UW-Whitewater gave the Wisconsin men's basketball team all it could handle. However, a late Wisconsin surge helped the Badgers defeat the UW-Whitewater Warhawks by a score of 64-47 in their final exhibition before the regular season.
In the first half, the Warhawks played the Badgers competitively with tough man-to-man defense, and trailed by just three points heading into halftime. UW-Whitewater hung with the Badgers deep into the second half, trailing 44-42 with just nine minutes remaining. But then the Badgers made their run, scoring nine unanswered points, and held the Warhawks scoreless for more than five minutes of play. UW-Whitewater shot just 3-for-18 from the field in the second half.
The Badgers also benefited from a major second half presence inside. Wisconsin out-rebounded the Warhawks 39-22, and had a 32-12 advantage for points in the paint.
Senior forward Marcus Landry finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Badgers. Landry felt that the Badgers' adjustment in the second half inside was a key to the team's turnaround in play.
More of our touches were at the post and we had all the rebounds,"" Landry said. ""That's where it was. It wasn't so much as getting the ball. It was driving in the lane and making plays. It was about getting in the paint.""
UW-Whitewater head coach Pat Miller was proud of his team's effort but felt that in the end, Wisconsin's defense and size advantage proved to be too much.
""I thought we held our own for 30 minutes and then I think we got a little tired,"" Miller said. ""Their strength and athleticism wore us down and it was really telling down the stretch.""
Division III UW-Whitewater was the winner of the last year's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and the WIAC Tournament. This game was the Warhawks' first Division I matchup since a loss to Marquette in November of 2005.
Senior guard Myles McKay the Warhawk with 16 points and six rebounds. Fellow senior guard and preseason All-American Matt Goodwin was limited to just 10 points, seven below his average from last year.
Senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft led the Badgers with 12 points to go along with six rebounds, but shot just 4-of-14 from the field. Sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil added eight points and seven rebounds.
UW-Whitewater's intense play forced the Badgers to have an uncharacteristic number of turnovers with 14, leading to 12 Warhawk points. They also committed 19 fouls, leading to 23 Warhawk free throw attempts. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said his players will need to adjust to limit these mistakes in regular season play.
""We just got caught in some situations where we need to get better on our balance,"" Ryan said. ""Our guys are just going to have to learn to adjust to how the game is being called as far as on penetration, contact and hands.""
The Badgers will have their chance to show improvement when they kick off their regular season at home Sunday against Long Beach State.
