by MADISON, Wis. — The No. 3 Wisconsin men’s basketball team began its 2014-15 season with a 77-40 exhibition triumph against UW-Parkside (Div-II) on Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Kohl Center.
Frank Kaminsky, a preseason first-team All-America selection, led the Wisconsin offense with a game-high 19 points while pulling down 11 rebounds.
Nigel Hayes also collected a double-double, picking up 13 points and 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Hayes’ rebounding was a positive indication of what’s to come for the Badgers, as the reigning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year held a season-high at six rebounds all of last season.
The Badgers also had strong guard play, with Traevon Jackson scoring 15 points on 5-6 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Senior Josh Gasser chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation) tallied five points, all coming in the first half in a team high 29 minutes of play, and added three assist as well. Freshman Ethan Happ made his Wisconsin debut, scoring five points while collecting five rebounds in 12 minutes of action.
In all, 13 Badgers saw action during the team’s lone exhibition contest, which took place in front of a crowd of 17,279 fans.
Wisconsin dominated the glass, out rebounding UW-Parkside 53-28. In addition, the Badgers outscored the Rangers 34-18 in the paint and had 13 second-chance points compared to UW-Parkside’s two.
The Badgers jumped out to a 12-4 lead less than five minutes into the first half, and never looked back, as Wisconsin led 46-30 at the break. The Badgers shot a blistering 54.8 percent from the floor and Kaminsky tallied 14 of his 19 points in the first half.
In the second, the Badgers defense rose to the occasion, as the Rangers only scored 10 points and shot 3-of-25 in the final 20 minutes.
Wisconsin will have a week off before hosting Northern Kentucky in its season-opener on Friday, November 14.
