Wisconsin guts out win over Marquette

Coming off their first loss of the season, the Wisconsin Badgers were looking to rebound in their first true road game against the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon. The Badgers took that last sentence quite literally, hauling down 14 offensive rebounds and 41 total in their 49-38 over hated in-state rival (?) Marquette.

Frank Kaminsky led the way for Wisconsin, notching his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Gasser chipped in 12 points (all on three-pointers) and five assists to steady a sometimes shaky Wisconsin offense.

The Badgers' defense was stout in the first half, only giving up 15 points and limiting Marquette's shot opportunities. The Badgers held Marquette to 29 percent shooting on the day and it seemed like the Golden Eagles' shorter lineup just couldn't shoot over the giant Badgers' frontcourt.

Marquette opened the second half on a 7-0 run to cut the Wisconsin lead to three, but as he is wont to do, Gasser drilled a three to quell the Golden Eagle uprising. After stretching the margin back to seven, Wisconsin fell asleep for a few minutes and got into some foul trouble while Marquette was able to cut the lead to two with just under nine minutes to go.

In case you were wondering what happened next, Gasser hit another three and the Badgers cruised, albeit rockily, to the 11-point victory. The Badgers continue their tour de Milwaukee on Wednesday night when they return to Brew City to battle the UWM Panthers at 8 p.m. CT.

Despite reports leading up to the game that he might sit out, Sam Dekker suited up and started for the Badgers. He struggled to a two-point (1-of-5 shooting), six-rebound performance and it makes you wonder if he should sit out a game or two before conference play starts to rest the ankle.

Matt Carlino had 18 points to lead all scorers and Juan Anderson tied Kaminsky for most boards with 10.