Showalter's career day leads Badgers past Rutgers

Saturday, January 2

Madison, Wis.

1:00 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

9-6, 1-1

Rutgers

6-9, 0-2

Rutgers

Wisconsin

Photo by: Steve Gotter

Showalter's career day leads Badgers past Rutgers

January 02, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Junior guard scores career-high 21 points to lead UW to first Big Ten win

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Zak Showalter scored a career-high 21 points on a perfect shooting performance, Ethan Happ added a double-double, and Wisconsin beat Rutgers 79-57 on Saturday.

Showalter hit all eight shots he took from the field, including four 3-pointers, and his only free throw. Happ, meanwhile, scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Wisconsin (9-6, 1-1 Big Ten), while Bronson Koenig added 14.

Mike Williams led Rutgers (6-9, 0-2) with 20 points, while Bishop Daniels added 11.

The Badgers took a 42-31 lead into halftime after shaking off an early challenge from Rutgers. But after shooting 56 percent from the field in the first half, Wisconsin went without a field goal on its first 11 possessions of the second half, settling for just three free throws over the first seven minutes.

Midway through that spurt, Happ went to the bench with his third foul, and Rutgers closed within 43-39.

But then it was Rutgers' turn to go cold. After a layup by Daniels made it 45-41, the Scarlet Knights hit only two field goals over a seven-minute stretch as Wisconsin pushed its lead to 63-45 on a layup by Koenig that completed an 18-4 run.