Freshman records first triple-double in UW history
10-12-10.
Those are numbers no Badger has ever recorded in the history of the program. Not Michael Finley. Not Devin Harris. Not Alando Tucker.
You wouldn't think true freshman Josh Gasser would be the first Badger to ever record a triple-double, but there he was in Evanston, Ill. Sunday, recording 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the Badgers crushed Northwestern 78-46.
Gasser's 12 boards and 10 assists were both team-highs by a wide margin. Jordan Taylor and Keaton Nankivil were the next closest with five rebounds apiece, while Taylor also had four assists.
Offensively, Jon Leuer had another strong game, recording 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. Nankivil added 16 points, continuing his strong play in the Big Ten season, while Taylor added 14. Mike Bruesewitz came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 24 minutes.
It was certainly an impressive win against a team desperate for a signature win. The Wildcats came into the season with hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and Sunday's game was somewhat of a must-win. Northwestern is now 13-6 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. With no signature wins and one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country, the Wildcats are almost completely out of the tournament discussion after today's 32-point loss.
Considering the Badgers don't always play well at Welsh-Ryan Arena, this can certainly be called a statement win for UW (15-4, 5-2). Wisconsin held the Big Ten's fourth highest-scoring offense to just 46 points, while the Badgers also dished out 22 assists to only three turnovers.
Wisconsin will head back on the road Saturday for another tough road game against a Penn State team that has already recorded home wins against Michigan State and Illinois this season.