Wisconsin basketball scraps together a win vs. UW-Green Bay 56-45
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Looking to remain undefeated, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team (3-0 overall) welcomed UW-Green Bay on Tuesday night.
In a fairly ugly game by the Badgers, Wisconsin managed to pull away with an 11-point win behind threes from Jordan Davis and Max Klesmit.
Here is a breakdown of Wisconsin's non-conference victory over UW-Green Bay.
Game recap
Rolling with the same starting five, the Wisconsin Badgers would get off to a slow start, missing their first five shot attempts. A Jordan Davis three-pointer with nearly four minutes off the clock would eventually end the scoring drought, while another triple by Max Klesmit would help the Badgers take a 6-4 lead into the first media timeout despite the team shooting only 2-of-11 to begin the game.
Following a transition block by Jordan Davis, backup forward Carter Gilmore gave Wisconsin a key offensive rebound and tip-in off the bench. Following that bucket, the Badgers' struggles from the floor would continue. As a result, the Wisconsin advantage was only 11-6 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, while UW-Green Bay was in the middle of an 0-of-7 spell of their own.
Coming out of the timeout, Wisconsin guard Jordan Davis would respond with another three-point make to help the Badgers maintain their six-point edge. However, UW-Green Bay would cut the deficit to only four points moments later with a pretty back-door cut to Zae Blake.
The Badgers would have an answer though, as Max Klesmit, Chucky Hepburn, and Carter Gilmore would bury three consecutive three-point attempts to help Wisconsin open up a 13-point advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the half.
Riding an 11-1 run, Wisconsin would continue to add to their lead over the next couple of minutes with a beautiful alley-oop from Max Klesmit to Markus Ilver highlighting the push from the Badgers.
A pair of free throws by Tyler Wahl and a short jumper by Steven Crowl would ultimately give Wisconsin a 32-15 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the break, UW-Green Bay grabbed some early momentum with three made baskets as the Badgers once again struggled to get going on offense.
Head coach Greg Gard tried to inject some energy into the team by turning to his bench with the starters coming out flat, but the Badgers took a four-minute scoring drought into the first media timeout. UW-Green Bay had trimmed the lead to just 10 with 14:57 remaining in the game.
The Phoenix would claw their way closer over the next minute or two, as Wisconsin continued to look lifeless on both ends of the court, forcing Greg Gard to call a timeout with 13:06 left to play. Green Bay was within six at that point, and they would maintain that deficit over the next two minutes as the Badgers' offensive struggles carried on with eight minutes without a field goal.
Jordan Davis would stop the bleeding with a three-point make with just over nine minutes remaining, and reserve guard Isaac Lindsey added an offensive rebound and put back to finally generate something positive for the Badgers midway through the half.
A three-point make by Zae Blake of Green Bay would make it 44-38 with 5:25 remaining, but a pair of free throws by Jordan Davis and a jumper by Chucky Hepburn would help Wisconsin keep their narrow advantage. Moments later a Steven Crowl three-pointer would give the Badgers a 51-41 lead with 3:24 left to go.
Crowl would add to the lead with an and-one off an offensive rebound with just over two minutes remaining, and ultimately the Badgers would hold off the Phoenix for a 56 to 45 victory in the Kohl Center.
Players of note
- Jordan Davis (Wisconsin)
Stats: 11 points (3-of-7 shooting), three rebounds, and one assist in 33 minutes
Wisconsin did not play well as a team. But once again Jordan Davis gave the Badgers some necessary production to help the team come away with a win. After a career performance against Stanford, he added a team-high 11 points with three made threes on 50% shooting from long-range.
- Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin)
Stats: 8 points (2-of-14 shooting), seven rebounds, and assists three in 24 minutes
It was a frustrating performance for Chucky Hepburn. The sophomore point guard missed a slew of layups and shot attempts in the paint against UW-Green Bay. Hepburn filled up the stat sheet in other ways though. He had three assists and seven rebounds, but overall it is a performance he will likely want to flush out of his system.
- Max Klesmit (Wisconsin)
Stats: 9 points (2-of-5 shooting), five rebounds, and one assist in 36 minutes
Beyond Jordan Davis, Max Klesmit was one of the only other bright spots against UW-Green Bay. The transfer from Wofford shot the ball well on limited attempts and finished the game with nine points and five boards, including two three-point makes.
- Cade Meyer (UW-Green Bay)
Stats: 13 points (5-of-9 shooting) and three rebounds in 28 minutes
UW-Green Bay rallied in the second half, and one of the main reasons was the play of Cade Meyer. The in-state forward put together a strong showing against the Badgers with a game-high 13 points.
Instant analysis
The Badgers got off to a poor start, going 0-of-5 on layups with stars Chucky Hepburn and Tyler Wahl specifically beginning 0-of-9 from the floor. In the first half, the three-ball kept Wisconsin afloat, as the Badgers got a pair of three-point makes from both Max Klesmit and Jordan Davis, to help create some separation. Wisconsin shot 60% from behind the arc, compared to only 17.4% from two-point range.
The defensive effort was there for the Badgers all game long, holding UW-Green Bay to only 45 points on 34% shooting for the game, but turnovers were another issue that popped up for UW at times with 14 for the game.
Overall, the second half wasn't pretty for Greg Gard's bunch.
Wisconsin opened the second stanza with a pair of extended scoring droughts, allowing UW-Green Bay to get back into the game. The Badgers came out of halftime with a lack of energy and as a result, they put together a bad showing in the second half. Green Bay went on a 14-1 early in the half as Wisconsin couldn't get anything going.
While the Badgers responded late to pull away with a double-digit win and shot 16-of-19 from the free throw line, it was not an overly impressive showing for Wisconsin. Green Bay most recently lost to both Indiana State and Georgetown by over 25 points, and is coming off of a season with only five wins in 2021-2022. The Badgers finished the game shooting 8-of-34 from inside the arc, including just 4-of-19 on layups.
Photos of the game
Up next
The Badgers will head to the Bahamas next for the Battle 4 Atlantis. Wisconsin will open the tournament playing against Dayton on November 23 at 1:30 p.m. CST, with the game aired on ESPN or ESPN2. The Badgers will play three total games as part of the invitational.
Related links:
- Wisconsin lands 2024 small forward Jack Robison out of Minnesota
- Wisconsin signs three scholarship players on National Signing Day
- Game notes and top plays from Wisconsin's 10-point against Stanford
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