No. 15 Wisconsin 55, Rutgers 43

No. 15 Wisconsin 55, Rutgers 43
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Devin Harris scored 18 points and No. 15 Wisconsin atoned for poor 3-point shooting with an excellent performance at the foul line in a 55-43 victory over Rutgers on Saturday night.
The Badgers (4-0) won their 15th straight home game despite making just 3-of-20 shots from beyond the arc. They made 18 of 22 free throws.
Harris epitomized the Badgers' night by missing all five of his 3-pointers but going 8-of-9 from the line.
Rutgers (2-1) never led after Ray Nixson's dunk midway through the first half gave Wisconsin its first lead, but the Scarlet Knights hung around to make a game of it until the waning minutes.
Herve Lamizana scored 15 points for Rutgers, but he got little help. Leading scorer Ricky Shields, who was averaging 18.5 points in the team's first two games, shot 1-of-10 from the floor and finished with three points.
The Scarlet Knights' hopes of an upset were undone by their 4-of-12 showing at the foul line.
Lamizana's basket with five minutes left pulled Rutgers to 44-37, but he missed the bonus and made one of two free throws at 4:17 to make it 44-38.
Harris then sank four straight free throws and the Badgers' lead never sank below double digits in the final three minutes.
Zach Morley and Mike Wilkinson each added 8 points for the Badgers.
Harris ended the first half and began the second with a steal and dunk that energized the Kohl Center crowd. In the first half, he tied up Juel Wiggan at midcourt and in the second half he wrested the ball from Marquis Webb to spark a 9-0 run for a 30-19 lead.
Clayton Hanson and Nixon hit consecutive 3-pointers and Wilkinson muscled in a follow-up basket to give Wisconsin a 40-28 lead, but Quincy Douby's 3-pointer and a dunk by Lamizana kept Rutgers close.
The Scarlet Knights trailed just 21-19 at halftime despite an eight-minute stretch in which they went scoreless and committed nine turnovers. Rutgers also went to the line just once in the first half, when the Badgers, who were whistled for three fouls, were 7-for-9 from the stripe.