Steven Crowl had 13 points and 11 rebounds to pace a balanced attack as Wisconsin extended its winning streak to four games with a methodical 71-49 nonconference victory over Western Illinois on Monday night in Madison, Wis.
AJ Storr and Chucky Hepburn each had 13 points and Tyler Wahl 12 for Wisconsin (5-2), which next faces No. 3 Marquette, Michigan State and No. 2 Arizona in an eight-day span.
James Dent Jr. was the only player in double figures with 17 points for Western Illinois (2-5), which lost its third straight game. Drew Cisse had 11 of the Leathernecks’ 23 rebounds.
The Leathernecks trailed 35-19 at the half, but hit 4 of 5 shots, pulling within 39-29 on Dent’s jumper from the free-throw line.
Storr scored on a baseline drive to cap a 6-0 run that put Wisconsin up 48-34 with 10:47 left.
After a four-point play by Dent, the Badgers answered with another eight points, pushing the lead to 56-38 on Hepburn’s turnaround jumper from the left side.
Hepburn scored 11 straight points for Wisconsin, a spurt capped by a 3-pointer from the left corner that made it 63-40 with four minutes remaining.
Wisconsin shot 53.2 percent, making 25 of 47 shots. The Badgers had a 17-5 advantage in second-chance points and added 22 points off 13 turnovers.
Western Illinois hit 15 of 38 shots (39.5 percent), including 4 of 13 from 3-point range. The Leathernecks also missed 9 of 24 free-throw attempts.
Wisconsin jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never trailed. The Badgers hit four consecutive shots, pushing the lead to 28-12 on John Blackwell’s jumper.
Dent’s 3-pointer pulled the Leathernecks within 33-19, but Crowl scored on a putback to put the Badgers up 35-19 at the break. Storr had 11 points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
