The Wisconsin Badgers opened their season with an 85-61 win over Holy Cross at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4.
In his Badger debut, transfer guard John Tonje captained scoring duties with 23 points and corralled five rebounds. Sophomore center Nolan Winter shot a perfect 6-6 from the field for 15 points and snared a game-high eight rebounds, and sophomore guard John Blackwell registered 16 points and four boards as well.
Wisconsin utilized the exact same starting lineup vs. Holy Cross as it did in its scrimmage against UW-River Falls:
G: John Blackwell
G: Max Klesmit
G: John Tonje (transfer)
F: Nolan Winter
C: Steven Crowl
While the final score suggests a wire-to-wire domination, UW’s first half output said otherwise. After veteran center Steven Crowl nailed his first 3FG of the season, Holy Cross wing Gabe Warren scored 11 points to push the Crusaders ahead 13-3 within the first four minutes.
He and forward Caleb Kenney would maintain the pressure to bring the Holy Cross edge to 23-7 at the 11:54-minute mark. Tonje and Blackwell would help UW regain control, however, as they combined for 20 first-half points at intermission.
After sparring with Holy Cross for the first stanza of the second half, the Badgers surged offensively. Tonje and Blackwell picked up right where they left off; the duo scored 14 of UW’s first 22 second half tallies to make it 59-46 Wisconsin with just under 10 minutes to spare.
First W of the season!#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/quwCJVMJmI
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 5, 2024
From then on, Winter handled virtually all the scoring duties for the Badgers. The 7-footer shined with 13 points in the final six minutes and showcased his range with two 3FG.
As a team, Wisconsin shot 49.2% from the field, 35.5% from outside and a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. Wisconsin out-rebounded Holy Cross 38-21 and scored 18 more points in the paint.
With both Crowl and Winter down low, UW poses a challenging matchup for any team without size. Against Holy Cross, a team without a 7-footer on its 2024-25 roster, there’s no denying that the Badgers entered the game with a clear advantage,
Still, the story was the play from Tonje. A capable shooter and veteran presence in UW’s locker room, it appears as if head coach Greg Gard will lean on the former Missouri and Colorado State hooper to pick up some of the scoring slack after AJ Storr transferred to Kansas.
Guard Kamari McGee also looked sharp. In 27 minutes off the bench, the senior logged 7 points and four assists as the pilot of Wisconsin’s second unit.
Wisconsin now moves to 9-0 in season openers under Gard. The Badgers will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 9, vs. Montana State at the Kohl Center.