The No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers pulled away for a blowout 96-64 victory over the Campbell Fighting Camels to start the season with a bang. While the game was relatively close for the first 30 minutes, Wisconsin capped
things off on a 31-4 run to seal the deal.
John Blackwell was the star of the show, scoring 31 points on 10/19 from the field, while tying his career high with six threes. Transfer guard Nick Boyd flashed with his speed and aggressive, pouring in 21 points, all either inside the arc or at the free throw line.
Nolan Winter had another efficient performance, going for 17 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 8/12 from the field. And the Badgers shot 50.7 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep as a whole, showing multiple ways to get the ball in the basket.
Defensively, Wisconsin had a slow start and some lapses throughout the game, but settled in during the second half, keeping Campbell under 30 percent from the field in the period and only 1/9 from deep.
Here’s our recap of Wisconsin’s 96-64 win on Monday night.
1st Half
It was Campbell that got out to a quick start, as the Fighting Camels started 4/4 from the field and led 11-4 after the first four minutes.
After the first media timeout, the Badgers started to settle in, with Braeden Carrington and Jack Janicki providing a spark off the bench to get Wisconsin going on both sides of the ball.
Carrington had an early layup attacking the rim, which was followed by an Austin Rapp three to keep the score close at 13-11. However, Campbell guard D.J. Smith was on fire early, scoring seven early points, including a tough pull-up three off a screen, which kept the Fighting Camels ahead 16-11.
Then came the onslaught of John Blackwell and the Badgers offense. Wisconsin went on a 14-1 run to flip the script and take a 25-17 lead, with several players chipping in on both sides of the ball. That helped Wisconsin control the first half all the way to halftime, although Campbell wouldn’t go away, keeping things within single digits at the break at 47-38.
Blackwell led the way with 17 first-half points, getting to the free throw line and having an efficient half to get Wisconsin’s offense going. Nick Boyd was also key with being aggressive, attacking the rim hard and scoring 11 in the opening frame as well. Nolan Winter was key on the boards as well, getting four offensive rebounds and finishing with eight points in the period.
Campbell had an extremely efficient half, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep, which helped them overcome eight turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
2nd Half
Wisconsin started the second half with a 10-4 run to get out to a 57-42 lead early in the period. Boyd and Blackwell were key, as the former had a pair of layups attacking the rim, while the latter had a big three in transition.
But, Campbell came fighting back with an 11-2 run to get things within six at 59-53, keeping the game tight through the first six minutes of the half.
Both teams battled from there, with the Badgers getting out to a 65-55 lead before the Fighting Camels pulled within five at 65-60 with 10:35 to go. Then came the turning point in the game, as Wisconsin shut things down from there, going on a 31-4 run to seal the deal with a major win.
John Blackwell really got things going with eight early points in the run, hitting a pair of corner threes off assists from Nick Boyd to give Wisconsin a 78-62 lead. From there, the Badgers offense and defense thrived en route to a 96-64 win, with the team showing consistency on both sides of the court.
Blackwell finished the game with 31 points and six threes, but he wasn’t the only one that contributed. Boyd finished with 21 points, getting to the rim consistently for layups and free throws, while Winter was a force in the paint, ending with 17 points and 12 rebounds on an efficient 8/12 from the field.
Wisconsin was very efficient in the second half, shooting over 51 percent from the field and over 46 percent from deep, while hitting 11/13 of their free throws en route to another 48-point half.
Defensively, the Badgers were terrific, especially in the final eight minutes of the half, as they held Campbell to under 30 percent from the field and only 1/9 on threes in the period.
Overall, there was things to work on, but it was a strong start for the Badgers, who put up 96 points, won by 32, and didn’t look close to playing at their fullest potential.
