Max Klesmit made a career-best six 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead Wisconsin to a 79-67 victory over Montana State in nonconference play on Thursday night at Madison, Wis.
John Tonje and John Blackwell added 13 points apiece for the Badgers (2-0), and Kamari McGee had 11 points.
Brian Goracke scored 14 points and Max Agbonkpolo added 13 for Montana State (0-1). Jabe Mullins had 12 points and Patrick McMahon tallied 11 for the Bobcats.
The Badgers hit 11 of 22 from 3-point range while shooting 45.3 percent overall from the field. Klesmit fell one point shy of matching his career best.
The Bobcats shot 44.4 percent from the field and made 12 of 26 (46.2 percent) from behind the arc.
Wisconsin led by six points at the break before quickly pushing the advantage to 14 seven minutes into the second half.
An 8-0 run that included Nolan Winter’s dunk and two 3-pointers by Klesmit gave the Badgers a 47-36 lead with 18:18 left in the game.
A short time later, Klesmit made two free throws and Blackwell followed with a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a 56-42 lead with 13 minutes to play.
Goracke drained a 3-pointer for the Bobcats 16 seconds later. However, Tonje hit a turnaround jumper and Klesmit and McGee added layups to give the Badgers a 62-45 lead with 11:18 remaining.
Wisconsin again led by 17 when McGee drilled a 3-pointer with 4:54 left. Montana State received a basket from McMahon and a 3-pointer from Goracke to move within 69-57 with 4:13 remaining.
The Bobcats later crept within 73-63 on a 3-pointer by McMahon with 2:58 to play. But Blackwell’s trey with 1:45 left made it a 13-point margin.
Klesmit’s sixth 3-pointer with 1:03 to go made it 79-65, and Wisconsin closed it out.
Klesmit and Tonje scored 11 points apiece in the first half to help the Badgers lead 39-33 at the break. Brandon Walker and Mullins had seven apiece in the half for the Bobcats.
–Field Level Media
