. He fouled out with 12:38 remaining in the second half.
'Kammron Taylor hit four 3-pointers for the second time this season. His career high is six against Penn State on Feb. 11, 2006.
'Wisconsin made a season-high nine 3-pointers and 24 free throws.
'Wisconsin made more free throws (24) than its opponent attempted (13) for the fourth time this season.
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan Post-Game Quotes
On whether 18 assists and 23 field goals are efficient: 'I would say so. The guys were patient. A lot of those passes led to fouls and you don't get any assists for that.'
On Jason Bohannon's three's contributing to the first half 11-0 run: 'They were doubling down a little bit and guys found him. We found the open area and knocked down the shot. And those are ones you take in practice and make, but then have to make in a game. He was three-for-six. That's a pretty good percentage, so we 'll take that anytime.'
On the start of the second half and getting a run: 'I'd like to say there is some kind of strategy for those runs. You just try to limit their runs, and if you 're on a run you just try to keep it going. It's not like we write a script. You just have to try hard on every possession.'
On Bohannon: 'He is a player. We expect good players'guys who are confident and want to play. I like guys who want to get on the court and play. They get their opportunities and have to take advantage of them. He's been doing it in practice and that's why he plays in the game. You know, we chart every possession in practice. You have to earn your minutes, and Jason has earned them.'
On the upcoming tough schedule against five 2006 NCAA tournament teams: 'And this is why people were saying our non-conference schedule was one of the toughest in the country. If we are going to be playing well in the Big Ten, we need to play well against the teams coming up. But that is why we need the depth that our team has.'
Florida International Head Coach Sergio Ruoco Post-Game Quotes
On Florida International's timeline before the game: 'We went to the airport, and as soon as we got to the gate, they said that flights were cancelled. Still, we knew it was our responsibility to get here, and we got a direct flight to Minneapolis. We got to Minneapolis, and there were no bags. We eventually got a bus, and got here at 5:45 a.m., and put the team in a hotel. The coach's son said he'd get us some gear. So we got gear, we were here, and we played.'
On the absence of Florida International's performance gear: 'We got shoes, and we got practice gear to play, and that's all we need. We played a top 20 team at their place, and we played them tough.'
On Wisconsin's second-half performance: 'They went after us and we couldn 't respond. Hopefully our guys understand the mindset that there is to win at this level.'
On Johwen Villegas' seven three-point field goals: 'He had six last year at Depaul. I have to bring him to the Midwest more often. He played JUCO ball in Iowa. '
