The Wisconsin Badgers overwhelmed the Marquette Golden Eagles wire-to-wire in the annual I-94 battle at the Kohl Center Saturday, with John Blackwell tallying 30 points.
It’s Blackwell’s third 30-point game of the season, one of just two players in the country with three 30 points games on the season thus far.
Tensions between the two teams were high all night, with neither squad taking the in-state rivalry lightly. Wisconsin pulled away with the dominant 20-point victory, their largest win against Marquette since 1952. The Badgers have now won four out of the last five matchups against the Golden Eagles, holding a 72-60 all-time record over Marquette.
“This has been the most consistent 40 minutes we have played,” Blackwell said.
Blackwell was a force to be reckoned with, shooting 50% from the 3-point line and ending 6-for-12 from 3 on the night. He’s averaging 28.6 points in Wisconsin’s last three contests, and opposing coaches are recognizing the talent Blackwell possesses.
“Blackwell is a special player. I've coached a couple of guys the last few years who are now in the NBA, and he's that good." Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said after the game.
Two Badgers — Nolan Winter and Aleksas Bieliauskas —- finished with double-doubles Saturday,. They were both the physical presences Wisconsin needed against Marquette and contributed heavily throughout the contest.
Once again in the starting lineup for head coach Greg Gard, Bieliauskas tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, with seven of his 10 rebounds coming in the first half. Gard raved about Bieliauskas and his progress since arriving in Madison this August.
“I can’t be more proud of [Bieliauskas], of how he’s just stayed the course. He’s tough. He wants to get better,” Gard said.
Andrew Rohde displayed his scoring ability against the Golden Eagles, fresh off reaching 1,000 points in his collegiate career. He had a season-high 17 points and grabbed five rebounds en-route to the win.
Both teams came out the gates on a cold streak, and the game was scoreless until Rohde sank a 3 at the 17:37 mark to open up the scoring. Wisconsin’s offensive struggle continued midway into the first half, only scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes.
The tempo started to pick up for the Badgers once Blackwell got in rhythm. He sank a 3-pointer, and two possessions later, drew a foul to get to the free throw line. Bieliauskas and Nick Boyd also contributed to the momentum change, scoring key buckets and helping the Badgers keep the lead against the Golden Eagles. Wisconsin headed into the break up 43-31.
The Badgers were efficient in the second half, scoring 53 points in the 20 minute period. Thanks to poor shooting and sloppiness on Marquette's part, Wisconsin capitalized off of their mistakes and took over the game for good. Shooting 7-for-16 on 3-pointers in the second half, Wisconsin stayed lethal beyond the arc .
The win against one of their biggest rivals is sure to give the Badgers a major confidence boost as they head on the road to face the No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
