Badgers warm up with exhibition win over UW-Eau Claire

MADISON, Wis. — Basketball season is just a week away. The Badgers got a warmup in on Sunday with an exhibition game against UW-Eau Claire.

The Badgers never trailed and held the Blugolds under 50 points, taking the win 76-45. Steven Crowl l

ed all scorers with 14 points.

Bring on the regular season!#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/PFKb7MSSTf

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) October 30, 2022

Crowl also recorded six rebounds, including a pair of offensive rebounds. The Badger starting five combined for 20 total rebounds.

The Badger bench put up 32 points. Freshman Connor Essegian drained two shots from beyond the arc as he notched 10 points on the day.

Smooth jumper from the freshman@CEssegian x #OnWisconsin

( Watch live on B1G+) pic.twitter.com/iaqQIdUwME

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) October 30, 2022

It was a game decided largely by turnovers. The Badgers scored 27 points off of the 22 that they forced, while Eau Claire scored just 9 points off of 5 turnovers. The Badgers grabbed 14 steals, with Chucky Hepburn recording 4.

The Badgers also dominated in the paint, recording 46 points in the interior compared to just 6 from the Blugolds. It was also a clean game for UW-Madison, who committed just 5 personal fouls. Eau Claire committed 19 personal fouls, and the Badgers went 15-22 from the charity stripe.

While it was a winning effort on Sunday, there are still plenty of things to improve on ahead of the regular season opener. The Badgers converted less than half of their field goals, 28 of 57, and only 5 of their 20 three-point attempts.

The Blugolds also out-rebounded the Badgers, tallying 35 compared to the Badgers’ 34. However, Eau Claire wasn’t able to convert, sinking just over 30% of their field goal and three-point attempts.

Sunday also marked the sixth-annual Garding Against Cancer game. Four organizations each received $20,000 to help their efforts in fighting cancer, finding a cure and helping those affected.

The Badgers are back in action on November 7 to open up the regular season against South Dakota at the Kohl Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

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