(12) Wisconsin 77, Loyola (Chicago) 63: Last word

December 16, 2020
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

No. 12 Wisconsin used a 17-2 run midway through the second half to take control against Loyola (Chicago) and went on to a 77-63 win Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Player of the Game: Jonathan Davis

The freshman was the difference in the game, scoring 12 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out a pair of assists and coming up with one steal. His effort on the offensive end in the first half was a spark in an otherwise rough effort on that end of the court. He was equally good on the other end of the court where the Badgers held Loyola to a season-low 38.9% from the floor. When he was in the game, Wisconsin was 26 points better than the Ramblers.

The good: 3-point shooting

Wisconsin shoots a lot of 3-pointers and on Tuesday it hit a bunch of them. The Badgers went 10-for-18 from beyond the arc with six different guys hitting at least one. Micah Potter hit three of his four attempts, while Brad Davison and Nate Reuvers went a combined 4-for-7.

The not so good: Scoring inside

The Badgers struggled mightily around the rim, especially in the first half. They went just 1-for-8 on layups and 2-for-12 overall in the paint. You could point to the officials allowing some physical play but coach Greg Gard mentioned several times that guys just missed point-blank shots.

Stat of the Game: 4

That’s how many turnovers the Badgers had and it was a season-low. Meanwhile, they forced the Ramblers into 14 turnovers and converted that into 15 points.

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In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin was playing Loyola on short notice after the Badgers game with Northern Iowa set for Wednesday was canceled by the Panthers.

— Tyler Wahl scored just one point but he had a huge impact on the game. He had a couple assists, but really did good work on the defensive end with six rebounds and a couple blocks.

— Normal arena announcer Mike Mahnke missed the game because he was quarantining due to a close contact getting COVID-19. Bonnie Oleson, who handles the announcing for UW volleyball, filled in for Mahnke.

https://twitter.com/uwpaguy/status/1338994155234668544

What’s next?

Wisconsin (5-1) will host No. 23 Louisville on Saturday in Madison.