LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Few people who suffered through Wisconsin’s offensively challenged victory a day earlier would have believed the run the Badgers put together Friday.
Jon Leuer scored 18 points and Wisconsin used a 26-2 second-half surge to beat Boston College 65-55 in the second round of the Old Spice Classic.
“It was inside-outside, it was off offensive rebounds. … We scored, I think, in about every way that you can,” coach Bo Ryan said. “There are times when things get going and it’s just some how, some way, those waves hit.”
Taylor finished with 14 points for the Badgers (4-1), who were coming off a 50-35 win over Manhattan in Thursday’s opening round in which they led just 17-10 at the half.
The lowest combined points in a first half since the shot clock began in 1986 is 18 in a game between Savannah State and North Carolina Central on Jan. 20 of this year, according to STATS LLC.
Josh Gasser had a pair of fastbreak lay-ups and Jordan Taylor hit a spinning jumper in the lane during the Badgers’ big run Friday, which gave them a 54-36 lead with 7? minutes left. The Badgers had trailed 34-28 three minutes into the second half.
Reggie Jackson scored 18 points for Boston College (3-2), which had just two field goals over an 11-minute stretch in the second half. Jackson had 21 points in the Eagles’ 67-65 victory over Texas A&M to open the tournament.
“Once they got rolling, that’s probably one of the worse feelings,” Jackson said. “You just feel helpless.”
After Boston College fell behind 60-38, the Eagles tried to rally by scoring the next 15 points. Jackson and Corey Raji had lay-up’s in the final minute that cut the deficit to 60-53.
“We could easily have our heads down, but we came together at the end and we made a run,” Raji said.
Leuer hit a short jumper to complete a 9-0 run as Wisconsin tied it at 26 with one minute left in the first half. Josh Southern’s 3-point play with 6.7 seconds remaining put Boston College ahead 29-26 at halftime.
“I think our energy level, we stepped that up a lot,” Leuer said. “With stretches like that, that’s when the game is really fun. And that’s what we were having out there, a lot of fun.”
Leuer had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Manhattan.
Jackson had 10 first-half points, including two of Boston College’s five 3’s during the half. Wisconsin made just 1 of 10 from 3-point range during the opening 20 minutes.
Wisconsin will play in Sunday night’s championship game.
