MADISON, Wis. – The 24th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers jumped out to a quick start and never looked back as they topped the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team, 97-72, on Friday night (Nov. 7) at the Kohl Center. JJ Taylor (Chicago, Ill./San Ysidro) scored a career-high 17 points to pace the Huskies. 

Jao Ituka (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) added 13 points for NIU, going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. 

Wisconsin (2-0) raced out to a 12-2 lead in the opening three minutes of the contest as the Badgers made five of their first six shots to start the game. 

After an old-fashioned three-point play from Taylor, Wisconsin used an 8-0 run to push its lead to 20-5 with 14:34 to play in the half. 

Wisconsin took a 52-33 lead into halftime. The Badgers made just one field goal over the final eight minutes of the half, but Wisconsin was 16-of-21 (76.2 percent) from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes. The 24th-ranked Badgers shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the first half, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from three. 

Nick Boyd led all scorers with 20 points. Ituka paced the Huskies with 11, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Taylor added 10 points for NIU in the opening stanza. 

After the intermission, NIU (1-1) settled in and was outscored by just six points, 45-39, in the second half. 

The Huskies held Wisconsin to just 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from three-point range in the second 20 minutes while NIU earned 21 trips to the free-throw line after the break, converting at 76.2 percent (16-of-21).

Boyd finished with 25 points to lead the way for Wisconsin, Preseason All-Big Ten selection John Blackwell added 15 points and Nolan Winter added 12. 

Wisconsin outrebounded NIU in the contest, 36-25, including 15-4 on the offensive end, resulting in a 21-2 advantage in second chance points for the Badgers. 

NIU will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 10, when the Huskies travel to Phoenix, Ariz., to meet Grand Canyon. Tipoff against the Lopes is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.