Wisconsin rallies in 2nd half to down Iowa
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - The fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers used a huge second half to beat the 22nd-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes by a 75-71 margin on Sunday.
The turning point in the game came midway through the second half. With his team leading 41-39, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was ejected after bumping an official. McCaffery was upset about a no-call at one end and a foul that was called against Iowa at the other end, and he exploded as the game went to a TV timeout. He was first hit with a technical, but after bumping an official, McCaffery got the boot.
"I can't address that, as much as I would like to," McCaffery said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wisconsin scored five points on the ensuing possession to take the lead for good.
Ben Brust and Josh Gasser had 19 and 14 points, respectively, for the Badgers (15-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who matched the best start in school history, tying the 1911-12 and 1913-14 teams.
"He's a guy that listens. He works hard. He's opportunistic, and he certainly was in the second half," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said of Brust.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wisconsin, which went 25-of-35 from the foul line, outscored Iowa by a 51-36 margin in the second half.
Roy Devyn Marble ended with 27 points for the Hawkeyes (12-3, 1-1), who blew an 11-point halftime lead. Aaron White tallied 12 points and eight rebounds.
Holding a 23-22 lead, Iowa ended the first half on a 12-2 run. Gabriel Olaseni's slam with one second remaining made it 35-24.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brust scored eight points in the first 6:44 of the second half, bringing Wisconsin within 41-39.
Following McCaffery's ejection, Brust hit all four free throws off the technical fouls, and Nigel Hayes converted 1-of-2 on the personal foul.
Holding a 46-43 lead, the Badgers went on an 11-6 run to create some distance. Gasser and Duje Dukan bookended the surge with 3-pointers to make it a 57-49 contest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iowa would not go away and Marble made a 3-pointer to pull the Hawkeyes within 64-63 with about three minutes to go.
But Sam Dekker answered right back. He made a shot from beyond the arc and recorded a three-point play to give Wisconsin a 70-63 lead.
Gasser and Traevon Jackson combined to make 5-of-6 foul shots in the final 22 seconds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
The all-time series between Iowa and Wisconsin is tied, 79-79 ... The Badgers went 10-of-22 from beyond the arc ... The Hawkeyes went 17-of-25 from the foul line.