Shots never fell with any consistency Wednesday afternoon for the University of Wisconsin. Fortunately, the Badgers were much sounder when it came to one of the pillars of their program.
Wisconsin rode the coattails of its defense for the second straight game, holding Dayton - the preseason favorites in the Atlantic 10 - to 30.2 percent from the floor and forcing 17 turnovers in a 43-42 victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
The Badgers (4-0) needed to be on point defensively considering UW shot 23.7 percent from the floor, including making only six of 29 attempts in the second half.
Wisconsin will likely need to make several more shots when it faces No.3 Kansas (5-0) in the semifinals tomorrow morning (10 a.m./ESPN).
Both sides started slow offensively. In the game’s first eight minutes, Wisconsin was 3-for-13 with Dayton committing six turnovers in 16 possessions. The only saving grace for the Badgers early was freshman Connor Essegian, who started 3-for-3 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line, being responsible for 11 of UW’s 13 points.
Essegian finished with a career-high/team-high 13 points, as Wisconsin’s bench delivered a season-high 23 points.
But while Wisconsin was able to find some semblance of an offensive rhythm, the Badgers kept Dayton grounded. UW ended the final 9:56 of the first half on a 13-3 run, while its defense held the Flyers to misses on 13 of its final 14 shots and no points over the final 5:02
UW needed every point considering the Badgers closed the game missing 16 of its final 17 shots and scoring just six points in the final 10+ minutes, yet never gave up the lead.
Clinging to a 43-42 lead with 24.4 seconds left, the Badgers’ defense helped run the shot clock down to 8.5 seconds before Dayton burned its final timeout. Max Klesmit came up with UW’s only block of the game on Kobe Elvis (16 points), leaving only two seconds on the game clock and one on the shot clock. The Flyers were unable to get a shot off on the ensuing inbounds, resulting in a shot-clock violation and allowing UW to run the remaining 1.4 seconds off the clock.
What it means: Two sloppy offensive games in a row for Wisconsin have ended with victories because the Badgers have been solid defensively. It’s a recipe that’s working now but is certainly not sustainable in the long term.
Star of the game: Essegian came into the game averaging 5.3 points per game and more than doubled that point total with a career-high 13 points.
Stat of the game: UW’s starters went a combined 7-for-41 from the floor with nine turnovers.
Reason to be Concerned: Chucky Hepburn continues to struggle offensively. Shooting 1-for-10 from the floor, UW’s sophomore point guard is now a combined 8-for-37 over his last three games.
Don’t overlook: The contributions from Isaac Lindsey and Markus Ilver. Put on scholarship in the offseason, Lindsey delivered a career-high five points off the bench, including a three-pointer on UW’s last first-half possession to give the Badgers a seven-point lead going into halftime. Ilver scored all six of his career-high in points in the second half, making the only two Wisconsin three-pointers after the half.
What’s next: Wisconsin and Kansas have met four times in program history, with a pair of home-and-home series in 1955-56 and 1968-69. In the most recent meeting, Kansas claimed a 76-60 win in Lawrence on December 8, 1969. UW’s only win over Kansas came back in December of 1968 with a 67-62 win in Madison. UW is 5-14 against the No.3 team in the AP poll, winning at Purdue last season.
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