Colleges

Badgers poke back at sloppy Seminoles

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 29, 2006

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan thought Alando Tucker might be tentative after he was poked so hard in the right eye that he was left bleeding.

Tucker didn't waste any time putting Ryan at ease.

The Badgers' leading scorer hit a 3-pointer as soon as he got back on the floor en route to 22 points, 18 after the poke, and No. 12 Wisconsin beat Florida State 81-66 on Tuesday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

"I was surprised he took it," Ryan said of the attempt. "I thought he'd at least get used to the lights after he got back in, but that was huge."

Tucker, who briefly sported a patch in the locker room after the game, was not available for comment. But the shot energized the Badgers (6-1), who turned a three-point lead into an 11-point halftime advantage as FSU (4-2) kept making crucial mistakes.

"The 14 turnovers we had in the first half dug us a hole for ourselves and made it very difficult to get out of," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Wisconsin being the type of team that they are took advantage of most of them."

Kammron Taylor scored 18 and Brian Butch 13 for the Badgers. Toney Douglas scored 24, Jason Rich 12 and Al Thornton 10 for FSU.

The Seminoles, who averaged 17 turnovers going in, equaled that number with 16:42 left and finished with 21. The Badgers had only eight steals, meaning FSU had 13 unforced errors.

"Any team is going to be good if we come out having 21 turnovers and eight assists, no matter who we play," Douglas said. "We beat ourselves."

The Badgers steadily pulled away and took their largest lead at 55-35 off Joe Krabbenhoft's 3-pointer with 11:03 left. Wisconsin shot 15-of-26 from the field after halftime.

"We were patient, that's why we shot almost 60 percent (in the second half)," Ryan said. "We got good shots."

Douglas and Thornton worked to keep the Seminoles close, but Thornton began cramping in the second half and picked up his fourth foul a few minutes later. Hamilton said Thornton needed IV fluids after the game, but the cramps weren't serious.

[Last modified November 29, 2006, 01:27:43]