(UW ATHLETICS) LOS ANGELES – The No. 24 Wisconsin men’s basketball team earned its seventh-straight victory thanks to a 84-69 win over USC on Saturday afternoon at the Galen Center.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Badgers. John Blackwell scored 28 points, going over 20 points for the fourth time this season. Max Klesmit collected 18 points with four assists. Nolan Winter went 6-for-7 from the field for 13 points. Kamari McGee rounded out the scoring with 10 points.
USC came back from a 15-point half-time deficit with a 13-0 run to start the second. UW managed to respond, however, going 8-for-10 from the field after the Trojans cut the deficit to just four points.
Max Klesmit scored 13 points in the second half to recharge the Badger offense, going 5-for-8 in the frame.
The Badgers went 14-for-24 from the field to jump out to a 42-27 halftime lead.
Blackwell scored eleven of the first 15 points for Wisconsin and 16 in the first half.
Wisconsin forced 16 Trojan turnovers, capitalizing with 22 points scored off the extra possessions.
The Badgers sport a 15-3 record on the season now, with a 5-2 mark in conference play. The team has won its last seven games, and last five conference matchups.
Quotable:
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard (on team’s performance): “When you can get a road win without your leading scorer getting a point, it shows me the depth this team has. We’re not dependent on one or two specific guys and we’re still trending upward.”
Notable:
- The Badgers’ 15-3 record matches the team’s best 18-game start of the Greg Gard era. UW was also 15-3 in 2016-17 and 2021-22.
- The Badgers have now won 7 straight, including 5 in a row in conference play. This marks the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons that UW has put together a Big Ten win streak of 5 games or longer.
- Wisconsin has now won two straight against USC and improved to 3-2 all-time vs. the Trojans. Saturday marked the Badgers’ first win vs. USC in Los Angeles. UW has won its last 6 games in Los Angeles and moved to 10-8 all-time in LA.
- Sophomore John Blackwell finished with a game-high 28 points, to go with 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Blackwell has scored at least 28 points in 3 games this season, joining Nebraska’s Brice Williams (4) as the only Big Ten players to do so. Blackwell is averaging 16.1 ppg overall and a ranks 7th in the conference averaging 18.7 ppg during Big Ten play. Blackwell has scored in double figures in 9 of the last 10 games and 15 of 18 games this season.
- Senior Max Klesmit scored 18 points, his most since scoring 22 at Marquette on Dec. 7, 2024. He has now scored 10+ in 8 games this season.
- Sophomore Nolan Winter went 6-for-7 from the floor and finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Up Next:
Wisconsin closes out its time in southern California with a tilt against UCLA on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT at Pauley Pavilion
