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No. 10 Badgers hold off WVU in Cancun finale

No. 10 Wisconsin’s balanced scoring and stellar foul shooting was too much for West Virginia in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge.

Sam Dekker’s career-high 21 points led four Badgers in double figures as the tournament favorites hung on for a 70-63 at the Riviera Maya.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for West Virginia (5-2), which got 27 points from Eron Harris and 16 from Juwan Staten but only two points from its other three starters.

BOXSCORE: Wisconsin 70, WVU 63

Ben Brust chipped in 16 points for Wisconsin (8-0), which also used Josh Gasser’s 11 points and Frank Kaminsky’s 10 to remain unbeaten. Decker had 12 rebounds as the Badgers out-rebounded WVU 37-27.

Foul shooting proved pivotal as Wisconsin made 15-of-17 free throws and WVU sank only 6-of-14.

Harris made 7-of-11 from 3-point range, part of West Virginia’s 54-percent shooting from deep. Remi Dibo was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, including a shot that drew WVU to within 50-46 with 10:23 left.

After Harris missed a 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining and Wisconsin leading 64-58, Dekker came free on the right wing for a 3 that put the game out of reach.

Badgers point guard Traeveon Jackson, after reaching double figures in six of his team’s first seven games, was held to six points on 1-of-9 shooting. Yet he contributed 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists

Wisconsin led 30-13 after a 20-2 run spanned a seven-minute span in the first half. WVU made only 1-of-9 shots during the stretch while committing two turnovers, but Harris ended the slide with a 3-pointer and hit three more 3s over the final 3:37 of the half when the Mountaineers pulled within 39-31.







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