Wisconsin a Big Problem for Loyola, 103-67

Wisconsin won a battle of inches Saturday night in its 103-67 victory over Loyola Marymount before 2,259 at Gersten Pavilion.

When 6-foot-11 Badger freshman Rashard Griffith went to the bench with his second foul barely five minutes into the game, he was replaced by 7-foot Grant Johnson. When Johnson faltered, in came 6-10 Jeff Petersen.

Considering that Loyola’s tallest player is 6-7, the result was predictable. Wisconsin’s starting forwards--Michael Finley and Brian Kelley--are 6-7.

The 24th-ranked Badgers (2-0) used their height advantage to dominate Loyola (0-3), which lost its 13th consecutive game dating to last season.

“They’re a powerful team,” Loyola Coach John Olive said after the Lions’ worst loss ever at Gersten. “They’re exceptionally huge and they have some excellent athletes and mature players who have been through some real battles.

“They got easy baskets around the backboards. Even though we were able to take Rashard out of the game, they had a lot of other bodies for us to contend with.”

Griffith, a highly regarded recruit from Chicago, was ineffective in his second collegiate game. In foul trouble most of the night, he played only 15 minutes and finished with eight points and six rebounds. He had 27 points and 12 rebounds last week against Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Finley led five Wisconsin players in double figures with 24 points, making four of nine three-point shots. Kelley had 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Petersen contributed 13 points and eight rebounds.

Loyola was outrebounded, 58-37, and committed 22 turnovers. Forward Zan Mason led the Lions with 19 points and seven rebounds.

After taking a 48-30 halftime lead, Wisconsin went on a 10-0 run early in the second half to make it 60-31.