BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana welcomed Wisconsin into Assembly Hall on Tuesday night for a mid-week, Big Ten tilt on the hardwood. It was a close one, but the Hoosiers got the win against the Badgers in the end, 74-70.
With the win, Indiana brings a four game losing streak to a close, improving to 15-13 (7-10 in Big Ten play) this season.
Here's how Tuesday night's Big Ten battle in Bloomington unfolded.
Ware carries the load for the Hoosiers in the first half
Kel'el Ware entered Tuesday night's game against Wisconsin as Indiana's second-leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game this season. The sophomore big man eclipsed that mark with 6:52 to go in the first half. Ware was dominant on the interior for the Hoosiers on Tuesday in Bloomington.
The Oregon transfer was able to get off to a hot start early on in the first half. With Malik Reneau in early foul trouble, Reneau played just 8 minutes in the first half, Ware became the focal point for the Hoosiers' offense.
It wasn't just on the low block that Ware had his way in the first period of play. A couple of times in the first frame, the Little Rock, Arkansas native put the ball on the floor, creating shots for himself off the bounce from the free throw line.
Ware poured in 20 points on an incredibly efficient 9-10 shooting from the floor in the first half against Wisconsin on Tuesday. He also buried his lone 3-point attempt of the first half, improving his 3-point percentage to 44% on the season and 50% in Big Ten play.
In addition to scoring the ball at will, Ware grabbed seven rebounds and swatted three first half shots.
Ware did it all on both sides of the ball in the first half against Wisconsin on Tuesday night in Bloomington. After not playing in the first matchup between Indiana and Wisconsin earlier this season, Ware's first half was key to Indiana getting out to a 15-point first half lead.
Badgers claw back with strong close to first half
Fueled by Kel'el Ware's strong start to the game, Indiana got out to an early lead over Wisconsin on Tuesday night. The Hoosiers led by as many as 15 points in the first frame.
Leading 32-17 with 5:05 to play in the first half, Ware checked out of the ball game. With Ware watching from the bench, the Badgers were able to chip away at the Hoosiers' lead. Wisconsin closed the first half of play on a 16-6 run to come within five points at the halftime intermission.
Indiana's offense stagnated down the stretch of the first half with Ware and Malik Reneau -- who was dealing with foul trouble -- on the bench. Even when Ware reentered the game, just a bit over 2 minutes after he checked out, the Hoosiers scored just six points in the final 6 minutes of the half. The Badgers tightened up their defense to close the first half.
Offensively for the Badgers, Ware's spell on the bench sparked an opportunity for Wisconsin to attack the basket. Ware had three first half blocks, but without his rim protection down the stretch of the first half, Indiana failed to keep Wisconsin out of the paint.
The Badgers were able to find some rhythm on the offensive end of the floor late in the first period, something that they lacked through much of the first half. A strong close to the half i exactly what Wisconsin needed, preventing Indiana from pulling away too far early in the contest.
Fire alarm interrupts back-and-forth second half
The second half began with both Indiana and Wisconsin trading blows. Indiana would score on one end, then Wisconsin would answer with a basket on the other end of the floor. That back-and-forth action went on for about the first 6 minutes of the second half.
Then, play was stopped abruptly with right around 10 minutes to go. Halfway through the second half, the fire alarms inside Assembly Hall began to go off. For a brief moment, play continued to carry on. Eventually, both teams were sent to their respective lockers rooms and fans were evacuated from their seats. The delay last about 15 minutes before play was able to resume once more.
Once play got back underway, the Badgers wasted little time taking their first lead of the game at 56-54.
The lead continued to sway back-and-forth throughout the stages of the second half, until Indiana called a timeout with 55 seconds to play and the game tied at 70. Coming out of the huddle, Indiana went straight to Malik Reneau and he answered the call with a bucket that gave Indiana the lead for good.
After carrying the Hoosiers throughout the first half, Kel'el Ware was essentially a non-factor in the second half. Ware attempted just 2 field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes of the game and scored just 7 second half points.
Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako did most of the heavy lifting for Indiana in the second half, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively.
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