MADISON, Wis. — John Tonje had 22 points and Nolan Winter had 12 points no. 15 Wisconsin beat Chicago 74-53 on Saturday.
Wisconsin (8-0) took control with a 17-3 run early in the second half to take a 49-30 lead on a dunk by Winter with 11:21 left. The Cougars (0-9) made just 1 of 13 shots during that stretch.
Jalen Forrest was the only Cougars player to score in double figures. He had 10 points.
Chicago State, which missed its first 10 shots from beyond the arc, pulled within 30-25 on Greg Spate’s 3-pointer with 1:37 left in the first half. Tonje’s layup put the Badgers up 32-25 at the break.
Takeaways
Chicago State: The Cougars, who entered averaging 59.1 points, once again struggled offensively. Their point differential of minus 25.3 per game was 352nd out of 355 teams in Division 1.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have avoided the slow start that has plagued them in several games this season. Wisconsin trailed Holy Cross by 16 early in the season opener, Appalachian State by nine early and overcame a 14-point first-half deficit in an 81-75 win over Pittsburgh in its last game.
A key moment
Chicago State scored to open the second and pull within 32-27, but the Badgers responded with an 8-0 run to go ahead 40-27 on Tonje’s 3-pointer from the left corner.
Key statistics
Wisconsin, which entered the game ranked first in the nation in free throw percentage at 86.5% (147-of-170), went 18-of-21 from the line.
Next
Wisconsin hosts Michigan on Tuesday in the Big Ten opener for each team. Chicago State is at St. Louis on Monday. Thomas (Min.).