Kamari McGee #4 of the Wisconsin Badgers steals the ball from Owen Freeman #32 of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first half of the game at Kohl Center on January 02, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MADISON, Wis. - Tyler Wahl scored a season-high 19 points, Steven Crowl had a double-double and No. 21 Wisconsin turned up its offense in the second half to beat Iowa 83-72 on Tuesday night.
After the game was tied 32-all at halftime, Wisconsin (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) pulled away by shooting 58.3% in the second half to win its third straight.
Wahl was a model of efficiency, shooting 4 of 6 overall and 11 of 13 on free-throw attempts. He also had eight rebounds.
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AJ Storr had 16 points for Wisconsin, and Max Klesmit finished with 15. Crowl added 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Tony Perkins scored 25 points and Owen Freeman had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Iowa (8-6, 0-3).
Iowa is dealing with its second straight 0-3 start in Big Ten competition. The Hawkeyes bounced back from that stumble out of the gates last year to post an 11-9 league record and earn their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
Iowa had taken a break from conference play to produce lopsided victories over Florida A&M, Maryland-Baltimore County and Northern Illinois.
Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn was in the starting lineup after suffering a lower-body injury in the Badgers’ last game, an 80-53 rout of Chicago State on Dec. 22. He scored four points in 25 minutes and made a couple of huge plays to give Wisconsin a double-digit advantage.
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The Badgers led 61-55 when Hepburn got a steal to start a fast break, then sent the ball off the backboard to set up Storr for a dunk. Hepburn followed with another steal and converted it into a driving layup while getting fouled.
Although Hepburn missed the ensuing free throw, Wisconsin had a 65-55 lead with 8:26 remaining. Wisconsin stayed in front by at least six the rest of the way.
Before the game, a moment of silence was observed in honor of former Milwaukee Bucks owner and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, who died Wednesday at the age of 88. Kohl donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin to help fund construction of the Kohl Center, home to the Badgers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s hockey team since the facility opened in January 1998.
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Iowa: The Hawkeyes lost because they couldn't keep Wisconsin off the foul line. Wisconsin went 25 of 35 on free-throw attempts, while Iowa was just 11 of 16. Ben Krikke, who entered the night averaging a team-high 17 points, scored 10 but played just 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Wisconsin: Klesmit's scoring punch was a welcome development that helped give Wisconsin its balanced attack. Klesmit scored 21 first-half points in a Dec. 2 victory over then-No. 3 Marquette, but he had totaled 14 points in four games since.
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This victory could enable Wisconsin to remain in the Top 25 even if it slips up at home this weekend.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Hosts Rutgers on Saturday.
Wisconsin: Hosts Nebraska on Saturday.