National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wisconsin 73, Montana 49
When: 2:10 PM ET, Thursday, March 15, 2012
Where: The Pit Arena, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Officials: # Jeff Clark, # Anthony Jordan, # Bret Smith
Attendance: 2830

Wisconsin 73, Montana 49: Jordan Taylor led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Badgers advanced to the round of 32 for the sixth straight season. The Grizzlies had their 14-game winning streak come to an end.

Ryan Evans chipped in 18 points and eight rebounds and Jared Berggren blocked seven shots for No. 4 seed Wisconsin (25-9), which will take on Vanderbilt or Harvard in the next round.

The Badgers did what they do best, locking down on the defensive end. The national leaders in scoring defense found their groove in the final minutes of the first half, holding No. 13 seed Montana to three points over the final 4:43 of the period to open up a 39-29 lead at the break.

Grizzlies leading scorer Will Cherry had a tough time against Wisconsin’s perimeter defense, shooting 1 for 7 in the first half and 3 for 14 in the game.

The drought extended after the break, as Montana (25-7) was held without a field goal until the 13:01 mark of the second half.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Mathias Ward and Cherry cut the deficit back to 48-38. But Taylor made a layup to spark a 25-11 run to the finish.

Mike Bruesewitz hit a pair of 3-pointers and totaled eight points during the decisive burst.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 24-point gap marks the largest victory ever for Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament … The Badgers dominated the glass, 32-19 … Montana was led by senior forward Art Steward, who scored 18 points.
Top Game Performances
 
Montana   Wisconsin
Art Steward 18 Scoring Ryan Evans 18
Derek Selvig 4 Assists Jordan Taylor 6
Kareem Jamar 4 Rebounds Ryan Evans 8
Art Steward 6 Free Throws Made Ryan Evans 5
Will Cherry 2 Steals Jordan Taylor 2
Will Cherry 1 Blocks Jared Berggren 7
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Montana 49 38.3 3-9 10-15 8 19 2 8 8
Wisconsin 73 47.9 10-19 17-19 15 32 8 3 10