For the second game in a row the Badgers found themselves leading by 20 points deep into the second half.
Unlike like Wednesday night’s game against Georgia Tech, the Badgers were able to sustain their lead until the finish and get a 70-57 victory Saturday afternoon against the UW-Green Bay Phoenix at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers, who led by 20 points at the half, came out and increased their lead on a Kirk Penney three-pointer. After shooting 55 percent in the first half, the Badgers continued their hot shooting early in the second half and gained their largest lead of the game at 56-29 with 12 minutes remaining when Freddie Owens stole the ball and took it for a fast break lay-up.
UW-GB attempted to rally back behind the strong play of junior center Greg Babcock, who led all scorers with 19 points on the afternoon. Babcock cut the Badger lead to less than 20 points with a pair of free throws and a lay up with just under eight minutes to play in the game.
However, unlike Wednesday night’s debacle the Badgers kept their poise after the UW-GB run and kept their lead around 20 points for the majority of the second half.
“I thought we did handle it better, but its not where we want it yet,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said of playing with the big lead. “We had a plan, defensively and offensively. I thought our post feeds were better, and our turnovers were down until that last exhibition, but that’s tough at that part of the game.”
The Badger lead fell to just 13 in the final minute as Bo Ryan went deep into his bench for mop up duties.
The Badgers’ attack was once again balanced as they had five players in double figures.
“That’s our personality, and I don’t just mean mine. I mean the other coaches and the players,” commented Ryan. “It says a lot for them — they are sharing it and are taking advantage of opportunities. But you still need a guy at the end of the game that can explode a little bit and were developing that now.”
The Badgers’ leading scorer was Penney, who finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Charlie Wills also had a strong outing, nearly finishing with a double-double, scoring 12 points and ending up with nine rebounds as he battled inside against Babcock.
Key reserve Freddie Owens, who had had a poor outing against Georgia Tech, redeemed himself Saturday scoring 12 points while shooting an accurate 6 -7 from the field.
“I was definitely disappointed with the way that I played against Georgia Tech,” said Owens. “But you have good games and bad games, and it is about whether you can shake it off. Coming home was a little relief, but I want to give it my all, no matter where we are.”
Owens’ surprisingly good play has been a welcome addition to a Wisconsin team that did not appear to have much depth coming into the season.
“Freddie is doing a pretty good job of defending and beating people to their spots, he’s very quick with his feet,” said Ryan. “He is really giving us a lift in a lot of areas, and we have definitely accepted it with open arms.”
Dave Mader scored the first five points of the game for the Badgers on consecutive post moves, finishing a three-point play from the free-throw line after the second move. Both teams played evenly until the Badgers, leading 11-10, began a 27 -6 run over a 10-minute stretch to give the Badgers a 22-point lead just before the half. It was a lead that would prove insurmountable for the Phoenix.
The Badgers don’t have time to rest, though, as they take on the Temple Owls tonight at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center. Temple is known for their tremendous zone defense, something the Badgers have not seen much of yet this season.
“We’ll see something we haven’t seen all year, and Temple probably plays the best zone,” said Ryan. “You need good ball movement; guys must use ball fakes, be patient and get good looks.”
Temple is 2-2 this season and has only lost to Florida and Maryland, both top 10 teams. The Owls’ leading scorer is guard Lynn Greer who is averaging 21 points per game this season.
Temple also boasts a pair of frontcourt players that are as big as any two in the nation. Seniors Kevin Lyde and Ron Rollerson are both over 6-foot-10 and weigh 260 and 290 pounds, respectively.
Keeping them off from the glass on both ends of the court will present problems for the undersized Badgers.
“You can get some offensive rebounds against zones. That’s what they say; it is in the coaching manual 101,” said Ryan. “I never look ahead, but Rollerson, Lyde. There aren’t a whole lot of offensive rebounds to go around when those two go and surround the basket.”
With the quick turn around the Badgers will attempt to get prepared to face Temple’s unique style on only one day of practice.
“We are going to try to give the defense the advantage in practice. We might even put six guys out there on defense,” said Ryan. “But the rim is still going to be 10 feet high and we are going to get some looks. It’s just a matter of are you able to get the most out of your possessions.”
However, some of the Badgers are looking forward to facing a zone defense instead of the usual man to man. Penney welcomes the opportunity to play against a zone, even one as good as Temples’.
“I think all shooters love zones, and I’m looking forward to it. Last year Ricky Bower really lit it up for us,” said Penney. “This year we have some good shooters on this team, and everyone should be licking their chops because we will get some open looks and we just have to knock them down.”
