Final
No. 6 Wisconsin overcomes slow start to beat Buffalo
Dec 29, 2014 - 5:20 AM Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Frank Kaminsky posted 25 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks and carried No. 6 Wisconsin to a 68-56 win over upset-minded Buffalo to conclude non-conference play.Sam Dekker added 13 points and Nigel Hayes scored nine -- all over the final 20 minutes -- for the Badgers (12-1), who overcame a sluggish first half to post their fifth straight win.
"The guys found ways to get it done," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said.
Wisconsin hosts Penn State in their Big Ten opener on Wednesday.
Only five Bulls found the scoring column, with four reaching double figures. Justin Moss led a balanced attack with 14 points and 12 rebounds as Buffalo (7-3) saw its three-game win streak come to an end.
The Bulls owned a pair of six-point leads during the first half and went into halftime in front, 27-26.
Kaminsky was the lone bright spot for Wisconsin over the first 20 minutes. He made five of the Badgers' 10 field goals for 14 points. Dekker and Hayes had no points on seven combined shots.
Shannon Evans' 3-ball early in the second half gave Buffalo a 34-32 lead. Hayes finally found the range with a jumper at the other end, then followed it up with a 3-pointer to force a timeout.
Hayes hit again a minute later. Kaminsky and Dekker then scored in the paint on consecutive possessions, and Kaminsky converted a three-point play to cap a 14-0 run that put Wisconsin back in the driver's seat.
"I thought we moved the ball better in the second half," said Kaminsky. "We were cutting, finding easy buckets, getting open shots."
Moss ended the flurry with a layup at 12:52, but Dekker hit three triples over the next five minutes.
Buffalo got within 10 points on Will Regan's 3 with 3:34 remaining, but Hayes hit a layup at the other end and the lead stayed in double figures for most of the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Wisconsin shot 12-for-13 from the foul line ... Buffalo fell to 0-14 against Top-25 teams since the 1997-98 season.
- BUFFALO: 56
WISCONSIN: 68
Final
Dec 28 9:52 PM - BUFFALO: 27
WISCONSIN: 26
Halftime
Dec 28 8:46 PM - BUFFALO: 0
WISCONSIN: 0
1st Half - 20:00
Dec 28 8:06 PM
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