Marquette basketball outdueled Wisconsin, as a 51-point second half led the Golden Eagles past the Badgers.
Kam Jones’ 32-point performance fueled Marquette’s victory over Wisconsin. The Badgers hung around with the Golden Eagles, taking a two-point lead into the half. Max Klesmit buried three three-pointers in the first half on his way to a 22-point performance. However, Marquette separated early in the second half. An 11-2 run with 18 minutes remaining gave Marquette a six-point lead. Then, with 11 minutes left in the ballgame, a 9-0 run would secure the Golden Eagles’ victory, as they took a commanding 70-55 lead.
Takeaway #1: Marquette always had a response for Wisconsin
You have to give Wisconsin credit. Their offense made every effort down the stretch in the second half. However, anytime they would pull to within ten points, Marquette would have a response on the other side of the floor. With 6:17 remaining, Max Klesmit knocked down a three, but Kam Jones made a driving layup on the other end. The teams then traded buckets for the next four minutes, and Wisconsin simply ran out of time.
Takeaway #2: Marquette is one of the best teams in the country
Marquette clearly had a chip on their shoulder in this game. Wisconsin had won the past three matchups against their in-state rivals. While Kam Jones was the standout player among Marquette’s starting five, everyone was efficient. Ben Gold was 3-for-5 from the field (all of which were three-pointers). David Joplin was 6-for-13, Stevie Mitchell was 5-for-8, and Chase Ross was 2-for-5 (but went 8-for-9 at the free throw line). The ball movement was tremendous throughout the afternoon. On a neutral site, I would take Marquette over just about any other team right now.
Takeaway #3: John Tonje was awfully quiet in the second half
John Tonje had just two points in the second half. When the Badgers desperately needed a response to Marquette’s second-half runs, one might have expected them to turn to Tonje, but he took just four shots in the second half.
This was partially due to the fact that Tonje picked up his third foul with over 17 minutes remaining in the game, and was forced to sit out part of the second half. The Badgers’ star player was on the floor for just 29 minutes compared to the 35 minutes that John Blackwell played.
Next up for Wisconsin (8-2): at No. 19 Illinois – Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. CST
Next up for Marquette (9-1): at Dayton – Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. EST