Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball defeated the No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles 75-64 Saturday at the Kohl Center after Max Klesmit scored 21 points in the first half.
Wisconsin came into Saturday’s game off a four-game winning streak and looked to secure their third straight win against their in-state rivals.
The first half started with a back-and-forth exchange between the Badgers and the Golden Eagles before Wisconsin took the lead.
Marquette attacked the basket early and quickly forced the Badgers into foul trouble — Wisconsin fouled the Golden Eagles four times in the first five minutes.
However, Klesmit came in big for Wisconsin and scored 21 points with five three-pointers made in his 18 minutes of the first half. Klesmit averaged just 6.8 points per game before this matchup.
Despite holding a speed and length disadvantage, Klesmit broke away from Marquette guard Kam Jones on multiple possessions with his quick off-ball movement. Klesmit’s evasion earned him good looks from the perimeter.
Jones was the Golden Eagles’ top scorer with 12 points in the first half and went perfect from the field.
Turnovers plagued Marquette in the first half, with all five coming from Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro and Jones. Jones got fouled on an and-one layup with eight minutes left in the first half and appeared to exchange words with Wisconsin guard John Blackwell — Jones turned the ball over twice over the next minute after the altercation.
The Badgers finished the first half with a 13-point lead. They dominated the boards by grabbing 12 more rebounds than Marquette and shot seven more free throws, which they achieved by taking advantage of the Golden Eagles’ physical defense to draw more fouls.
Before Wisconsin dashed past the finish line, Marquette clawed their way back and cut the Badgers’ lead down to one point after a 12-2 run at the start of the second half. Badgers forward Steven Crowl and guard AJ Storr stopped Marquette’s momentum and scored 18 of Wisconsin’s 29 second-half points.
Crowl disrupted Ighodaro’s paint presence and used every opportunity to get physical with him, keeping Ighodaro to five points and forcing four turnovers. Crowl led Wisconsin with eight rebounds and grabbed four offensive rebounds that contributed to the Badgers’ 15 offensive rebounds.
Klesmit said he always plays with a chip on his shoulder in a postgame press conference Saturday.
“I got to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Klesmit said. “Other guys on the team feed off that, which is just pouring yourself into the team and being a team guy.”
Wisconsin’s win Saturday was its third-straight against Marquette. The Badgers move to 6-2 on the season and 4-1 at home.
The Badgers start their Big Ten play against the Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday at the Breslin Center.
