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No. 6 Wisconsin tops California

Dec 23, 2014 - 5:47 AM Berkeley, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Nigel Hayes recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds and No. 6 Wisconsin went into Haas Pavilion and shut down the California Golden Bears en route to a 68-56 victory.

Cal came in averaging over 70 points per game but succumbed to Wisconsin's vaunted defense, which limited the Bears to 38.9 percent shooting.

Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky each donated 14 points and combined for 14 rebounds for the Badgers (11-1), winners of four in a row following their lone loss against No. 2 Duke.

"We took care of the ball, got high percentage shots when we needed them, free throw shots," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, whose team went 17-of-18 from the stripe. "I thought we played pretty well considering we were the team traveling."

Tyrone Wallace led Cal (10-2) with 17 points while Jordan Mathews added 15 in the loss, the team's first in eight games.

The only time the Bears led was when it was a 2-0 game.

They were within 17-16 late in the first half before Wisconsin went on a 15-4 tear over the final 6 1/2 minutes.

Five players contributed points during the surge, and Duje Dukan's three-point play yielded a 32-20 cushion heading into the locker room.

Cal trimmed a 17-point deficit down the eight on Mathews' 3-pointer at the midway point of the second half, but Kaminsky answered with a straightaway 3 to restore the double-digit advantage.

Hayes converted a three-point play and threw down a dunk in two of the next three Wisconsin possessions, and the difference never dipped below a dozen the rest of the way.

"Obviously they saw an opportunity with Hayes and decided to ride him. He had success from start to finish," Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin said. "We had to get better in this particular game on our post defense."

Game Notes

Cal had won its previous 17 non-conference home games ... Hayes has recorded three double-doubles this season ... Wisconsin shot 43.6 percent from the field.