Wisconsin Badgers Beat Down Cal State Fullerton Titans

After a sluggish start, #3 Wisconsin came back and defeated #14 Cal State Fullerton by the score of 71-56 Thursday night. CSF's Josh Akognon, playing his heart out, scored a career high 31 points, but the Badgers were too much and in the victory, extended their current winning streak to 11 games.

Starting the game just 2-8 shooting, the Badgers steadily came back by relying on their height advantage and managed to hold a 2-point lead going into the half. In the second half, it was all Wisconsin as they out-hustled the Titans and continued their perfect record when leading at the halfway point this year. They started the half off 17-9 and never showed panic while staying true to their disciplined approach that has earned them their 24th win in 26 games.

Wisconsin took advantage of the fact that the tallest starter for the CSF was 6'5" and out-rebounded them 47-20. Brian Butch led the way with 14 points and 9 rebounds while Jason Bohannon provided a spark off the bench with 13 points. Marcus Landry chipped in with 8 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Joe Krabbenhoft also played one of his better games with 13 points and 9 rebounds. The Badgers made more free throws, 18, than the 13 CSF attempted.

In addition to Akognon's game-high 31 points on 23 attempts, he led the Titan's with 8 rebounds. Frank Robinson added 11 points before fouling out midway in the second half.

With the victory, #3 Wisconsin will face #12 Kansas State Saturday in the second round of the tournament. It is the Badgers' 10th straight appearance in the tournament, 14th total. Their current #3 seed is the second highest in school history (last year they were a #2 seed). They last won the championship in 1941.

Cal State Fullerton ends its' season with a 24-9 record. They were the only Division 1 team this year to be comprised of only Juniors and Seniors.The highlight of their season was winning the Big West Championship and earning a bid into the tournament for the second time in school history, their last appearance being in 1978.

Source

"Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin-Box Score-March 20, 2008." ESPN