STAT PACK: Clutch Moments Lead No.8 UW to 80-73 Double OT Win Over Indiana

MADISON, Wis. – Whether played at the Kohl Center, Assembly Hall or anywhere in between, the University of Wisconsin – even when not at its best - finds a way to take down the Hoosiers.

Flat on both ends of the floor for long stretches, No.8 Wisconsin conjured up clutch plays in crucial moments to upend Indiana, 80-73, in double overtime Thursday.

The victory for Wisconsin (10-2, 4-1 Big Ten) was a familiar sight in the series. The Badgers have won 22 of the last 25 meetings against the Hoosiers (7-5, 2-3), including 18 straight in Madison. However, how the Badgers got there was anything but usual.

Here’s a closer look at the game with the BadgerBlitz.com Stat Pack.

- D’Mitrik Trice led Wisconsin with 21 points and delivered a pair of clutch shots to force overtime (a runner in the lane with 21 seconds) and double overtime (step-back jumper with 11.1).

- Tyler Wahl had 12 points, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers in front of the Wisconsin bench in double overtime that helped spark an 8-0 run. However, it was his defense in critical moments that set up the second overtime heroics. Wahl forced a pair of jump ball situations and went one-on-one with Jerome Hunter (12 pts) at the rim to force a contested miss. On the next possession, he started his 3-pointers.

- Nate Reuvers finished with 14 points and shot just 4-for-12, but the senior had 10 of his points in the second half and walled up Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis (23 points, 10-for-16) during some critical late possessions.

- UW was outshot by Indiana (48.4 to 42.4) but the Badgers held the Hoosiers to only two offensive rebounds and only 5-for-8 from the free throw line. On the flip side, Wisconsin went 16-for-20 from the line.

- Indiana started sloppy on both ends of the floor (four fouls and five turnovers in the first 5:34), but the Hoosiers got their act together on a 7-0 run to take their first lead at 11-9 entering the second media timeout. Jackson-Davis was the catalyst with consecutive buckets, including a flawless spin move on Jonathan Davis and uncontested slam at the rim.

- Despite the six forced turnovers entering that timeout, Wisconsin trailed because it was 4-for-12 from the floor with Reuvers missing all four of his attempts, including a couple shots that didn’t draw iron.

- Mixing the lineup, Wisconsin found something out of the timeout that led to a 14-0 scoring run over a 4:38 stretch to take a 23-11 lead. The Badgers got a couple easy buckets at the rim thanks to cutters being hit in stride. They led to open looks on the perimeter that UW hit. Not only did UW go 5-for-5 on that stretch, all five baskets had an assist attached to it.

- It turned out to be a short offensive burst for Wisconsin, as the Badgers only made two field goals over the last 6:48 and Indiana made four of its final seven. UW led 29-24 at the break.

- Like the first half, Indiana started hot in the second by making seven of its first eight shots. The only difference was the Hoosiers only committed one turnover, which allowed them to cut the lead to 40-39.

- The seventh foul was a big one, as Anthony Leal was called for a blocking foul underneath the basket. The call displeased Indiana coach Archie Miller, who spent the first part of the media timeout discussing the call with the three-man officiating crew. UW was 4-for-6 from the line at the time and went 12-for-14 from the point.

- Thanks in part to Reuvers scoring four points in two possessions, Wisconsin built a 6-point lead that was its most since the opening minutes of the half. Like in past situations, the Badgers struggled to deliver a knockout blow to Indiana and Jackson-Davis. The IU sophomore scored six straight points for his team and assisted on a 3-point shot by Hunter that gave the Hoosiers a 50-48 lead.

- The onslaught on the low post continued. After scoring just 12 points in the lane in the first half, Indiana put 32 on the Badgers in the second half and overtimes, including six on three straight possessions that gave the Hoosiers their largest lead (56-50) with 5:55 remaining.

- Likely reaching close to the panic button, UW used a steal and dunk from Wahl to get things moving and passed the baton to Reuvers. The senior hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one, hit a hook shot in the lane off an offensive rebound to give the lead back to Wisconsin and helped double Jackson-Davis to force a missed shot at the rim.

- That double team proved costly later. With the game tied at 59, Jackson-Davis drove baseline and drew the attention of both players. That left Hunter wide open in the lane and Jackson-Davis delivered the perfect pass for the easy dunk, giving the Hoosiers the lead at 61-59.

- Growing the reputation as UW’s big shot maker, Trice delivered with a runner into the lane to tie the score with 21 seconds left. Reuvers ended regulation by getting his revenge on Jackson-Davis, delivering tough one-on-one defense in the low block to force a contested shot that didn’t drop.

- Each team traded body blows in overtime. Trice hit a 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining to put Wisconsin up, 67-66, only to have Aljami Durham convert a 3-point play of his own on a Davison foul. Trice responded with a set-back jumper at the free throw line to tie the score at 69. Davison got his revenge on Durham by tying him up and forcing a jump ball with 1.3 seconds remaining. He took the winning shot, too, only to have it dance around the rim before falling to the court.

- Winning the jump ball, Wisconsin controlled momentum in the second overtime from a deflated Hoosiers team, as the Badgers opened double overtime on a 10-1 run over the first 3:18 of overtime.

-Wisconsin’s next scheduled game is next Tuesday at No.10 Michigan, the only undefeated team remaining in Big Ten play.