Badgers go on a late run to beat SMU, win Fort Myers Tip-Off

November 22, 2023
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

Wisconsin rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to beat SMU 69-61 in the championship game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night.

The Badgers trailed by 10 with 13:21 left in the game when things started to click, as they outscored the Mustangs 39-21 the rest of the way. That run featured freshman John Blackwell scoring eight of his 10 points, while Chucky Hepburn scored all 10 of his points in that run. That included hitting a pair of 3-pointers and converting an and-1 to give Wisconsin its first lead of the game at 55-53. The Badgers closed out the game at the free throw line, going 7-for-8 in the last 1:08.

Tyler Wahl led the way for Wisconsin, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds. In addition to his 10 points, Blackwell also had a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. Max Klesmit had 12 points and AJ Storr chipped in 11.

Wisconsin struggled mightily from beyond the arc, opening the game 1-for-17. But the shots finally started to fall late, with the Badgers hitting four of their final seven attempts from deep.

SMU was paced by Zhuric Phelps’ 19 points, while AJ Harris added 13 points.

The win pushed the Badgers to 4-2 on the year. They will come home to face Western Illinois on Monday.