RECAP: Wisconsin closes nonconference schedule with blowout win over Detroit Mercy

RECAP: Wisconsin closes 2024 with blowout win over Detroit Mercy

Wisconsin basketball cruised to its tenth win of the 2024-25 season with a 76-53 victory over Detroit Mercy on Sunday.

For the second consecutive contest, Wisconsin sophomore big man Nolan Winter captained UW’s offensive attack with 18 points off 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-5 from deep and 4-of-4 mark from the free throw line. The Minnesota native also snagged a game-best 11 rebounds, five of which were offensive.

Wisconsin center Steven Crowl also dominated against the Titans — 15 points, four rebounds and one block in 21 minutes. Sophomore guard John Blackwell added 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and two swipes in 26 minutes as well.

Eight days removed from their much-needed nine-point win over Butler, Wisconsin set the tone early. After sparring with the Titans for the first 10 minutes of play, UW rattled off a 14-0 scoring spurt over the ensuing 4:30. From then on, Greg Gard’s crew didn’t look back.

Wisconsin built off its 13-point intermission lead to open the second half — Winter, Crowl and Blackwell combined to extend the advantage to 20.

With that type of edge, Gard emptied his bench for the remainder of the bout and allowed Markus Ilver, Jack Janicki, Kamari McGee and Xavier Amos to punctuate the impressive showing.

As a team, Wisconsin dominated inside. The Badgers snared 14 more rebounds and notched 22 more points in the painted area. 10 playmakers scratched the score sheet off 13 team assists.

With the win, Wisconsin moves to 10-3 on the season with the rest of its games scheduled against Big Ten squads. Wisconsin will look to add to its win total on Jan. 3 against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Madison.