Benjamin Worgull
Badgernation.com
February 14, 2011
MADISON -Lasting impressions from No.13 Wisconsin's uplifting 71-67 victory over then-No.1 Ohio State Saturday at the Kohl Center.
- The headlines from this game will always be about Jordan Taylor and rightfully so. The junior guard did everything he could and then some in the second half to help Wisconsin (19-5, 9-3 Big Ten) dig out of what was once a 15-point deficit.
Taylor finished with 27 points, on only 13 shots, a total he reached by hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers. On the 30-8 run that helped erase the deficit and put UW firmly, Taylor scored 18 of his points and had 21 of his total in the second half. Oh yeah, he had seven assists and only one turnover. Taylor is just the second player in the last 14 years to post 27 points and seven assists vs. the AP No. 1 team (Dywane Wade also reached those totals in 2003 vs. Kentucky).
Still, the plays of freshman Josh Gasser and sophomore Mike Bruesewitz down the stretch were the reason Wisconsin finds itself ranked in the top 10 for the first time this week. Gasser scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 36 minutes, including a big 3-pointer during that run that eventually pulled UW back to even.
Bruesewitz added 12 points and two big 3-pointers in those final 13 minutes, none more important than the one he sank from the top of the key with 29 seconds left that all but clinched the victory.
"Being able to step up when people are looking at you to knock something down and the other team is saying, 'Let's make this other kid beat you,' is a pretty good feeling," he said.
- Don't call this game an upset
