Wisconsin (5-1, 0-0) defeated Saint Mary’s (6-1, 0-0) in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational championship game 61-55. This marks Wisconsin’s first championship in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Sophomore guard Johnny Davis led the way for the Badgers with 20 points and tallied seven rebounds. Junior forward Tyler Wahl also finished with 18 points in 36 minutes of play.
It was a rough first half for the Badgers as they struggled to get their offense in rhythm. Wisconsin shot 31 percent from the field and went zero for three from beyond the three point line. Davis was the only player to really keep the Badgers in it as he started the game securing nine of the first 13 points of the game.
Wisconsin was trailing by six, 25-31 at the end of the first half. Wisconsin was able to get to the line however and made seven of the eight free throws.
The Second Half Sparks Change
The Badgers were able to pick up their momentum at the beginning of the second half as they started to chip away the deficit. Wisconsin got a spark from the offense after freshman guard Lorne Bowman II. Trailing by ten with 16 minutes remaining, Bowman connected on a three point jump shot followed by an acrobatic layup which brought the Badgers to only down five.
At the 6:55 mark in the second half, a 7-0 run began after Davis made both of his free throws with seven minutes remaining in the game. Davis finished the stretch hitting a three point jump shot which brought the Badgers to their first lead since the first half. From there on out, Wisconsin led the way till the end of the game.
Wisconsin ended the contest shooting 37.5 percent from the field and shot 25 percent from beyond the arc. Free throw shooting was the key Wednesday night, as the Badgers shot a tremendous 16-18 from the strike. After a pair of free throws from freshman guard Chucky Hepburn with 0:14 seconds remaining, Wisconsin topped Saint Mary’s 61-55.
Wisconsin will continue their season on the road in the Big Ten / ACC challenge versus Georgia Tech scheduled for Wednesday Dec. 1st at McCamish Pavilion Arena. Tip-off is set for 9:15 ET.
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