Tonje, Winter pace No. 15 Wisconsin past winless Chicago State 74-53

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — John Tonje had 22 points and Nolan Winter scored 12 to pace No. 15 Wisconsin to a 74-53 win over Chicago State on Saturday.

Wisconsin (8-0) gained control with a 17-3 run early in the second half, going in front 49-30 on a dunk by Winter with 11:21 remaining. The Cougars (0-9) made just 1 of 13 shots during that stretch.

Jalen Forrest was the only Cougars player to score in double figures. He had 10 points.

Chicago State, which missed its first 10 shots from beyond the arc, pulled within 30-25 on Greg Spate’s 3-pointer with 1:37 left in the first half. Tonje’s lay-in put the Badgers up 32-25 at the break.

Takeaways

Chicago State: The Cougars, who entered averaging 59.1 points, struggled again offensively. Their point differential of minus-25.3 per game was 352nd out of 355 teams in Division 1.

Wisconsin: The Badgers avoided the slow start that has plagued them in several games this season. Wisconsin trailed Holy Cross by 16 early in the season opener, Appalachian State early by nine, and in its last game, overcame a 14-point first-half deficit in an 81-75 win over Pittsburgh.

Key moment

Chicago State scored to open the second and pull within 32-27, but the Badgers answered with an 8-0 run, going in front 40-27 on Tonje’s 3-pointer from the left corner.

Key stat

Wisconsin, which entered No. 1 in the nation in free-throw percentage at 86.5% (147-of-170), made 18 of 21 from the line.

Up next

Wisconsin hosts Michigan on Tuesday in the Big Ten opener for each team. Chicago State is at St. Thomas (Minn.) on Monday.

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