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Hughes leads Wisconsin over Grambling State 79-46

Dec 5, 2009 - 8:14 PM By COLIN FLY AP Sports Writer

MADISON, Wis.(AP) -- Trevon Hughes had 13 of his 20 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and four assists to lead Wisconsin to a 79-46 victory over Grambling State on Saturday.

It was the senior point guard's second straight strong performance, and the Badgers (6-1) didn't show any drop off after winning consecutive games against then-No. 21 Maryland last week and No. 6 Duke on Wednesday night.

Even with his team up 74-37, Hughes was still working, diving into press row and landing awkwardly with 3:56 remaining. He came back out with a bandage on his upper right arm.

Donald Qualls scored 15 points for Grambling State (1-4), which had problems just getting to the game after 16 hours of travel on a Friday full of delays.

The Tigers' only lead came at 4-3 and was quickly erased on a 17-2 run by Wisconsin that was capped by Jordan Taylor's layup just over seven minutes into the game.

Leading 41-27 at half, Wisconsin opened with a 8-0 run to put the game well out of reach.

Hughes, who scored a career-high 26 against the Blue Devils, had a layup followed by a 3-pointer to spark the run. Jason Bohannon's transition 3-pointer made it 49-27.

Hughes' three-point play pushed the lead to 30 points for the first time with 9:40 to play and the lead reached 38 late in the second half. Jon Leuer, Bohannon and Taylor each had 11 points for Wisconsin.

Hughes' play has sparked the Badgers, who could be in line to be ranked next week after their impressive wins. Wisconsin has a road game at Wisconsin-Green Bay before playing surging Marquette for in-state bragging rights on Dec. 12.

Grambling State went 6 for 28 from the field in the second half to provide a fitting end to a frustrating trip. Lance Fuertado went 4 of 17 for nine points for the Tigers.

Grambling State's long Friday started with a 7 a.m. trip to the Shreveport, La., airport where the Tigers' plane had mechanical problems that forced the team to miss its connection in Dallas.

The Tigers couldn't get their entire traveling party on another connection, so half the team flew to Chicago while the other half remained in Dallas. By the time the team was finally reunited at O'Hare International Airport, the Tigers boarded a bus that took about two hours to arrive at their hotel at 11:15 p.m.

To put those travel woes in perspective, it took Wisconsin's team about the same amount of time to go from Madison to the Maui Invitational last week. There, the Badgers finished third to build momentum for their win over Duke.