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Butch lifts Wisconsin past Iowa

Jan 5, 2008 - 8:31 PM MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan has plenty of confidence in Brian Butch.

Butch scored 22 points as No. 24 Wisconsin continued its winning ways at home with a 64-51 Big Ten Conference triumph over Iowa on Saturday.

Sparked by their 6-11 senior who fueled a second-half surge, the Badgers (12-2, 2-0 Big Ten) improved to 54-3 at home in conference home games since 2001. Overall, the Badgers are 112-8 at the Kohl Center during that span.

"Well we will go to him anytime," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "We would have gone to him his freshman or sophomore year, it doesn't matter. In some games he is the one that is in the right spot and takes advantage of a matchup or maybe getting guys in foul trouble and getting more touches and he did that today. He did a good job."

Butch converted two layups and a pair of free throws in an 11-1 run that gave the Badgers a 39-29 advantage with just over 13 minutes remaining. He made 7-of-12 shots from the field and went 8-of-11 at the free-throw line.

Joe Krabbenhoft added 12 points and Michael Flowers 10 for Wisconsin, which won its season-high sixth straight game despite shooting just 41 percent (20-of-49). However, the Buckeyes made 19 free throws, 12 more than the Hawkeyes.

"This was one of those games where things were pretty physical and you just have to play through it," Ryan said. "I thought our guys did a great job of it and then when we got to the line, they made the opportunities. It all came from us having the lead and Iowa trying to cut into it."

In losing their second straight Big Ten game, the Hawkeyes (7-8, 0-2) are under .500 through 15 games for the first time since the 1999-00 season. Iowa has lost eight of its last 11 games overall.

Justin Johnson was the only Hawkeye to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points.

The Hawkeyes, who opened the second half with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 28-28, struggled with the bigger Badgers for most of the contest. Iowa, which shot 42 percent (19-of-45), went scoreless for more than six minutes during one point in the second half.

"Well, Wisconsin is really good, but we took some really ill-advised shots," Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said. "We got anxious, took some shots we can't make, but we hoped we could make them. You get anxious that way. So often the things that got you there you slip away from and that's what happened to us. Give Wisconsin credit, they defend, you make a mistake and you pay for it."

Freshman Jon Leuer and Flowers each buried 3-pointers in a 12-3 surge in the first half that gave the Badgers a 21-13 lead.