MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Nick Boyd scored 20 of his career-high 25 points in the first half as No. 24 Wisconsin beat Northern Illinois 97-72 on Friday night.
Boyd surpassed his previous best of 24 points, set last season with San Diego State. Boyd, who also played on Florida Atlantic’s 2023 Final Four team, shot 8 for 16 from the field, including 3 for 8 from long distance.
Returning starters John Blackwell added 15 points and Nolan Winter 12 for Wisconsin (2-0), which built an early 20-5 lead.
JJ Taylor had 17 points and Jao Ituka 13 for Northern Illinois (1-1).
Wisconsin had a 36-25 rebounding edge, including 15-4 on the offensive boards and built a 21-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Badgers shot 49.2%, including 9 of 31 from distance, but 3 of 17 in the second half.
Wisconsin led 52-33 at the half despite going more than eight minutes without a field goal. Blackwell hit a jumper from the line in the closing seconds to end the scoring drought.
Boyd’s 3-pointer put the Badgers up 39-17 with 8:24 left in the half before Wisconsin missed its next six shots. The Badgers scored their next 11 points from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin hit eight of its first 10 shots, moving out to a 20-5 lead on a layin by freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas. That early advantage allowed Wisconsin to use 11 players in the half.
Wisconsin, which led the nation in free throw shooting last season at 82.6%, shot 28 for 37 for 75.7%.
Northern Illinois: At Grand Canyon on Monday.
Wisconsin: Hosts Ball State on Tuesday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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