PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Tournament MVP Frank Kaminsky scored 17 points to lead five Wisconsin players in double figures, Duje Dukan and Traevon Jackson each added 13 and the second-ranked Badgers beat Oklahoma 69-56 on Friday to win the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.
Sam Dekker scored 11 and Nigel Hayes finished with 10 for Wisconsin (7-0), which trailed by one late in the first half before peeling off 10 straight points and taking the lead for good.
Kaminsky grabbed eight rebounds and Jackson handed out eight assists for the Badgers.
Dinjiyl Walker scored 10 for Oklahoma (4-2), which got nine-point efforts from Isaiah Cousins and native Bahamian Buddy Hield. But Cousins and Hield combined to shoot 5 for 22 for those 18 points.
TaShawn Thomas made a spectacular layup with his back to the rim to stop the 10-0 spurt early in the second half, even managing to score after appearing to bobble the ball on his drive.
But the highlight reel ended there for Oklahoma.
When it was over, the Badgers put on new championship T-shirts and hats at midcourt, a scene they hope to reprise a few more times this season. Meanwhile, the Sooners watched in silence from one of the baselines, most with their hands on their hips or folded across their chests.
The Sooners were offensively inconsistent, either sizzling or freezing, and switching gears almost without warning.
- They started 2 for 10.
- Then they went 7 for 7.
- Then they went 2 for 14 over a 10-minute stretch overlapping halftime.
- And then they went 5 for 6, getting within 57-48 on a jumper by Ryan Spangler with 9:56 left.
The margin was still nine 2 1/2 minutes later, when Kaminsky lined up a 3-pointer from the top of the key, watched it fall and strutted back to the other end with a very confident look.
It was like the Badgers knew being up 12 that late in the game would be enough, and with the way they play defense, it was.
TIP-INS
Oklahoma: The Sooners shot just 29 percent in the second half, 37 percent for the game. ... Oklahoma finished with 21 turnovers against Wisconsin's always-stout defense, and the Badgers turned those into 27 points.
Wisconsin: The Badgers join Harvard in 2011, Duke in 2012 and Villanova last year as Battle 4 Atlantis champions. ... Wisconsin now leads the all-time series with the Sooners 4-3. Friday's matchup was the first between the schools since the 1997 Big Island Invitational in Hawaii.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma: Home against Missouri, Dec. 5.
Wisconsin: Home against Duke, Wednesday.
