MADISON, Wis. -- After a first half that couldn't have been any closer, the Badgers sharpened up and used a strong second half to defend home court, beating Iowa 83-72
MADISON, Wis. -- After a first half that couldn't have been any closer, the Badgers sharpened up and used a strong second half to defend home court, beating Iowa 83-72 on Tuesday.
Tyler Wahl led the Badgers with 19 points, going 11-13 from the free throw line. Steven Crowl posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Wisconsin had four players score over 10 points.
Despite the loss, the Hawkeyes can look positively on two particular performances. Tony Perkins led all scorers with 25 points and shot 2-2 from three-point range. Owen Freeman shot a stellar 7-9 from the field and ended the night with a double-double: 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The first frame saw the Hawkeyes shoot 5-12 from three-point range while the Badgers made just one of their five attempts from beyond the arc. Closer to the basket, the Badgers won the overall rebound battle but had only four offensive rebounds to Iowa's five.
Iowa was actually the squad that started out the hottest, opening up the game with an 11-4 run. The Badgers eventually worked their way back, but never led by more than four points during the first half.
But, of course, basketball is a game of two halves. And it was in the second 20 minutes where the Badgers earned their stripes.
Wisconsin grabbed 20 rebounds to Iowa's 15, including four offensive rebounds to the Hawkeyes' one. The Badgers turned those offensive boards into nine second-chance points.
The Badgers also recorded four steals, and made the most of their opportunities from turnovers. Both squads were about even in turnovers during the second half, but the Badgers netted 12 points off of their turnovers while the Hawkeyes only scored four.
Iowa also got into heavy foul trouble in the second half, committing 15 as they tried to work themselves back into the game. Wisconsin took advantage of the resulting free throws, going 20-26 as a team from the charity stripe.
Wisconsin ended the day leading in rebounds, steals and points in the paint. The Badgers also got more points from their bench players, 15 to Iowa's 9.
The win pushes Wisconsin's record to 10-3, and they remain undefeated in Big Ten play after two games. Attention now turns to Saturday when Nebraska visits the Kohl Center. Tipoff is set for 1:15 p.m.
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