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The No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers cruised to an 85-66 triumph over No. 14-seed Montana Grizzlies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
Fueled by one of the more balanced offensive outputs of the season, Wisconsin controlled the momentum for over 30 minutes of action. Six Badgers accounted for at least eight points, as the team shot 55.4% from the floor and more than 70% from inside the three-point line.
UW attacked the painted area early and often, playing against a Montana team without a 7-footer posted down low. A total of 18 of UW's first 21 points arrived either in the paint or from the free-throw line. That set the tone for the Badgers, opening the court for star wing John Tonje and center Steven Crowl to nail a pair of three-point field goals to push Wisconsin to an early 27-18 edge.
Montana would keep the deficit at around 10 points before intermission, eventually trailing by just eight at halftime. The Grizzlies then mounted a run to start the second half, cutting the margin to just four. Sophomore sensations John Blackwell and Nolan Winter immediately responded with a 7-2 scoring spurt, as Wisconsin established a nine-tally edge by the 16:40-minute mark.
The Grizzlies continued to hang tough, but Wisconsin's depth proved decisive. Bench forwards Xavier Amos and Carter Gilmore, alongside Blackwell, Winter and Crowl, led a run that turned a 51-47 lead into an insurmountable 65-50 margin. From then on, it was all Wisconsin.
The Badgers led by as many as 21 points towards the tail end of the game before winning by 19. Blackwell, who served as UW's top option in several games this year, finished with a game-best 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two assists off 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
Center Steven Crowl delivered 18 points and four rebounds off 8-of-10 from the field to open his final NCAA Tournament run. Tonje also pitched in 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks, while Winter added 10 points of his own.
Off the bench, Amos dropped 11 points and snared four boards off 5-of-9 from the floor in arguably his best game of the season. Gilmore, the unsung hero in UW's Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Michigan State, added eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Wisconsin will now advance to play the winner of No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU in the round of 32 on Saturday. This will mark Wisconsin's first second-round since 2022. If victorious, Wisconsin will advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Montana NCAA Tournament Win Recap
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Fueled by one of the more balanced offensive outputs of the season, Wisconsin controlled the momentum for over 30 minutes of action. Six Badgers accounted for at least eight points, as the team shot 55.4% from the floor and more than 70% from inside the three-point line.
UW attacked the painted area early and often, playing against a Montana team without a 7-footer posted down low. A total of 18 of UW's first 21 points arrived either in the paint or from the free-throw line. That set the tone for the Badgers, opening the court for star wing John Tonje and center Steven Crowl to nail a pair of three-point field goals to push Wisconsin to an early 27-18 edge.
Montana would keep the deficit at around 10 points before intermission, eventually trailing by just eight at halftime. The Grizzlies then mounted a run to start the second half, cutting the margin to just four. Sophomore sensations John Blackwell and Nolan Winter immediately responded with a 7-2 scoring spurt, as Wisconsin established a nine-tally edge by the 16:40-minute mark.
The Grizzlies continued to hang tough, but Wisconsin's depth proved decisive. Bench forwards Xavier Amos and Carter Gilmore, alongside Blackwell, Winter and Crowl, led a run that turned a 51-47 lead into an insurmountable 65-50 margin. From then on, it was all Wisconsin.
The Badgers led by as many as 21 points towards the tail end of the game before winning by 19. Blackwell, who served as UW's top option in several games this year, finished with a game-best 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two assists off 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
Center Steven Crowl delivered 18 points and four rebounds off 8-of-10 from the field to open his final NCAA Tournament run. Tonje also pitched in 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks, while Winter added 10 points of his own.
Off the bench, Amos dropped 11 points and snared four boards off 5-of-9 from the floor in arguably his best game of the season. Gilmore, the unsung hero in UW's Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Michigan State, added eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Wisconsin will now advance to play the winner of No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU in the round of 32 on Saturday. This will mark Wisconsin's first second-round since 2022. If victorious, Wisconsin will advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Montana NCAA Tournament Win Recap
Continue reading...
