NCAA Game Summary - Wisconsin at Indiana
03.6.2004
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Bloomington, IN (Basketball News) - Devin Harris scored a game-high 26 points to lead 17th-ranked Wisconsin to a 70-52 win over Indiana at Assembly Hall.
Harris buried 5-of-8 three-pointers and Mike Wilkinson added 13 points for the Badgers (21-6, 12-4 Big Ten), who ended the regular season with four straight wins.
If the Ohio State Buckeyes knock off Illinois on Sunday, Wisconsin will earn a share of the top seed in the Big Ten tournament for the third straight year.
"There’s nothing else we can do right now on the league race," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "We’ve got a little viewing session tomorrow with Ohio State and Illinois."
Zach Morley recorded 11 points in the victory, as Wisconsin posted its fifth consecutive win versus Indiana, including a 79-45 triumph on January 6 in Madison.
A.J. Moye paced the Hoosiers with 11 points. George Leach finished with 10 for Indiana (13-14, 7-9 Big Ten), which dropped five of its last six games.
Wisconsin and Indiana will now prepare for the conference tournament, which starts on Thursday, March 11.
Harris buried back-to-back three-pointers to stake Wisconsin to a 15-12 lead with about 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Harris and Ray Nixon added consecutive jumpers and the Badgers had a 19-12 cushion.
"I got some open looks, I even got one to go off the backboard," Harris said after the game.
After Pat Ewing Jr. and Donald Perry each hit jump shots to pull the Hoosiers within three at 19-16, Wisconsin scored 14 of the next 16 points for a 33-18 halftime advantage.
Harris led all scorers at the break with 16 points, while Leach led Indiana with just five.
Harris buried a pair of free throws at the 16:06 mark of the second half to give Wisconsin a 40-24 lead. Indiana was later down by a 46-30 until it scored seven straight to close within 46-37. Marshall Strickland buried two threes during the surge.
The Assembly Hall faithful was ecstatic until Harris quieted the arena with a long three-pointer, giving Wisconsin a 49-37 lead with less than nine minutes to go in the game.
"We ain’t the three stooges, but that’s what it looked like out there," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. "How can you explain it?"
Wisconsin put the game away when Morley converted a three-point play for a 58-44 advantage with 4:55 remaining. The Hoosiers never put together a comeback and suffered the 18-point loss.
