National Basketball Association
Rutgers 72, Wisconsin 65
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Where: Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), Piscataway, New Jersey
Officials:
# Terry Wymer, # Larry Scirotto, # Eric Curry
Attendance:
6361
By Field Level Media
Geo Baker scored a game-high 20 points Wednesday night as Rutgers controlled the second half for a 72-65 Big 10 Conference win over Wisconsin in Piscataway, N.J.
Myles Johnson added 12 for the Scarlet Knights (7-3, 1-1), which made 55.2 percent of their field goals in the second half and dominated the boards to the tune of 40-25. Rutgers also turned 14 Badgers turnovers into 22 points.
Kobe King tallied 18 points and Trevor Anderson scored 11 for Wisconsin (5-5, 1-1), but it couldn't maintain its 54.5 percent shooting of the first half after halftime. The Badgers canned just 42.3 percent from the floor, including 3 of 12 from the 3-point line, and were outscored 42-28 in the paint.
A 7-0 run early in the second half, including a driving layup by Akwasi Yeboah with 17:15 left, gave the Scarlet Knights the lead for good. Nate Reuvers pulled Wisconsin within 63-60 with 2:01 remaining by banking in a 3-pointer, but Caleb McConnell's 3-point play in the last minute sealed the outcome for Rutgers.
Offensive rebounding was another big factor. The Scarlet Knights carved out a 23-5 advantage in second-chance points, holding the Badgers to three offensive boards.
The first-half storylines didn't take long to make themselves known. When Wisconsin got into its half-court offense without turning the ball over, it usually got a good shot and converted. When it didn't, Rutgers was able to cash in on a spate of turnovers.
To start the game, the Scarlet Knights raced out to a 9-0 lead as the Badgers coughed it up four times in their first five possessions. After that, Wisconsin found some traction, closing within 18-17 on Tyler Wahl's layup with 7:08 left in the half.
Rutgers expanded the advantage to 32-24 as Baker converted a turnover into a short jumper, but the Badgers closed out the half with nine straight points. A 3-pointer by Anderson just before time expired enabled Wisconsin to head to the locker room ahead 33-32.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Wisconsin |
|
Rutgers |
Kobe King 18 |
Scoring |
Geo Baker 22 |
Kobe King 3 |
Assists |
Geo Baker 4 |
Brad Davison 5 |
Rebounds |
Akwasi Yeboah 8 |
Aleem Ford 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Geo Baker 2 |
D'Mitrik Trice 2 |
Steals |
Geo Baker 3 |
Nate Reuvers 2 |
Blocks |
Geo Baker 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Wisconsin
|
65 |
47.9 |
8-23 |
11-16 |
9 |
22 |
4 |
5 |
14 |
Rutgers
|
72 |
46.0 |
5-19 |
9-13 |
10 |
34 |
3 |
8 |
11 |