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Wisconsin crushes Mississippi Valley State

Dec 24, 2011 - 3:20 AM Madison, WI (Sports Network) - Jordan Taylor scored a game-high 17 points, as No. 13 Wisconsin breezed past Mississippi Valley State, 79-45, on Friday.

Jared Berggren added 15 points and Josh Gasser had 11 for the Badgers (11-2), who concluded their non-conference schedule with five consecutive victories. They open Big Ten play Tuesday at Nebraska.

"I see some good things," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said of the non-conference slate. "I see some things that I know we will have to get better at, but it's no different than the other seasons I've coached. You take it for what it is."

Terrence Joyner and Paul Crosby both scored 14 points, while Cor-J Cox finished with 11 for the Delta Devils (1-10), losers of six straight. Their only win this season came in double overtime -- at Tennessee State on November 25.

Wisconsin, which entered Friday allowing a nation's-low 44.7 points per game, held the Sun Devils to a season-low point total. In typical fashion, the Badgers limited their opponent to just 29 percent shooting (14-of-48), which included a 4-of-14 effort from beyond the arc.

They held a 17-2 advantage six minutes in and didn't falter, taking a 39-22 lead into the break and increasing the margin to as many as 38 late in the second half.

Offensively, Wisconsin hit 50 percent of its attempts from the floor (22- of-44) and held a 31-13 advantage at the charity stripe.

"They went to the line," said Delta Devils coach Sean Woods. "You're not going to beat any Wisconsin team of this magnitude when they're going to the line that much. We have no chance to win or to even stay close."

Still, it is the defense which produced results. The Badgers have held 11 of their 13 opponents to a season-low scoring output and have secured victories in 10 of those 11 games.

Game Notes

This was the second-ever meeting between the teams. Wisconsin holds a 2-0 series lead, also winning in 1993 -- exactly 18 years prior to Friday's matchup...The Badgers held a 39-23 advantage on the glass.