Wisconsin tops Grambling 84-53 as Happ gets 1,000th rebound

By: Kevin Holden Twitter

Posted: Dec 22, 2018 10:03 PM CDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Ethan Happ scored 19 points and grabbed his 1,000th career rebound Saturday, sending No. 16 Wisconsin past Grambling State 84-53.

Happ finished with eight rebounds for Wisconsin (10-2). He is the 15th player in Big Ten history to reach 1,000 rebounds.

Grambling State (6-7) tested the Badgers early. But with just more than seven minutes to go in the first half, Lasani Johnson's 3-pointer tied it at 22. The Badgers finished the half on a 17-5 run, opened the second half with an 8-0 spurt and weren't challenged the rest of the way.

The Tigers scored just seven points over a nearly 15-minute period that spanned both halves. The Badgers pushed their lead to more than 30 for the first time at 62-31.

D'Mitrik Trice scored 14 points for the Badgers. Dallas Polk-Hilliard had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Grambling State.

BIG PICTURE

Grambling State: The Tigers, picked in the preseason to repeat as Southwestern Athletic Conference champs, were simply outmatched after making some early noise.

Wisconsin: Beating Grambling State isn't going to burnish Wisconsin's resume come the NCAA Tournament. But the Badgers shook off any rust after a nine-day layoff for finals.