Butch powers 24th-ranked Wisconsin to blowout win

Madison, WI (Basketball News) - Brian Butch scored a game-high 18 points and Ray Nixon added 14, leading 24th-ranked Wisconsin to a 78-52 win over Louisiana Tech at the Kohl Center.

Alando Tucker had 11 points and Michael Flowers chipped in 10 for the Badgers (10-1), who were back in action for the first time since a victory over UW- Milwaukee on December 15.

Wisconsin has won six in a row since its only loss of the season versus Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in late November.

Paul Millsap paced the Bulldogs with 16 points, as Louisiana Tech (7-6) lost for the second time in three games.

Nixon buried a three-pointer near the midway point of the first half to give Wisconsin a 23-10 lead. The Badgers then headed to halftime with a 39-25 advantage. Butch led all scorers with 11 points after 20 minutes of play.

Wisconsin started the second half on a 13-2 run and pushed its lead to 52-27 early in the stanza. Nixon had two three-pointers and Butch added five points during the big spurt.

Later in the second half, Nixon knocked down a three-pointer for a commanding 74-44 cushion. Louisiana Tech had no chance for a comeback and suffered the lopsided setback.

Game Notes

The Badgers have won 27 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents...Under head coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers are 65-3 at the Kohl Center...Wisconsin is 11-5 all-time against teams currently in the Western Athletic Conference...The last time the Badgers played a team from the WAC was versus Hawaii on November 25, 2001.