Wisconsin Dominates Marquette in I-94 Rivalry, 96-76
MADISON, Wis. — The 132nd edition of Wisconsin–Marquette, the Badgers routed the Golden Eagles with a 96-76 victory on Saturday afternoon. The I-94 rivalry fell in favor of the home team, with a blowout win at the Kohl Center.
In a game that they controlled for most of 40 minutes, the Badgers faced a test against a non-conference opponent. They passed with flying colors.
Stifling Defense Allowed the Badgers to Settle In
Both teams got off to slow starts, but it was Wisconsin that took advantage of its opponent’s cold shooting. Marquette started 1-for-12 from the field in nearly seven minutes.
Andrew Rohde got the Badgers going early on, but the rest of the half was all about John Blackwell. The junior guard took full advantage of Shaka Smart’s zone defense, putting up 20 points and four threes in 18 minutes of action. He’d lead the game with 30 points, shooting 8-for-17 from the field.
One of the biggest stories in the first half was the whistle. The referees were letting both teams play aggressively, but a few questionable foul calls against Wisconsin resulted in Marquette cutting a large deficit before halftime.
The Badgers’ defense was extremely impressive for most of the period. They held the Golden Eagles to 31-25-50 shooting splits in a 20-minute stretch. Chase Ross, their leading scorer, put up nine points, going 3-for-9 in the first half. He finished with 12 on 30.8% shooting, getting benched for most of the following period.
Two-Way Consistency Led Wisconsin to the Victory
The second half opened with a flurry of fouls on both ends, but like the first half, Wisconsin benefited from runs. Nick Boyd took over for Blackwell, who got in foul trouble. The senior point guard put up 11 points in 15 minutes.
Both teams found themselves in the bonus less than six minutes in, making things dicey with foul calls. Fans in the Kohl Center couldn’t help but let the officials know about certain whistles.
However, the Badgers drew calls as well, getting into the double bonus less than halfway through the period. They took full advantage, shooting 17 free throws in the final 20 minutes.
Consistency on both ends helped Wisconsin close out the game. Marquette was outscored 53-45 in the second half, finishing with 48-42-83 splits.
Nolan Winter would notch his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Aleksas Bieliauskas had one of his own with 11 and 10. Rohde (17), Blackwell and Boyd (15) would combine for 62 points.
The Badgers have now won four of their last five games against the Golden Eagles. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 72-60.
