For more photos, see PHOTOS: Indiana men's basketball comes up short on the road against Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Indiana men’s basketball couldn’t overcome a stagnant first half of offense as it fell to Wisconsin 91-79 Friday night in the Kohl Center. The Hoosiers have now dropped their last three conference road clashes, with their last victory away from Assembly Hall against Michigan on Dec. 5.
Without sophomore center Kel’el Ware — who was sidelined due to an ankle injury — head coach Mike Woodson turned to junior forward Payton Sparks in the starting five. After taking an early 10-5 lead, the Hoosiers’ offense fell flat, finishing the first half with just 26 points.
Sophomore forward Malik Reneau was Indiana’s most effective offensive option. Reneau finished the game with 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting, but his efforts weren’t enough to overcome the Hoosiers’ offensive woes and ineffective defense.
Indiana shot a combined 6-14 from beyond the arc compared to a 10-of-21 mark for the Badgers. Powered by an offensive attack featuring five players scoring at least 8 points, Wisconsin dismantled Indiana in the second half.
Within 46 seconds, the Hoosiers ripped off a 9-0 run to pull within seven, but the Badgers squashed that momentum shortly thereafter. Wisconsin junior guard Max Klesmit notched 14 straight points, helping balloon the lead to 19 near the midway point of the second half.
Klesmit finished with a team-high of 26 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep. Indiana’s bench was outscored by 14, and sophomore guard CJ Gunn was ejected in the second half after elbowing Klesmit in the face, marking the Hoosiers’ third flagrant foul in their last four outings.
With the loss, Indiana dropped to 12-7 and 4-4 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers get a week off from action and next turn to a matchup with Illinois on Jan. 27 in Champaign, Illinois. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and will be available to watch on FOX.
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
