The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team rallied after a casual first-half performance to hand over St. Mary’s first defeat of the season on Wednesday in a Maui Invitational championship match.
Neither team had a lead more than 10 points with 15 minutes 58 seconds remaining in the half, but the Badgers came out first in the game with 5:12 remaining in the game, leading them to a 61-55 win.
The Badgers’ defense (5-1) kept them in the game, forcing eight assists and limiting shots in the second half to 32%.
Johnny Davis and Tyler Wahl led the championship with 20 points and 18 points, respectively, while Davis added seven rebounds. Val recorded four game blocks. Davis became the most valuable player in the tournament, averaging 23.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games of the tournament.
The Badgers were able to play for the championship after beating Houston at number 12 in the semifinals on Tuesday, and once again demonstrated their defensive prowess against the Gaels (6-1).
The Badgers lifted the Maui Invitational trophy in front of the energetic UW crowd.
Here are three important points.
Wide open spaces
UW prides itself on its defense, but St Mary’s shot 52% in the first half. The Badgers left a few players open to light shots and were not going to move on to the next stage, which allowed the Gals to move into midfield by six points.
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