| 1st | 2nd | Final | Northwestern (12-6, 2-4)
| 32 | 25 | 57 | | Wisconsin (15-5, 4-3) | 34 | 43 | 77 | | | | Stats at a Glance
| NU | WIS | | FG Percentage | .422 | .500 | | 3-Point FG Percentage | .357 | .522 | | FT Percentage | .737 | .786 | | Offensive Rebounds | 5 | 9 | | Defensive Rebounds | 19 | 23 | | Total Rebounds | 24 | 32 | | Turnovers | 10 | 9 | | Bench Points | 1 | 17 | | 3-Pointers | 5-14 | 12-23 | | |
| |
Jan. 18, 2012
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- There were three ties and four lead changes in the first half between Wisconsin and Northwestern Wednesday night.
The second half, however, saw the Badgers run away with their third-straight win and into the mix in the Big Ten standings.
Ryan Evans scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while three other Badgers finished in double figures as Wisconsin used a dominant second half to defeat Northwestern, 77-57. It was the 14th-straight home win for UW over the Wildcats, who remain winless at the Kohl Center.
With the win, Wisconsin improves to 15-5 on the season, answering a three-game losing streak with a three-game winning streak. The victory also makes the Badgers 4-3 in the Big Ten, and puts UW among six teams that are within a game of first place in the conference.
| Fast Facts | | • UW outscores NU 43-25 in second half to cruise to win | | • Badgers have won 14 straight home games vs. 'Cats | | • Evans and Taylor combine for 27 second-half points | |
“The game doesn’t change for us what we’re trying to do,” Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. “It’s just at times, everybody goes through this with shooting. I’ve seen it more in the past couple years than probably 10 years combined—just kind of the swings, in shooting percentages, in guys’ confidence, in guys being comfortable in what they’re doing.”
Wisconsin came out hot by hitting three 3-pointers, but Northwestern answered the Badgers’ game-opening 9-2 run with a 14-2 run of its own to take a 16-11 lead five minutes into the game.
Neither team would lead by more than four points the rest of the half as the Badgers fought back to take a 34-32 lead at the break.
Mike Bruesewitz was the star of the first half for the Badgers, scoring 12 points, grabbing three rebounds and handing out three assists in the first 20 minutes. He ended the game with 13 points, which tied a season high, and recorded five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
With Bruesewitz getting the job done in the first half, Evans and Jordan Taylor took over in the second half.
Taylor scored nine of his 15 points during a momentum-turning 17-2 run early in the second half. He hit three 3-pointers in a 1:38 span and the Badgers turned a tight 38-36 contest into a 55-38 cushion in a spurt that lasted 4:35.
“It always helps when ball’s going in the basket,” Taylor said. “It makes it look a lot better. I think we’re just doing a better job like Mike (Bruesewitz) said, moving without the ball.
“We’re passing up good shots for great shots. There were several instances when Josh (Gasser) had one in the corner, passed it up to Mike (Bruesewitz) for a good shot. Even if those shots don’t go down, it’s just kind of contagious-you just kind of build up that confidence in your teammates.”
Evans scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line.
“He’s worked at some things in his game and he has strengths,” Ryan said of Evans. “And the more he plays to his strengths, the better team player he is because he gets results—he can get fouled, he can get to the line, he can get to the glass, he can face up.”
Evans put a ribbon on the dominating win when he slammed home an alley-oop pass from Taylor over the NU zone defense with just over three minutes remaining.
After two games at home, the Badgers now return to the road this weekend to take on Illinois on Sunday. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. (CT) on Big Ten Network.
