The Wisconsin men’s basketball team began the 2018-'19 campaign in style Tuesday night, winning 85-63 over Coppin State at the Kohl Center.
Senior forward Ethan Happ recorded the second triple-double in Badgers history, tallying 10 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Sophomore guard D’Mitrik Trice scored a career-high 21 points, including five three-pointers to lead the team, while junior guard Brevin Pritzl knocked down four triples and finished with 16 points.
Happ joined Josh Gasser, who notched a triple-double in 2011, as the only Badgers to accomplish the feat. He also made all four of his free throws and left to a strong ovation with 6:32 left to play.
The Badgers got out to a 26-point lead in the first half and led 49-27 at the break. They shot 50 percent from the floor, including 9 of 17 from three-point range and 12 of 12 from the free-throw line in the first period.
Lamar Morgan scored 15 points to pace Coppin State. Taqwain Drummond was the only other Eagle to score in double-digits with 11 points.
Similar to the exhibition against UW-Oshkosh, Wisconsin got off to a hot start before cooling off after the break. The Badgers shot only 33 percent from the field in the second half and 20 percent from beyond the three-point arc. However, the lead they built in the first 20 minutes was more than enough to carry them over the finish line.
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