Wisconsin basketball defeats Lehigh: Game notes and top plays
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The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team (9-2 overall) took care of business on Thursday night, defeating Lehigh 78-56 inside the Kohl Center.
The game was far from a runaway for the first 25 minutes, but the Badgers put together a huge second half run to ultimately pull away for a 22-point win.
Here is a look back at some game notes, and top plays from Wisconsin's non-conference win over the Mountain Hawks.
Game notes
- With the win, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard is now 42-4 overall in regular season non-conference games at the Kohl Center, and 3-1 this season.
- Wisconsin had four players score in double-figures for the fifth time this season. Steven Crowl (15), Jordan Davis (14), Connor Essegian (13), and Tyler Wahl (13) all eclipsed ten points in the contest.
- The Badgers were 11-of-21 from three-point range against Lehigh. Their 52.3% shooting percentage from three was the highest of he season, and the fifth time that they have hit 10 or more triples this year.
- Wisconsin ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten with a 37.4% shooting percentage from deep, and freshman Connor Essegian (46.2%) has the fourth-highest 3-point percentage in the conference individually. UW is averaging 8.6 made threes per game.
- Lehigh only shot two free throws against Wisconsin, the fewest for a UW opponent since 2018.
- The Badgers outrebounded Lehigh 34-20 and were +8 on the offensive glass.
- Wisconsin had seven first half turnovers, and finished the game with 10 overall, but the team had zero in the final 12:30 of the game. That timing aligns perfectly with the Badgers' second-half run. UW is third in the Big Ten with an average of 10.3 turnovers per game.
- After trailing at halftime, the Badgers went on a 26-9 run in the second half, including a 14-2 run during a three-minute stretch late in the contest.
- UW shot over 65% from the floor in the second half, but the game was highlighted by 14 lead changes.
- Tyler Wahl scored 10 or more points fot he eighth time this season and he maintains his team-lead in points per game (14.5) and rebounds (6.9).
- Steven Crowl led Wisconsin with 15 points, his first time leading the team in scoring this year. Crowl has now scored in double-figures in three straight games, and he leads the Badgers with 3.45 assists per game.
- Coming off the bench, Connor Essegian has now scored 10+ points in seven of the past eight games and he tied a career-high with six rebounds against Lehigh.
- Jordan Davis scored a career-high 14 points with four made threes on Thursday night.
Top plays
#1: Carter Gilmore throws down a two-handed putback
There were very few great moments in the first half for the Wisconsin Badgers against Lehigh, but forward Carter Gilmore hammered down one of the plays of the game late in the first half with a two-handed dunk on a rebound opportunity. The bucket came in the middle of Lehigh making three-straight shots and helped give UW some momentum when they needed it.
#2: Steven Crowl dunks it with authority
The Badgers went inside with Steven Crowl early in the second half, and the junior center went to work with a huge two-handed dunk over a Lehigh defender off a pretty bounce pass by Max Klesmit.
#3: Tyler Wahl gets to the rack for a layup
Tyler Wahl led the Badges in scoring again on Thursday night, and one of his most impressive plays came in the first half. the senior forward used a crafty inside-out dribble to get his defender off-balance and he maneuvered his way to the rim for the layup from there.
#4: Chucky Hepburn with the spin move and layup
It was a fairly quiet game for Chucky Hepburn on Thursday night, but he made a pretty move late in the game to help put a bow on the victory for the Badgers. Hepburn made a spin move through traffic and from there go to the rim for the right-handed finish.
#5: Jordan Davis hits a corner three to begin the game
After hitting the side of the backboard on his first shot of the game, Jordan Davis had a short memory on Thursday night. The junior guard received an extra pass from Max Klesmit, and buried the corner three to get the Badgers on the scoreboard first against Lehigh.
Related links:
- Wisconsin storms back against Lehigh for a 22-point win
- Game notes and top plays from Wisconsin's overtime win over Iowa
- Luke Fickell discusses the upcoming bowl game during his weekly press conference
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