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Wisconsin basketball: Badgers win third game in France 78-47

The Wisconsin Badgers improved to 3-0 on Saturday, beating Lyon Towers handily by 31.

Matt Belz

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After beating Lyon Towers by 12 on Friday, the Wisconsin Badgers were back in action on Saturday for a rematch. 

The contest represented the third game on Wisconsin's 10-day trip to France, and in the end, the Badgers improved to 3-0, winning easily 78 to 47. 

Previous game recaps:

The game was over relatively early, as Wisconsin grabbed a resounding 62-29 lead by the end of the third quarter and wound up winning by 31.

For the third consecutive game, head coach Greg Gard adjusted the starting lineup. According to UW Communications staffer Brandon Harrison, the starters were:

  • Kamari McGee - PG
  • Max Klesmit - SG
  • Markus Ilver - SF
  • Tyler Wahl - PF
  • Chris Hodges - C

In the game-three victory, Wisconsin was paced by sophomore forward Markus Ilver, but it was a team effort as seven different players scored in the first quarter alone.

Ilver had a team-high 14 points and has now strung together three straight solid performances in France. After not playing much last season, Ilver is a player to watch this year based on his growth over the off-season. According to Brandon Harrison, eight of his points came in the second half, and he continues to hit from three-point range. 

Just behind Ilver in the scoring column was center Steven Crowl who came off the bench in the win. Crowl added 12 points, marking his third game in a row with double-digit points. After starting every game a year ago, Crowl is one of the key pieces that Greg Gard is building around in 2022. Crowl averaged 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2021. 

True freshman Connor Essegian scored 10 points, his second-consecutive game with 10 or more points in France. Having now played in all three games, Essegian's shooting and playmaking ability will give him a chance to be a contributor immediately, it appears.

Jordan Davis continues to play well too. He scored nine points, making multiple three-point attempts. His versatility to play shooting guard or small forward and shooting stroke should give him a chance to make a significant impact this season. 

Tyler Wahl also scored nine points in the win, six of which came in the second quarter. 

Carter Gilmore (six points), Chris Hodges (five points), and Max Klesmit (five points) also provided the team with a lift in the scoring column on Saturday. Hodges has rebounded well in France too, which is good news after he redshirted in 2021 and did not play his senior season of high school because of the pandemic. 

Walk-on Luke Haertle made his first bucket in France against Lyon Towers, while Kamari McGee (four points) and Chucky Hepburn (two points) each had quiet games, at least in terms of scoring production. 

Walk-ons Ross Candelino and Isaac Gard also made their French debuts. 

Up next

The Wisconsin Badgers have one more game remaining on their French trip. The team will travel to the city of Nice next, and take on Azurea Club de Golfe on Monday.

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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