Freshmen help Wisconsin remain unbeaten

[January 03, 2014]  EVANSTON — No. 5 Wisconsin 76, Northwestern 49: Nigel Hayes scored a career-high 19 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting as the visiting Badgers routed the Wildcats in the Big Ten opener for both squads.

Sam Dekker had 15 points and eight rebounds as Wisconsin (14-0) moved within one victory of matching its best start since the 1913-14 campaign. Ben Brust and Traevon Jackson added 10 points each for the Badgers, who shot 55.2 percent from the field.

Alex Olah scored a career-best 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting for Northwestern (7-7). Drew Crawford added 10 points for the Wildcats, who shot just 34.5 percent from the field and 3-of-17 from 3-point range.

Northwestern led 5-4 five minutes into the contest before Wisconsin asserted control with a 16-2 burst. A 3-pointer by Jackson made it a 24-point margin with under three minutes left in the half and the Badgers took a 40-14 edge into the break.

Hayes' jumper five-plus minutes into the second half pushed the lead to 51-20. The Badgers cruised to the finish to win by 25 or more points for the fourth consecutive outing.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wisconsin committed just four turnovers and has only six miscues over the last two contests. … Northwestern reserves were 1-of-11 from the field while being outscored 32-4 by the Wisconsin bench. … C Frank Kaminsky added nine points and eight rebounds for the Badgers, who owned a 37-26 edge on the boards.

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