Quick Hits: No.22 Wisconsin Uses Strong Second Half to Beat Lehigh, 78-56
MADISON, Wis. – Perhaps nothing will ever come easy for the University of Wisconsin at any point this season, as long as these Badgers keep making it hard on themselves.
Expecting to give “Team Drama” a night off, No.22 Wisconsin battled through an ugly performance before correcting enough glaring missteps to pull away from Lehigh, 78-56, in the second half at the Kohl Center Thursday.
Forward Steven Crowl scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the Badgers (9-2), who were probably hoping for an easy night after playing seven consecutive games decided by five points or less. But in a contest sandwiched between a sweep of a two-game conference set and the beginning of final exams, the Badgers played like a group coming off an all-time cram session.
The offense was sloppy, crowded, and lacked aggression, and UW’s defense – or lack thereof – gave up wide driving lanes and unguarded shooters. It wasn’t until an 11-0 run at the midpoint of the second half, sparked by freshman Connor Essegian’s long-range shots, that the Badgers finally had a six-point lead.
That evidently opened the floodgates, as UW hit seven consecutive shots to build an 18-point lead entering the final five minutes. Essegian had 13 points, one of three Badgers who made multiple three-pointers.
Wisconsin spent the first half looking disjointed defensively, allowing Lehigh to shoot 55.6 percent from the field which was largely contributed by the Mountain Hawks’ ability to attack the rim. The Badgers were also careless offensively, committing seven turnovers that led to 10 Lehigh points and a 32-31 halftime deficit.
Evan Taylor had a game-high 18 points to lead Lehigh (4-5), which was outscored 40-13 over the final 14 minutes.
What it means: Wisconsin looked nothing like the team that leads the nation with six wins over KenPom Top-100 teams, but the Badgers got things clicking before it was too late to avoid a loss that would have been an eye soar on their resume.
Star of the game: Wisconsin sleepwalked through the first 25 minutes but got jolted out of its slumber by Essegian. Over a 26-second stretch, Essegian hit a three-pointer, drew an offensive foul off a screen, and hit a second three-pointer, the latter putting UW in the lead for the final 10 minutes of the game.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin was 2:45 away from holding a team without any free throw attempts for the first time in school history until guard Max Klesmit committed a shooting foul. The Badgers were whistled for only six personal fouls.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin has won a lot of games this season with its defense, but the Badgers were a far cry from a sound defensive unit in the first 20 minutes. Lehigh shot 68.4 percent from two-point range and did a lot of damage on straight-line drives to the rim. The Mountain Hawks scored 22 of their 32 first-half points in the paint and went 9-for-11 on layups.
Don’t overlook: Jordan Davis was 28.6 percent from three-point range (10-for-36) in the season’s first 10 games, but the junior had a career-best four three-pointers to account for all his scoring.
What’s next: Wisconsin will go on its usual week-long exam break and be off until December 23 when it hosts Grambling (8 p.m./Big Ten Network). The Tigers (6-3) have the best record in the SWAC (the only school over .500) and already own two wins over major conference programs (vs. Colorado, at Vanderbilt). Grambling has already played four road games and will play two more before getting to Madison. Wisconsin is 3-0 against Grambling, winning the trio of home contests by an average of 28 points. The Badgers have never lost against a SWAC opponent (14-0)
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