January 10, 1999
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - If there's a way to shut down Wisconsin scoring leader Sean Mason, Purdue coach Gene Keady doesn't know it.
Mason put on an offensive show Sunday as he scored 25 points in leading No. 24 Wisconsin to a 61-56 victory over No. 9 Purdue.
"He's developed as a player over the years," Keady said. "We just didn't have an answer to him."
Mason scored his points in bunches. He scored all 10 of his first-half points in the last seven minutes to help the Badgers take a 31-25 lead.
Then after Purdue had closed the Badgers' lead to 42-41 midway through the second half, Mason scored 13 of Wisconsin's next 15 points as the Badgers stretched the lead to 57-50.
"Sean had a brilliant game," Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said. "That's not to slight the other guys who made big contributions, but Mason is the kingpin. We love to have the ball in his hands whenever possible. Sean has supreme confidence in his ability to score."
Still, it took a key basket by reserve forward Charlie Wills to clinch the victory. Purdue had pulled to within 57-55 on a 3-pointer by Jaraan Cornell with one minute remaining. With the shot clock running down, Wills hit a jumper from the corner to put Wisconsin up 59-55.
Wills, who had scored just four points in the first three Big Ten games, entered the game after Andy Kowske fouled out with 3:30 remaining.
"In retrospect, I thought how thankful I am that Kowske fouled out," Bennett said. "There's no way he's going to shoot that shot. Fortunately, Charlie was in there and he stroked it well."
The victory was particularly significant for Wisconsin in that it came on the heels of Wednesday night's win over No. 12 Michigan State. It marked the first time in Wisconsin history that it has posted back-to-back victories over teams ranked in the top 12.
"To get two wins over anybody in the Big Ten is big, no matter who you play," said Mike Kelley. "But to beat two opponents of this quality, it's really great for our program."
Despite the wins over the two preseason Big Ten favorites, Bennett said his team still has a tough road.
"I think it's going to be this hard all the time," Bennett said. "It's almost like stepping into the ring. We don't have a haymaker and we're not particularly good at a lot of things. So we just have to hang in there and do the best we can."
Ty Calderwood and Mark Vershaw added 11 points each for Wisconsin (14-3, 2-2 Big Ten).
Purdue (13-3, 1-1) was led by Brian Cardinal with 13 points. Greg McQuay added 12 and Cornell scored 11, despite sitting out most of the first half after picking up two quick fouls.
"When you've got your leading scorer out of the game, somebody's got to step up if you're going to win," Keady said. "Without best shooter on the bench most of the first half, I'd say it was a handicap, but we were still in the game.
"It was just a great college game. I expected it to be exactly like this - hard fought. They play great defense. They're second in the nation in defense, so you don't need to say any more about that."
0 Keady said Wisconsin's experience in the backcourt will make the Badgers a contender throughout the Big Ten season. The Badgers play three senior guards - Mason, Calderwood and Hennssy Auriantal - along with Kelley, a sophomore.
"When we've had three veteran guards like that, we've usually won the league," said Keady. "Older kids play better, they play smarter. They understand to be patient when they need to."