Wisconsin has had its difficulties closing out opponents at home this season, but thanks in large part to a career day from redshirt junior guard Zak Showalter, there was no drama at the Kohl Center Saturday afternoon.
Showalter was a perfect 8-8 from the field, including 4-4 from behind the arc, to finish with a career-high 21 points. Redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ chipped in 16 points on 7-8 shooting and 10 rebounds to finish with his Big Ten-leading fifth double-double of the year as the Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 9-6 overall) cruised past Rutgers (0-2, 6-9) 79-57.
Showalter, who went just 2-14 from 3-point range last season, seemed to be able to do no wrong Saturday afternoon, showing off his full arsenal on offense, including his quartet of shots from deep. For good measure, he even drew his 12th charge of the season in the waning minutes of the game.
“We've had a lot of guys over the years that have resembled Zak Showalter in terms of how he plays, his tenacity, effort, and toughness. The attitude he brings every day in practice, he's always flying around the floor and taking charges,” Wisconsin interim head coach Greg Gard said. “He went 8-for-8 and doesn't miss a shot, but he was active and taking charges. He was diving on the floor everywhere. That's how he is and we've always had a few guys like that. It has to remain our team DNA.”
Though the Badgers pulled away late to glide to a comfortable victory, a stagnant start to the second half on offense allowed Rutgers to nearly pull even after trailing by 11 points at the half.
The Scarlet Knights started the half on a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to four, but Showalter finally gave UW its first field goal over seven minutes into the second half by converting a three-point play.
That bucket seemed to calm the Badgers down, as they finally pulled away for good once they found an offensive rhythm like they had in the first half.
Wisconsin looked stellar on offense in the game’s first 20 minutes, getting plenty of open looks and receiving contributions from a plethora of players. With UW reverting back to a swing offense under Gard, guys like Jordan Hill and Alex Illikainen have seen their playing time increase significantly. And even redshirt sophomore forward Aaron Moesch checked into the game in the first half for the first time in his career.
“When I go back through the film every day and break down practice step-by-step, [Moesch] moves just as well as anybody we have,” Gard said. “He finds gaps, he has people pinned, he's got his master's degree with the swing, and the rest of the guys are working on their bachelor's degree.”
Junior guard Bronson Koenig recorded 14 points and four assists and junior forward Nigel Hayes added eight points and nine rebounds for the Badgers, who shot 53.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. As a team, they also outrebounded Rutgers 37-25, posted a 14 to 9 assist-to-turnover ratio and scored 1.20 points per possession.
For the Scarlet Knights, sophomore guard Mike Williams led the way with 20 points and three rebounds.
With its seven-game homestand now over, Wisconsin will head back out on the road, where it’ll take on Indiana at Assembly Hall Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Quotes obtained courtesy of UWBadgers.com.
