Deadspin: In season opener, revamped Wisconsin takes care of pesky Denver after rally

Wisconsin Builds First-Half Cushion

Wisconsin pulled ahead late in the first half with a 13-0 run. Owen Foxwell’s 3-pointer with 41 seconds left put the Badgers up 44-28. Denver did not make a field goal over the final five minutes of the half. Oskar Wickstrom Stumer’s two free throws cut the margin to 44-30 at halftime.

Denver Closes the Gap

The Pioneers opened the second half with four straight points, but Wisconsin answered with a 7-0 run. Foxwell’s lay-in made it 51-34. Denver later scored 12 consecutive points and pulled within 56-52 on Johnson’s jumper with just over nine minutes remaining. Wisconsin restored some distance when Austin Rapp drove along the baseline to make it 65-54 with 5:40 left.

New Faces Lead the Badgers

Elmer scored 18 points and made seven of 13 shots in his Wisconsin debut. He transferred after helping Miami (Ohio) post a 31-0 regular-season record last season. Carrington added 15 points, while Foxwell finished with 14 points and seven assists. Nolan Winter, Wisconsin’s top returning scorer and a preseason all-Big Ten pick, had six points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Denver Adjusts to New Roster

Johnson led Denver with 27 points. The Pioneers had 12 new players and moved to the West Coast Conference this season after tying for fourth in the Summit League.

Wisconsin, which had eight new players, finished 24-11 last season before losing 83-82 to No. 12 seed High Point in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.