MADISON- Wis,- The University of Wisconsin-Madison (11-0) cruised to a win over the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee Wednesday night as the Badgers won 78 – 52. Ben Brust had 18 points including 12 points from downtown. Kyle Kelm led the way for the panthers with 17 points.
The Badgers were lights out in the first half. Ben Brust was lights out from behind the three point line, As the badgers ended the half shooting 69.2% from three-point land.
Milwaukee did not help this cause by committing a total of 19 turnovers, including 10 in the first half. They trailed the badgers 25-45 at half.
“We were really trying to make everything happen with one pass or one play, and as a result we give up 28 points off of 19 turnovers. That really sums up the game,” Jeter said. “We just didn’t have the opportunities we needed to give yourself a chance. To turn the ball over that many times and give up that many points, it’s hard to overcome.”
The Badgers only made one shot from three-point range in the second half, but the Panthers were unable to capitalize. Milwaukee had nine more turnovers in the second half and shot 35% from the field. That clearly wasn’t enough against the fourth-ranked team in the nation. Madison’s Frank Kaminsky was able to keep standout sophomore Matt Tiby in check all night with only allowing him 11 points in 32 minutes.
This was Milwaukee’s biggest test of the year and their inexperience showed up in different stretches of the game. Whether it was forcing the ball into the post or forcing up a prayer from long range, it was evident the Panthers were frustrated. The few bright spots to be brought out of this game is the way Kyle Kelm played. He shot 70% from the field and was aggressive in the paint.
This can only be a learning curve for this inexperienced Panther team. Playing the fourth-ranked team on the road at the Kohl Center isn’t an easy task for any team. Milwaukee will only benefit from this experience and loss. The Panthers will look to get their wins into double- digits when they play Northeastern on December 21st at the Westin Holiday Classic in New Orleans.