Wisconsin basketball battled past an early shooting barrage from Montana State, going on to win 79-67.
Montana State entered the Kohl Center with hoping to pull off an upset on the road to begin their season. The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, as the game flipped back and forth throughout the first 15 minutes of play. Ultimately, Wisconsin’s offensive firepower was too much for Montana State, as strong performances from Max Klesmit, Nolan Winter, and John Blackwell led the Badgers past the Bobcats.
Takeaway #1: The Badgers played a strong 40 minutes of basketball
Wisconsin excelled against a Montana State that hung around for the first half. Montana State went 7-for-17 as a team from beyond the arc in the first half and trailed by just 6 points at halftime. Wisconsin matched their shooting from deep, finishing 5-for-10 in the first half, and 11-for-22 throughout the game.
Nolan Winter followed up a 15-point performance on opening night with a strong 6-point, 8-rebound performance against the Bobcats. He was complemented well by fellow big man Steven Crowl, who led the team with four assists.
“It’s been fun watching (Crowl and Winter) evolving on the floor through the summer and into the fall,” said Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard following the game. “They like to play together.”
Takeaway #2: Wisconsin has excelled at the free throw line
Not only has Wisconsin gotten to the line a lot this season, but they have made their free throws at an incredible rate. Wisconsin was 20-21 (95%) from the charity stripe against the Bobcats. On opening night against Holy Cross, the Badgers were a perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line. That means that through two games, the Wisconsin Badgers have gone an astounding 36-for-37 (97%).
Wisconsin’s free throw shooting marks an underlying pattern of efficiency that Gard has been pushing on his team this year. “75 of our 79 points were at-the-rim 2’s, free throws, or threes,” said Gard.
Takeaway #3: Max Klesmit has the ability to take over a game
Max Klesmit looked unstoppable throughout the second half. The junior made back-to-back threes at the start of the half to give the Badgers their first double-digit lead. Klesmit would go on to score 26 points, tying a career-high on 6-for-11 shooting from deep. It was a welcome sight for Klesmit, who struggled from three-point range in the season opener, going just 1-for-7 from long range against Holy Cross.
Next Game for Wisconsin (2-0): vs. Appalachian State (1-1) – Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST)
Next Game for Montana State (0-1): at Wichita State (1-0) Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST)