Quick Hits: No.15 Wisconsin Rallies to Beat Ohio State, 71-60

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Max Klesmit is Wisconsin’s defensive stopper and on-court leader, willing to take on the hardest defensive assignment and not complain. On Wednesday, when his team needed him the most, he became the hottest shooter on the court.

The junior scored all 18 of his points in the final 15:55, generating offense to awake No.15 Wisconsin from a second-half funk to defeat Ohio State, 71-60, at Value City Arena.

Held to five points or fewer in five of the last six games, Klesmit generated scoring at the rim before hitting a pair of crippling three-pointers for Wisconsin (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten), keeping the Badgers as the Big Ten’s only undefeated team, and putting the program off to its best conference start in 11 years.

A.J. Storr scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, as his run through the Big Ten continues to yield results. Including Wednesday, Storr has reached double figures in all four Big Ten games. His 22 points were a key catalyst in Wisconsin winning its Big Ten road opener at Michigan State last month and his production against the Buckeyes kept the Badgers head above water.

With Storr quiet, Klesmit shouldered the brunt of the offense from there. He drove to the rim on two separate occasions to generate points at the line while the Badgers went 7 minutes, 10 seconds without a field goal.

His three-pointer with 5:16 remaining broke the skid and put UW back in the lead. He delivered more haymakers from the paint and the perimeter, as Klesmit’s offense helped the Badgers close the game on a 19-4 run.

Chucky Hepburn filled the stat sheet on an off-shooting night with seven points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals, and only one turnover, as the Badgers shot 47.4 percent.

Ohio State (12-4, 2-3) spent the first 20 minutes looking like the dominant team. Bryce Thorton (6 points), Jamison Battle (5), and Zed Key (4) had Ohio State’s first 13 points, delivering a heavy dose of mid-range jumpers and low-post touches – high-percentage shots that helped the Buckeyes make seven of their first nine shots and nine of 13.

But as quickly as Ohio State started, the Buckeyes cooled, making 4 of their final 14 shots. It was the window Wisconsin needed. Spending the first half trying to land punches, the Badgers started connecting over the final 10 minutes, especially from the perimeter.

UW hit four three-pointers in a six-possession stretch from four different players, part of a closing stretch that saw the Badgers go 9-for-16 from the field and erase a deficit that grew to as many as seven points.

One of those buckets came from Storr, but the sophomore did most of his damage in the first half around the basket where he went 6-for-9 from two-point range.

He drew considerably more attention in the second half, which opened opportunities for others to carry the offense. Steven Crowl – who was questionable before the game with an apparent left knee injury – scored a three-point play to give UW its biggest lead of the game at 48-42 with 12:26 remaining.

UW only made six field goals the rest of the game, only one fewer than the Buckeyes, who couldn’t replicate their hot start against Wisconsin’s defense.

What it means: Wisconsin’s run of 80-point games ended at three but the Badgers showed it can win a grinder on the road to remain the only undefeated Big Ten team in conference play.

Stars of the game: UW would have been in deep trouble in the first half without Storr’s offense. He took over a third of UW’s shots (36.7) and scored 42.9 percent of UW’s points (15) in the first half, helping UW lead, 35-33, at the break. UW would have lost without Klesmit, who was 5-for-7 from the field and 6-for-6 from the foul line in the second half.

Stat of the game: Ohio State’s starting backcourt of Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. were averaging 31.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game. UW had trouble early with Thornton early but held the duo to 22 points on 10-for-30 shooting, eight assists, six rebounds, and four turnovers.

Reason to be Concerned: Crowl was a surprise addition to Wisconsin’s injury report and while no official ailment was listed, the junior went through warmups with a black sleeve over his left knee. He started his 15th straight game this season but gutted it out despite not playing with any kind of the same explosiveness that he had been playing with.

Don’t overlook: Crowl’s injury opened an opportunity for freshman Nolan Winter, who flourished in his minutes. The true freshman had five points (including the first three-pointer in UW’s late-half onslaught) and two rebounds in six first-half minutes before setting a career-high in points (seven) and a conference-high in minutes played (12).

What’s next: Wisconsin hosts Northwestern on Saturday afternoon for the team’s lone meeting of the regular season (11 a.m./BTN). The Wildcats (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) have one of the Big Ten’s best wins over No.1 Purdue on Dec.1 and arguably its worst loss to Chicago State on Dec.13. First-team All-Big Ten selection Boo Buie paces the Wildcats with 18.1 points and 4.9 assists per game. The senior averaged 16.5 points in two victories over UW last season (66-63 in Evanston, 54-52 in Madison) that broke the Badgers’ seven-game win streak in the series.

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