After Tuesday’s performance, junior forward Frank Kaminsky knew he had to stay focused and not dwell on the past to win in the Badgers’ first game of the Cancun Challenge Thursday.
Kaminsky and Wisconsin (5-0) found a way to pick up right where they left off Tuesday, defeating Bowling Green University (1-2) in a back-and-forth contest 88-64.
The teams were neck and neck in the early minutes of the game, as the Falcons displayed their athleticism and ability to grab offensive rebounds.
Bowling Green shot 45.2 percent in the first half, despite not converting on a three-pointer or free throw the entire first half. Its first three-pointer did not come until midway through the second half, and the Falcons would score 42 of their 64 points in the game from the paint.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, continued its solid three-point shooting, going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Sixteen minutes into the game UW paved its way to a 10-point lead, staying in double digits for the remainder of the game.
Wisconsin freshman guard Bronson Koenig came off the bench early in the game, going 2-for-2 from the field, including a 3-pointer and an assist in 11 minutes of play in the first half.
Koenig finished the game with 10 points and three rebounds on a career-high 27 minutes of play.
“He’s learning to adjust to college also, more so [than others] because he hasn’t played in college,” head coach Bo Ryan said.
The leading scorer for the Badgers at the half was sophomore forward Sam Dekker, but every player that entered the game for Wisconsin in the first half scored, making for a balanced offensive attack that went into halftime with a convincing 44-28 lead.
The Falcons showed a full-court press early in the second half and managed to create a little bit of trouble for the Badgers, generating more than one turnover.
Despite this, Wisconsin dominated the second half, never allowing Bowling Green to show any signs of a comeback.
“This group has a lot of guys who put work in and have made sure that when they get the opportunity with an open look, they’re gonna knock it down,” senior guard Ben Brust said.
It was an overall team effort for UW, with six players scoring in double digits, led by Brust with a team-high of 19.
“We have four or five guys that at any night could easily lead our team in scoring,” Dekker said. “We got to use that to our advantage that we have good balance.”
UW shot 60 percent from the 3-point line, 10 percent better than what the Falcons shot from the free throw line, who only managed to make half of their free throw attempts.
Defensively, Wisconsin gave up more points than they would have liked.
“I definitely don’t think we’re happy at all with our defensive performance,” said redshirt junior guard Josh Gasser. “We’re still working through some things. I think it’s better than last game, but still not where we want to be.”
