Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball blows past Fairfield

(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team used a 22-0 run to power past Fairfield, 89-42 on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center. 

The win was Wisconsin’s (3-0) largest margin of victory (47) since 2016.

It was another balanced Badger attack with four players reaching double digits while 11 different players scored. Austin Rapp had a season-high 15 points, Braeden Carrington and Owen Foxwell each had 14 points and Eian Elmer added 12.

Will Garlock and Zach Kinziger both achieved career-highs in points off the bench, with Garlock scoring 8 and Kinziger tallying 7. Kinziger also set a career high in rebounds with 4. 

“I think when I’m in there, I’m trying to be a little bit more aggressive, trying to make more reads for others, trying to get to the rim myself, knocking open shots when I get them,” Kinziger said. “I’m just trying to build on that every single time I’m on the floor.”

Carrington continued to knock down three-pointers during his night, going 3-7. Carrington now leads the team on the season with 10 made shots from beyond the arc.

“I don’t really have a plan for taking three-pointers,” Carrington said. “I’m always right next to the three-point line – the shots I take are the ones I take all the time in practice. I think I can hit it and I have the confidence to take it.” 

Wisconsin trailed 4-0 early before ripping off a 22-0 run in the first half, highlighted by a dunk from Austin Rapp. The Badgers held Fairfield (1-2) scoreless for 6:43 and without a field goal for 13:06, forcing the Stags into 22 consecutive misses and building a 38-8 lead during that span. Wisconsin continued to pour it on, going into half up 52-20.

“I think we set the tone defensively really well and early,” head coach Greg Gard said. “I thought our ball pressure was really good. We played off one another in terms of when we did the exchange; we covered for each other really well.”

Scoring slowed in the second half until Wisconsin went on a 17-0 run, holding Fairfield scoreless for 5:37 to bring the lead to 80-34.

The Badgers held the Stags to only a 19.4% shooting percentage from the field. Fairfield’s 42 points were the fewest points by a UW opponent since a 65-41 win over Virginia on Nov. 20, 2023. 

UP NEXT: The Badgers will continue their stretch of home games as they host Coastal Carolina on Sunday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m.