Overall: A
UW-Milwaukee was able to give Wisconsin a challenge in the first half as the Badgers went into halftime up 43-to-41. One of the main reasons why UW-Milwaukee was able to play Wisconsin so close in the first half was thanks to the Panthers shooing 55.1 percent (16-for-29) from the field in the first half.
However, UW-Milwaukee couldn’t duplicate that same offensive success in the second half as the Badgers held them to 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) from the field.
The turning point in the second half that allowed for Wisconsin to extend their lead and take a hold of the game came when they were up 55-50 with 12:31 to go in the game. The Badgers responded by closing the game out on a 28-to-14 run, which includes going on a 11-0 run.
Over that stretch, Wisconsin shot 7-for-12 from the field and 11-for-14 from the free throw line compared to the Panthers shooting 3-for-12 from the field.
Potter had a solid showing in his debut finishing the game with 12 of Wisconsin’s 20 bench points and five rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. Potter missed his first two field goal attempts to begin the game but after his first couple of minutes on the floor, he started to calm down and allowed the game to come to him. Naturally, there was some rust but he was able to deliver in areas where Wisconsin will need him going forward, which is attacking the glass and providing another scoring option off the bench.
Kobe King who has lead Wisconsin in scoring over the last two games failed to score against UW-Milwaukee as he missed all three of his field goal attempts. Simply put King didn’t play with the same kind of attack he has over the last two games. King’s ability to attack the basket has also allowed him to get to the free throw line but for the second time this season, he didn’t attempt a free throw.
Game MVP: D’Mitrik Trice
Trice prior to tonight in Wisconsin’s four previous games scored a combined 29 points on 10-for-30 shooting from the field. However, Trice didn’t demonstrate the same kind of shooting woes against UW-Milwaukee as he was in rhythm from the start of the game. Outside of scoring a career-high 31-points he also was responsible for scoring eight of the Badgers first nine points to begin the game. Trice finished the game with five rebounds, three assists to two turnovers, and one steal.