At the Buzzer: Wisconsin 91, Indiana 79
Quick thoughts on a 91-79 loss at Wisconsin:
How it happened
Outside of an early 8-3 lead, there were few positives in Indiana’s first-half performance Friday night at the Kohl Center. The Hoosiers were outscored by six from the free throw line by Wisconsin and by nine from beyond the 3-point line. Indiana continued to hoist long 2-pointers, shooting 1-for-7 on those attempts. The Hoosiers took more long 2s (7) than 3s (5) in the opening 20 minutes. The result was an inefficient half of offensive basketball from the Hoosiers, who only had one assist and mustered up only 26 points on .87 points per possession. Meanwhile, Wisconsin shot a stellar 52.2 percent from the field and scored 1.31 points per trip to go into the locker room with a comfortable 13-point lead.
The Badgers stretched the lead to 16 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Max Klesmit early in the second half, forcing Mike Woodson to take a timeout. But the Hoosiers answered with a quick 9-0 run to make it 49-42 Wisconsin, forcing Greg Gard to take a timeout with 14:58 to play. Klesmit splashed another 3-pointer out of the timeout to put the Badger lead back into double figures with 14:33 remaining. Klesmit splashed another 3-pointer on the next possession and was fouled to make it 56-42 Wisconsin. The Badgers stretched the lead to 17 on another bucket from Klesmit with 13:07 and then CJ Gunn was ejected for a flagrant two foul on Klesmit. By the under-12 media timeout, Indiana trailed 67-44 as the Wisconsin run reached 18-2. The Hoosiers never challenged the rest of the way, falling to 12-7 overall and 4-4 in Big Ten play.
Standout performers
Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 28 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field in 40 minutes. Reneau’s minutes were a season-high as he had to carry a heavier load with Kel’el Ware sidelined. Mackenzie Mgbako added 17 points in 32 minutes.
Statistics that stand out
Indiana allowed Wisconsin to shoot a scorching 59.6 percent from the field and surrendered 1.4 points per possession. The Badgers also shot 25-for-29 from the free throw line.
Final IU individual statistics
Final tempo-free statistics
Assembly Call postgame show
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
Filed to: Wisconsin Badgers