John Tonje had 27 points and No. 17 Wisconsin beat Northwestern 75-69 on Saturday in Evanston.
Down 52-50, the Badgers (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) went on a 14-3 run just after the halfway point of the second half to take the lead for good. Reserve Carter Gilmore scored seven points during the decisive run and finished with 15 and seven rebounds. The Wildcats were just 1 for 6 from the floor during the spurt.
The Badgers had lost two of three after a seven-game winning streak.
Jalen Leach had 23 points and seven assists for the Wildcats (12-10, 3-8), who found out Saturday that second-leading scorer Brooks Barnhizer is out for the season with a foot injury.
Barnhizer was scratched before the game, and coach Chris Collins announced afterward he requires surgery.
Nick Martinelli added 15 points and Ty Berry had 14 for the Wildcats, who have lost three straight and seven of nine.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: The Badgers started the day with the nation’s best free-throw percentage and went 14 for 16 from the stripe — including 11 for 12 in the final 10 minutes — in the second half to keep the Wildcats at bay.
Northwestern: Martinelli, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, found shots hard to come by in the first 25 minutes but Leach and Berry helped keep them in the game by making five and four 3-pointers, respectively.
Key moment
Gilmore’s alert lay-in of a Tonje miss with 9:24 to play gave the Badgers their first lead and forced a Wildcats timeout. The shorthanded Wildcats stayed close but never threatened the rest of the way.
Key stat
The Badgers had just one second-half turnover after giving up the ball nine times in the opening 20 minutes.
Up next
Wisconsin hosts Indiana on Tuesday. Northwestern hosts USC on Tuesday.
