TOP 25 MEN

Badgers’ balance sinks Falcons

Parker, Clarke combine to score 32 points in BG’s road loss

BG forward Richaun Holmes shoots over Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, right, and Ben Brust, center, during the first half Thursday night in Madison, Wis.

MADISON, Wis. — Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. 12 Badgers beat Bowling Green 88-64 on Thursday night.

Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker added 14 apiece for Wisconsin (5-0). Traevon Jackson scored 13 points, Josh Gasser added 11, and Bronson Koenig had 10.

Spencer Parker led Bowling Green (1-2) with 17 points, and Jehvon Clarke added 15.

Wisconsin took control a little more than midway through the first half. With the Badgers up 23-22, Dekker started a 16-4 run by converting a three-point play, and Wisconsin began to hit from outside. Jackson, Brust, and Duje Dukan each made a 3 during the spurt.

Brust added another 3 before the half was over, and Wisconsin went into the break up 44-28.

It was another uptempo offensive performance for Wisconsin, which has had a reputation as a grind-it-out team during coach Bo Ryan’s tenure.

After averaging 65 points a game last year, the Badgers are scoring 81 a game early this season.

The Badgers also are giving up more points than Ryan is used to, surrendering almost 69 points a game after holding opponents to less than 56 a season ago.

With the Badgers starting to run away with the game in the second half, Bowling Green went to a full-court press that at least slowed Wisconsin down temporarily.

The Falcons were able to cut a 24-point deficit down to as little as 14. But going to the press also came at a price as Bowling Green started racking up fouls and sending Wisconsin to the foul line.

Guard JD Tisdale was whistled for his fourth with just more than eight minutes to go, and Parker picked up his fourth 30 seconds later. Tisdale was called for his fifth with more than 6 minutes to go, and Bowling Green got away from the press in the final minutes.