Badgers sharp early, then survive lethargic stretch in second half to beat Leathernecks

MADISON – With the start of a brutal three-game stretch on the horizon, Greg Gard’s players methodically took care of business against a lesser foe Monday night at the Kohl Center.

Fresh off its championship at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, Wisconsin took control early against Western Illinois, led by double figures for the final 6 minutes 23 seconds of the first half and for most of the second half in a 71-49 victory.

The unranked Badgers (5-2) can now prep for a home game Saturday against No. 3 Marquette, a road game on Dec. 5 against No. 25 Michigan State and a road game Dec. 9 against No. 2 Arizona.

Buckle up.

BOX SCORE:Wisconsin 71, Western Illinois 49

"We know we’ve got really good teams coming down the road here, starting with Saturday," Gard said. "But it’s still about making sure we’re trying to play the game as well as possible.

"I think the Florida trip was good for us. I think we did some really good things there. And then you have to carry it over and grow it.

"That will continue to be the challenge going forward."

Western Illinois (2-5) lost to a Big Ten team for the second time in less than a week. The Leathernecks suffered an 84-52 loss Friday at Illinois. Earlier, they suffered a 90-53 loss to SMU.

UW rallied to defeat SMU, 69-61, in the title game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

AJ Storr scored 11 of his 13 points in the opening half to help UW build a 35-19 halftime lead Monday. Storr attacked the rim several times and hit 4 of 4 free throws as UW hit 13 of 16 attempts overall.

"Teams scout pretty well, so they know I shoot the three," Storr said. "So they’re closing out hard. I give them a pump fake and head to the rim."

Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl struggled very early against Western Illinois big man Drew Cisse, who came in with 11 blocks.

Neither Wahl nor Crowl became timid, however, and the duo combined for 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Crowl hit 5 of 7 shots and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Wahl hit 4 of 5 shots and finished with 12 points and three rebounds.

"Good to see Tyler and Steven be really efficient," Gard said.

Chucky Hepburn scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime to spark UW, which was lethargic for the first 9 ½ minutes of the second half. Those points came in a span of 4:37 to help UW to push the lead to 63-40. Hepburn hit his last five shots and 6 of 9 overall.

"When the ball is in Chucky’s hands," Wahl said, "he knows when it’s his time to go. He was putting them up and hitting them."

Connor Essegian, just 1 of 10 from three-point range entering Monday, hit 2 of 6 attempts and finished with a season-high six points.

Markus Ilver filled in for Carter Gilmore (ankle) and contributed three points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist in just 14 minutes.

"Markus has practiced well," Gard said. "He has played well when he has been in. I thought he did a good job. I didn't see any defensive breakdowns. He is much improved defensively. He is much more physical."

Freshman Gus Yalden appeared ready to make his debut with 1:16 left in the game and Western Illinois at the free-throw line. Yalden wasn't sure if he was ready to go in, however, and Gard went with another sub. The move leaves open the possibility that Yalden can redshirt this season.

The Badgers set an efficient tone early by hitting their first three shots and 5 of their first 9 and led by 31-14 with 3:12 left in the half when Essegian hit his first three-pointer.

As well as UW played in the opening half, the first 9 1/2 minutes of the second half were brutal.

UW had two turnovers in its first six possessions and Western Illinois hit 4 of 6 shots to open the half with a 10-4 run and pull within 39-29 with 15:36 left.

"I just feel like we weren’t as aggressive on both sides of the ball," Wahl said. "On defense we were kind of letting them get to wherever they wanted. We hit a little – I don’t know what it was – but we finally got our rhythm back again at the 12-minute mark.

"In a game you’re always going to have ebbs and flows, but it took us a while in that second half."

With the lead down to 42-34, Crowl hit a three-pointer to spark a 6-0 run to push the lead back to 48-34 with 10:48 left.

Then John Blackwell (five points) made a mistake that typified UW’s second-half start. The talented freshman fouled James Dent on a three-point attempt. Dent hit the shot and the free throw and UW’s lead was back down to 48-38.

That mistake seemed to shake the Badgers out of their lethargy.

Crowl and Hepburn scored four points apiece in an 8-0 run over a span of 2:04 to push the lead back to 56-38.

The lead was back in a comfortable range and the Badgers soon could start preparing Marquette.

"The start of he second half is something we’ll look at," Gard said. "I thought we were too impatient at times. When we were more patient we got better looks – wide-open threes or stuff point blank at the rim."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin vs. Western Illinois, game updates from the Kohl Center