Chucky Hepburn wasn’t going to stay in his offensive downfall for long.

After missing opportunities to make critical plays in the previous 48 hours, Wisconsin’s sophomore point guard delivered on both ends of the floor to give Wisconsin a 64-59 victory over USC in the third-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Hepburn had a team-high 17 points in what was a balanced attack for the Badgers (5-1), having three players in double figures and two more contributing with eight.

In a game that featured seven ties, 10 lead changes, and neither team leading by more than seven, the Badgers put themselves in the lead for good with 4:25 remaining when Hepburn hit a step-back jumper that was part of an 8-0 run.

He sealed the game when he stole the ball from USC’s Drew Peterson at the top of the key with 15 seconds left and scored on Peterson at the other end four seconds later to cap the scoring. It was Peterson’s fifth turnover of the game and one of 14 for the Trojans.

USC (4-3) entered the meeting as a struggling perimeter team, shooting 29.5 percent from three-point range and making 5.2 triples per game. The Trojans pushed UW’s three-point defense (17.8 percent allowed) by making 11 of their first 20 shots, including Peterson starting 5-for-5 on his way to 17 points.

But after Peterson’s fifth three put USC up 57-54, the Trojans missed seven straight shots and went scoreless for 4:52 to allow Wisconsin to assume control.

Wisconsin’s first half exercised a lot of offensive demons against USC’s zone. The Badgers shot 50 percent from the field, the first time they’ve done that since the second half of the season opener. Hepburn scored nine points, more than his previous three games, and Jordan Davis delivered eight after missing 13 of his first 14 shots in the tournament.

The offense helped neutralize the play from USC guards Boogie Ellis and Peterson, who combined to score 21 points but only four over the final 5+ minutes when the Badgers closed on a 12-4 run to lead 36-34 at halftime.

Ellis had 13 points in the first half but was limited to only two points on seven shots by Hepburn in the second half.

What it means: Wisconsin pushed itself over three days against two Power-Five opponents and an experienced Dayton team picked to win the Atlantic-10, a trio that won a combined 84 games and a national championship a year ago.

Star of the game: Hepburn might not be all the way back, but Friday was certainly a step in the right direction for the sophomore. Shooting 26.8 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from the perimeter, Hepburn was 7-for-13 overall and 3-for-5 from the perimeter. His decision making was also better, finishing with four assists, one turnover, and two steals.

Stat of the game: USC held five of its first six opponents under 37.5 percent shooting but the Badgers finished at 44.6 percent (a team-high for the tournament) and went 10-for-24 from three-point range.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin had allowed only nine three-pointers through its first four games of the season, but the Badgers gave up 20 combined against Kansas (nine) and USC (11).

Don’t overlook: Connor Essegian was a huge weapon for the Badgers in Atlantis, going 9-for-17 (52.9 percent) from three-point range over the three games.

What’s next: Wisconsin flies home Saturday and will get the weekend to prepare for Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Badgers are 12-11 all-time in the event, including wins the last two years, but have never beaten the Demon Deacons. UW is 0-3 against them, losing in the 1999, 2002, and 2005 event. Wake Forest (5-1) has five players averaging in double figures but has only played one opponent from a Power-Five conference (Georgia).

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