Wisconsin guard tandem stymies cagers, Crispin

By CRAIG KACKENMEISTER
Collegian Staff Writer

Sitting in the locker room waiting for the start of the game, Wisconsin Badger guard Sean Mason was stretching out his legs to make sure he was ready for the Big Ten game with the Penn State men's basketball team.

His plan didn't go the way he wanted it to early in the game.

Trying to fight off defenders who were breaking through screens, the Nittany Lion defense held Mason to just four points in the first half.

The second half was a different story for the guard, who came in averaging 19.4 points per game. Mason scored 13 points and went 3-for-4 from the foul line in the closing minute of the game to give the Badgers (15-3, 3-2 Big Ten) a 61-58 conference victory against the Lions (9-6, 1-4 Big Ten).

"During the delay, I was just trying to keep myself focused on the game," said Mason, who scored a game high 17 points.

"I just felt tired and sluggish from the start. In the second half, I was getting open looks and hitting them."

Mason has led the team in scoring 17 out of the Badgers' 18 games.

Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said one of the problems was his team didn't execute screens well in the first half, allowing Lion defenders to get into the face of Mason.

But he added that in the second half, the screens were there and Mason was more patient with the ball.

Lion guard Joe Crispin said the movement of Mason made it harder for him to stick with the Badger guard.

"He's a good scorer who is tough to guard," Crispin said. "He runs around a lot. I tried to force him to one side of the floor, but he buried a shot with my hands in his face."

Badger point guard Ty Calderwood complimented the play of Mason by scoring 13 points, including going 3-for-7 from 3-point range. The Badgers, who came in ranked third in the conference in 3-point percentage, finished the game 6-for-20 from behind the arc.

"He hit good shots from the perimeter," Mason said. "He helped us out and did what he had to do."

Wisconsin's guards entered the game averaging 46.8 points, with the backcourt duo of Mason and Calderwood accounting for 29.3 of the points.

Crispin said the two were one of the tougher guard tandems the Lions had to defend this season, including Michigan guards Louis Bullock and Robbie Reid.

"They were really tough," Crispin said. "They move around a lot and that makes it tough to guard them."