After a slow start to the regular season, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team has picked up two impressive victories in a row with their 76-60 victory over Temple Saturday.

The game was an offensive struggle to start, as neither team could find the bottom of the net. In the first seven minutes, the teams combined to score just 14 points, and Temple held a 8-6 lead over Wisconsin.

But just moments later, Bronson Koenig hit a three to give the Badgers a lead and something clicked for the team.

For the next eight minutes, Wisconsin went on a 24-4 run to go up 18 and appeared to have the game firmly in their grasp. And while they did ease up before the end of the half, they still entered the locker room with a comfortable 11-point lead.

Temple kicked the pressure up a notch to start the second half, and a quick 8-2 run to start the period brought the Owls to within five.

At that point, it looked as if the game was about to get much more competitive.

Turning point

Just 14 seconds after Temple had brought the game to within five, Zack Showalter found space in the corner and knocked down a three to end the Owls’ run.

From there, Wisconsin poured it on one more time, going on a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to bring their lead back up to 18 at 52-34. The Owls were spent at that point and were never able to get back within 14 points of the Badgers.

When you knew it was over

With around five minutes left, Temple had made one last push to bring the game with 14. They had a fighting chance, but a pair of free throws from Nigel Hayes and a three-pointer from Koenig off a perfect pass from Ethan Happ brought UW’s lead to 19 — their largest of the game — and Wisconsin cruised to victory from there.

Wisconsin player of the game: Nigel Hayes

Hayes recorded his third consecutive double-double Saturday, recording 18 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes, and he is now averaging 17.7 points and 11.7 rebounds in those three outings.

But it wasn’t just Hayes’s work offensively that made him Wisconsin’s most effective player, as he was also tasked with guarding Temple’s top scorer, Quenton Decosey. The junior performed admirably, as Hayes held Decosey to just seven points on 1-for-6 shooting — eight points below his season average thus far. Temple’s offensive attack had no chance of getting into a rhythm with their best player struggled to find the bottom of the net.

Temple player of the game: Jaylen Bond

With Decosey struggling, Bond stepped up to record a double-double of a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. Bond became the focal point of Temple’s offense, as he took five more shots (13) than the next highest Owl player.

Notable

• Freshman Kahlil Iverson did not play in the second half after playing 12 minutes in the first. UW head coach Bo Ryan said he was unable to play and will undergo further testing from the medical staff.
• Iverson’s absence allowed for fellow freshman Alex Illikainen to see extended time on the court. He scored six points in nine minutes.
• With foul trouble sending Vitto Brown to the bench early in the first half, Charlie Thomas saw extended playing time that bled into the second half. He played 26 minutes to Brown’s 15 and scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.
• The Badgers held Temple to 60 points, 11 points under their season average coming into Saturday’s game (71.2).

Quotable

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan on the team having six players with six points at halftime:

“I saw triple sixes and it made me real nervous. Six, six, six and then six, six, six. I have never seen it before. But there was this time, at Connie Mack Stadium. On the scoreboard, the score was 2-2. The count was 2-2. The outs were two. And they had that clock that was a digital clock. It was 2:22. I was about 10 years old. Straight twos across the board. Never seen it before. Will never see it again. But this one right here might be the second weirdest stat line.”

Hayes on serving the role of defensive stopper:

“It’s always a joy to go out and guard the other team’s best player, and for them to score not only below their average, but well below their average. It only makes sense if you can the best player on the other team and keep them from scoring and impacting the game, it makes it that much easier for your team to win. It’s a challenge I think great players aspire to.”

Thomas on being more comfortable on the court:

“I think it’s just me becoming more comfortable in the game. Just taking advantage of the best opportunities, hitting the open shots, going for the offensive and defensive boards. I think I did a good job of that today.”