The Sports Xchange
Dec 30, 2017
Sophomore guard Brevin Pritzl scored a career-high 18 points to help lead Wisconsin to an 82-53 nonconference win against University of Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
Pritzl drained 4 of 6 baskets from 3-point range and had seven rebounds for Wisconsin (8-7), which has won four straight games.
Junior forward Ethan Happ contributed 18 points and freshman forward Aleem Ford added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Badgers.
Wisconsin put together an 8-0 run in the second half to extend its advantage to 53-23 on a Pritzl layup with 15:56 to go.
Junior swingman Josh Gantz scored a team-high 16 points for UMass-Lowell (6-7), a member of the American East Conference and eligible for postseason opportunities since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 2013.
Junior guard Matt Harris added 14 points for the River Hawks, who are mired in a 12-game road losing streak that stretches to Jan. 8, 2017.
The game marked the first for the River Hawks against Wisconsin. The meeting also was UMass-Lowell's first against a Big Ten Conference foe.
The Badgers shot 56.1 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point range in the win.
Happ delivered 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in 13 first-half minutes for the Badgers.
Entering Saturday's game, Happ was Wisconsin's leader in points (16.3), rebounds (8.5) and assists (3.5).
Meanwhile, Wisconsin junior forward Khalil Iverson also posted a solid effort with eight points, six rebounds and two assists. He also had an acrobatic second-half block, jumping over Harris and sailing out of bounds.
The Badgers earned a 36-19 rebounding advantage over the River Hawks, and also posted a 42-24 points-in-the-paint edge.
Wisconsin returns to Big Ten action on Tuesday with a home game against Indiana.