"He took the game over," USC coach Eric Musselman praised Blackwell and UW's guards

Badgers win seventh straight contest despite zero points from John Tonje.

Wisconsin v USC
Wisconsin v USC | Jayne Kamin-Oncea/GettyImages

Wisconsin won the first leg of its West Coast road trip Saturday, defeating USC 84-69 and trailing for less than one minute. The victory marked the Badgers' seventh straight, improving their record to 15-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

John Blackwell led Wisconsin in points for the third time in six games, totaling 28 points on 10-16 FG and 2-7 3Pt. The sophomore guard was red-hot to start the contest, accounting for 11 of Wisconsin's first 15 points as the Badgers earned a double-digit lead eight minutes into the game. A late flurry from Blackwell ensured the victory, as he scored eight points in the final six minutes to keep the Trojans at arm's length.

USC Coach Eric Musselman praised Wisconsin's guard play.

USC head coach Eric Musselman credited Blackwell for his offensive performance, saying postgame, "Blackwell took the game over... the difference in the game was his spurt ability scoring the ball."

Max Klesmit chipped in 18 points on 7-14 shooting and tied for the team-high in assists, while Nolan Winter provided 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists. John Tonje, who averaged 18.2 points per game before Saturday, went scoreless in 22 minutes and failed to record a rebound.

USC's leading scorer, Desmond Claude (16.4 ppg), was held scoreless during the first half and ended up with merely nine points while turning the ball over five times. It was another quality defensive performance from the Badgers, who have grown immensely on that end since enduring a three-game losing streak at the start of December. However, it was their offense that allowed for separation from the Trojans.

Wisconsin caught fire from three-point land during the first half, connecting on five of their first seven triples and ending the first half shooting 46.7 percent from range. It was their early success from beyond the arc that opened up the offense in the second half. The Badgers' 17-point halftime lead was cut to three points with under 11 minutes to play before Wisconsin turned its focus to the interior, punishing USC defenders for being too aggressive on closeouts and being met with minimal helping defenders.

Musselman said postgame that the Trojans were hesitant to leave shooters on the perimeter, saying "You can't take away the three and the dribble-drive," and noted the Badgers' wealth of three-point threats. "It's the first team we've played that we felt had five guys that could all make a three, whether they had their starters in or their subs."

All nine Wisconsin rotation players -- not including those who entered in the final minute -- attempted a three-pointer, with six of them making at least one from long range.

Though the Badgers weren't able to keep a clean hold on their double-digit advantage that mounted early in the first half, they dominated USC on the road for 35 minutes, an impressive feat considering the Trojans entered the game playing some of their best basketball of the season.

Wisconsin will stick around in Los Angeles through the weekend before facing UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday.

Schedule

Schedule