MADISON, Wis. – Steven Crowl wasn’t himself during a four-game skid that dropped No.20 Wisconsin from the top of the conference. His performance Tuesday suggested that the forward has taken a step back in the right direction.
Held to single digits during Wisconsin’s four-game losing streak, Crowl regained his form with a 16-point performance in the Badgers’ 62-54 victory over Ohio State at the Kohl Center,
Finishing 7-for-14 from the field and adding 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, Crowl was part of an offensive resurgence from multiple UW players who had been seemingly stuck in the mid.
A.J. Storr added 14 points and 12 rebounds, Tyler Wahl added 10 and seven boards, and Chucky Hepburn hit multiple three-pointers for only the third time since January 3.
It was the first victory for Wisconsin (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) since January 26 and moved them into sole possession of third place in the conference. The Badgers remained a half-game behind second-place Illinois after the Illini throttled Michigan, 97-68, in Champaign.
Guard Bruce Thornton led all scorers with 18 points for Ohio State (14-11, 4-10), which has dropped nine of 11 but didn’t go down without a fight.
Down as many as 17 points in the second half, the Buckeyes closed the gap to five after hitting 10 of 12 shots, including a stretch of seven consecutive makes. Thornton had nine of his points on the run, but Hepburn helped close the door with a wing three-pointer and a layup off his own steal.
Ohio State didn’t have another run in them, missing nine straight shots, including four layups, down the stretch and finishing the game at 41.1 percent.
A game tied at 18 was broken open by Wisconsin closing the final 5:30 of the first half on a 16-3 run, taking a 34-21 lead into the break. UW started 6-for-16 from the field but made 5 of its final 8 shots, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Max Klesmit (eight points) and a transition dunk from Storr.
That final sprint shook off a start where the Badgers committed eight turnovers on their first 20 possessions and missed 10 of their first 16 shots.
Ohio State wasn’t much better in the first half, shooting 34.6 percent from the field (2-for-9 3FGs) and heading into the break missing nine of 10 shots.
What it means: Losing a pair of Quad-2 games against the bottom dwellers in the Big Ten on the road is one thing, but dropping such a game at home to push a losing streak to five would have been something else. Fortunately for the Badgers, after playing five games in 13 days, they’re off the skid.
Star of the game: Hepburn impacted the game on multiple levels, finishing with nine points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals, and no turnovers in 39 minutes.
Stat of the game: UW went 11-for-16 from the free throw line compared to Ohio State going 1-for-2.
Reason to be Concerned: John Blackwell (hip) missed his second straight game and Kamari McGee (foot) is still over 10 days away from returning. The Badgers’ bench rotation has been thinned because of it, causing starters to log heavy minutes.
Don’t overlook: Not only did Klesmit hit a couple of momentum-shifting three-pointers, the defender put in work shadowing Ohio State’s Jamison Battle, who averaged 14.2 ppg but was scoreless on two attempts in the first half. Battle finished with three points on 1-for-6 shooting, making his lone bucket with 16 seconds remaining.
What’s next: Wisconsin makes the short 150-mile drive to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday afternoon (1:15 p.m./BTN). The Hawkeyes (14-10, 6-7) have one of the Big Ten’s most potent offenses (second at 84.2 ppg on 48.0 percent shooting) and one of the leakiest defenses (13th at 78.0 ppg). UW won the first meeting between the two programs, 83-72, on January 2 to push its series winning streak to three.
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