MADISON, Wis. — Kobe King scored a career-high 24 points and Wisconsin shot a season-high 54% to beat Indiana 84-64 on Saturday, handing the Hoosiers their first loss.
Nate Reuvers added 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, for the Badgers (5-4, 1-0 Big Ten), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Wisconsin shot 40% from behind the arc (8 of 20) after hitting just 18% from 3 over its three previous games.
Hot shooting and crisp ball movement helped Wisconsin build a 20-point halftime cushion from which the Hoosiers (8-1, 0-1) would never recover. Indiana trailed by as much as 30 with 12:09 left.
Aljami Durham had 17 points for Indiana, which lost its first game away from Assembly Hall this year.
BIG PICTURE
Indiana: Poor shooting and bad defense set the Hoosiers back. The Hoosiers shot just 33 percent (10 of 30) in falling behind 47-27 at the half. Coach Archie Miller’s squad was often outhustled for loose balls. They left the Badgers alone for open looks too often. Chalk up this subpar effort perhaps to just getting used to playing on the road for the first time this season.
Wisconsin: Coach Greg Gard’s team might have played its best half of basketball all season, shooting 63% from the field and 46% (6 of 13) from 3-point range before halftime. The Badgers had just one turnover in the first half and played well in the paint early against Indiana’s big men, swarming the glass. It was the perfect response for a team looking to snap out of a skid.
King played a big role with an assertive inside-out game, scoring 17 in the first half. King finished 10 of 15 from the field for the afternoon.
UP NEXT
Indiana: Travels to Madison Square Garden to play Connecticut on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic.
Wisconsin: Visits Rutgers on Wednesday.
