A week after returning from finals with a victory over in-state rival Milwaukee, Wisconsin men's basketball continued in its winning ways with an 87-51 win over Stamford in the team's final game before Big Ten play. Bucking an early season trend of slow starts, the Badgers (9-4) quickly stomped on the visiting Bulldogs (3-11) with an 8-0 run over the game's first four-plus minutes.
Returning to the starting lineup for the first time since late November, senior forward Mike Bruesewitz had his best effort of the season. The St Paul, Minn native scored 9 of UW's first 13 points and finished the game with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 25 minutes. Fellow senior Ryan Evans started slow but finished with a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds while also notching 3 steals.
Having struggled from beyond the arc at times throughout the season, the Badgers woke up and knocked down 12 of 22 attempts from three-point range, all but ensuring a third straight win heading into the Big Ten opener against Penn State. After heading into the halftime break with a 47-19 lead, UW kept pounding away, eventually building that lead up to 41 points late in the second half.
Wisconsin now has four days to prepare for a crucial conference opener next Thursday. Having lost guard Tim Frazier, Penn State is likely destined for the Big Ten cellar and represents a "must win" game right out of the starting blocks for Wisconsin.
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