MADISON, Wis. - Marcus Landry is being asked to do a lot for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team this season.
On Sunday, he had all the answers.
Landry had a block and a bucket on consecutive possessions at two crucial moments, and scored 23 points as the No. 25 Badgers survived a scare from Long Beach State with a 68-61 victory at the Kohl Center.
The senior forward made a 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds left to give Wisconsin a four-point lead, then swatted Maurice Clady’s layup attempt into the seats at the other end to keep the 49ers at bay.
“We didn’t have an answer for Landry,” Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. “Winners makes plays like he did. When that team needed him, it was Landry’s team tonight.”
After Donovan Morris led a 49ers rally that tied the game at 57 with 4 minutes to play, it was Landry who rescued the Badgers.
The preseason all-Big Ten pick blocked Morris’ attempt underneath the basket that could have given Long Beach State the lead, then scored on a short jumper to put the Badgers back in front for good.
But it was a tenuous lead against the 49ers (0-2), who went 6-25 in Monson’s first season last year. The Badgers could only convert a Long Beach State turnover and consecutive offensive rebounds into one point, and back-to-back Clady baskets brought Long Beach State within 62-61 with 1:33 left.
After a Wisconsin miss, the 49ers had another chance to take the lead but Morris missed a 3-pointer. On the ensuing possession, Badgers point guard Trevon Hughes drove the lane and kicked out to a wide-open Landry, who knocked down the 3-pointer from the left wing.
“The pass was incredible. He kind of lobbed it over his head, and it was perfect,” Landry said. “I don’t know how he saw me, to be honest with you.”
Wisconsin led by nine points midway through the second half, but Morris brought the 49ers back.
Morris, a preseason all-Big West pick, scored on five straight possessions to bring the 49ers within 57-55 with 6:59 to play. The senior guard had been held to just two points through the first 30 minutes.
“When he gets going and he gets in the flow, he’s as hard to guard as anybody in the country,” Monson said.
Long Beach State forward Arturas Lazdauskas’ basket underneath tied it 2 minutes later.
The 49ers led 31-25 late in the first half, but the Badgers went into the locker room after an 11-2 spurt that included an alley-oop dunk from Landry.
Landry also keyed a 12-4 Wisconsin run that gave the Badgers breathing room in the second half. He hit a pair of free throws and made one of his three 3-pointers.
The 49ers hit four of their first five 3-pointers to start the game, but were just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc the rest of the way. Long Beach State missed all eight of its 3-point attempts in the second half.
“Our theory is still that shooting percentages can go down as long as you’re making the other team play a little bit of defense and make them have to work,” said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, whose team improved to 53-4 in nonconference games at home in his tenure.
Morris, who averaged 22 points as a junior, finished with 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
“Seemed like he had those 12 points in 90 seconds,” said Badgers forward Joe Krabbenhoft, who was the team’s primary defender on Morris. “I knew he was going to be a tough opponent for me to guard and for the team to contain. To hold him to 5-of-17 is a great job by this team.”
Jason Bohannon added 12 points for Wisconsin.
