Nov. 18, 2009
Star of the Game
Keaton Nankivil made his presence felt in Wednesday’s 58-42 win, and he did so despite going up against an Oakland lineup that didn’t give up much in the way of size. The 6-foot-8 junior scored 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, and he narrowly missed a double-double by hauling down nine rebounds. Add in four blocks and a pair of steals, and it was a complete effort for the Madison native in 30 minutes of action.
A tip of the hat also to senior guard Trevon Hughes, who tied for the game-high with 15 points and grabbed a career-high seven boards.
Play of the Game
Again we turn to Nankivil, who helped turn the tide in the Badgers’ favor with an outstanding play midway through the first half. After Derick Nelson knocked down a jumper to make it a 14-12 UW lead with 12:40 left to play in the period, the Badgers set up in their half-court offense and Nankivil managed to slip into open space along the baseline. Jason Bohannon recognized the opening and dished to Nankivil, who threw down a powerful dunk that brought the Kohl Center crowd to its feet.
Turning Point of the Game
Nankivil’s throw-down wasn’t only the night’s most electrifying play, but also one of its most important for the Badgers. The dunk began what grew into a 16-2 run for the Badgers over the next 8 minutes and 46 seconds and included layups on consecutive possessions by Tim Jarmusz, Bohannon and Hughes.
The run allowed UW’s lead to swell to 16 points, at 30-14, before Blake Cushingberry knocked down a 3-pointer at the 3:25 mark of the half. That basket was one of just four field goals Oakland converted over the final 12 minutes of the period following Nankivil’s slam.
Stat of the Game
The Badgers and Grizzlies shot a collective 18 percent from 3-point range in the game, with Wisconsin going 3-for-14 from beyond the arc (21.4 percent) and Oakland connecting on just 3 of its 19 attempts from long range (15.8 percent).
Notes
The 42 points scored by Oakland were the fewest for a Wisconsin opponent since the Badgers held Michigan to 34 points in a 51-34 Big Ten tournament win on March 14, 2008 … Oakland’s 27.3 percent shooting is the lowest field-goal percentage for a UW opponent since Michigan shot 20.0 percent in that 2008 Big Ten Tournament game … the Grizzlies’ 15.8 percent shooting from 3-point range is the lowest for a Wisconsin opponent since Penn State went 0-for-14 from beyond the arc in a 54-44 UW win on Feb. 8, 2009 … Wisconsin improved to 2-0 for the eighth-consecutive season … the Badgers improved to 60-5 (.923) all-time under Bo Ryan in non-conference games at the Kohl Center … after tallying 11 blocked shots in their season-opener against IPFW, the Badgers finished Wednesday’s game with eight blocks … the Badgers had three games in which they recorded six or more blocks in all of 2008-09 … senior guard Trevon Hughes grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, including three offensive boards … Keaton Nankivil tallied a career-high four blocks and matched his career high with two steals … Ryan Evans played a career-high 22 minutes and posted a career-best seven rebounds … Jon Leuer matched his career high with three steals … freshman Mike Bruesewitz made the first appearance of his career, logging 2 minutes of action
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Brian Mason
UW Athletic Communications
