MADISON, Wis. -- Senior forward Nigel Hayes was quick to dismiss discussion of his aim to attack the rim often in No. 16 Wisconsin's 95-50 rout against Prairie View A&M.

Hayes scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Badgers to the victory on Sunday at the Kohl Center. Sophomore forward Ethan Happ contributed 12 points and senior guards Zak Schowalter and Bronson Koenig added 11 each.

Hayes delivered 13 first-half points for the Badgers, who shot 62.1 percent (18 of 29) from the field and had 24 points in the paint in the first.

Hayes, the Big Ten Conference preseason player of the year, was fresh off a poor shooting effort against North Carolina last week at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. He scored 8 points and shot 3 of 11 overall in the 15-point loss to the Tar Heels, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range.

"Yeah, I just wanted to shoot lay ups," said Hayes of his intention heading into the game against Prairie View A&M.

Hayes also refused to elaborate on if criticism of his shot selection was an area of concern. He had an impressive all-around performance against Prairie View A&M with 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line. He did not attempt a 3-point shot.

"A lot of criticism comes from people who don't know basketball well," said Hayes, who is third in team scoring at 11.8 points per game. "You look at my shots and they were very good shots. I worry about people who have a little more knowledge on the game to tell me."

Hayes and senior guard Bronson Koenig combined for 24 first-half points against the Panthers (2-4). The victory was the ninth straight for Wisconsin on its home court.

Happ, the Big Ten freshman of the year last season, had 13 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season for the Badgers (5-2).

Wisconsin shot 55.9 percent (33 of 59) overall from the field in the win, in which six players registered double-digit scoring.

Junior F Zachary Hamilton scored a team-high 15 points for Prairie View A&M, which shot 37.3 percent (22 of 59) from the field in the setback. Senior guard Daquan Cook added nine points.

Hamilton scored nine first-half points for the Panthers, who held an 8-3 lead to start but became mired in scoring drought that stretched more than five minutes.

Meanwhile, Hayes scored six points during a 12-0 Badgers' run that gave Wisconsin a 31-16 lead with 7 minutes, 34 seconds to go in the first.

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said he was pleased with how the Badgers recovered from a long trip in Hawaii. He's seen past teams return from trips and be in a "fog," but the current squad was productive and focused in Sunday's game.

Wisconsin got 42 points in the paint against Prairie View A&M, and Gard was satisfied with The Badgers' focus on their inside game. They also received 39 points from reserves.

"We made good decisions in terms of when to throw it in and maybe when not to throw it in, for the most part," Gard said. "There was an effort as there always has been to try to play inside out and touch the post, and get to the free-throw line more, which we need to do a lot more of.

"This is an example of how efficient (Hayes) can be and we can be when we don't settle for jump shots at times, don't settle for early 3s, and you really try to attack the paint."

NOTES: Wisconsin holds a 4-0 record in the series against Prairie View A&M. Sunday's meeting was the third in four seasons between the teams. The Badgers posted an 85-67 win last November in Madison. ... Senior forward Nigel Hayes and senior guard Bronson Koenig were honored for surpassing the 1,000-point mark in their careers. They are the 42nd and 43rd players to attain the milestone in program history. Prior to the Prairie View A&M game, Hayes scored 1,401 points at Wisconsin. ... Wisconsin hosts No. 18 Syracuse on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game marks Syracuse's first trip to Madison. The two teams met last season in the challenge, as the Badgers beat the Orange in overtime 66-58. Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013.