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Wisconsin basketball fell to the Michigan Wolverines 59-53 in the Big Ten Tournament title game on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The game saw both teams struggle shooting the basketball -- just 22.1% for Wisconsin and 32.2% for Michigan. Down the stretch, the Wolverines executed on the most important sequences. Fueled by seven tallies from guard Tre Donaldson, Dusty May's group finished the contest on an 11-2 scoring run to clinch its first conference tournament title since the 2018 season.
Much like the second half, the opening 20 minutes of play featured a back-and-forth scoring pattern. The two teams combined for just 44 total points, with Wisconsin shooting 21.6% from the floor and 16.6% from three, compared to Michigan's 28.13% and 17.65% rates, respectively. In a defensive masterclass, sophomore John Blackwell led all first-half scorers with 11 points. He fueled UW to a 23-21 edge at intermission.
Veteran Max Klesmit and Blackwell rattled off six unanswered points to extend Wisconsin's advantage to eight, 29-21, to open the second half. Dusty May's crew retaliated with a pair of three-point jumpers to cut the deficit to five. The Badgers then countered with six straight free throws from star wing John Tonje and bench leader Kamari McGee. With 13 minutes to spare, UW held an 11-point lead and appeared to control the game's momentum.
Over the ensuing four minutes, however, Michigan piloted a 7-0 burst and held Greg Gard's group to zero points. Donaldson and big man Danny Wolf delivered clutch baskets to tie the game at 45. From then on, the two teams traded buckets until the score read 53-53 at the 1:34 mark.
From then on, Michigan commanded the finish from the free-throw line. Tonje and Blackwell missed all four of their shot attempts in the final 33 ticks of regulation, while center Vladislav Goldin, Donaldson and Wolf successfully closed the game from the charity stripe.
Blackwell finished with a game-best 18 points, five rebounds and a steal off 6-of-17 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Tonje, who went scoreless in the first half, dropped nine points off an abysmal 1-of-14 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep. Klesmit also struggled with 12 tallies and two rebounds off 4-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-10 from outside. Nolan Winter, Steven Crowl, Carter Gilmore and McGee combined for 14 points.
Wisconsin did control the glass with nine more offensive rebounds, six more total rebounds and four more free throws. The shooting splits and lack of consistent offensive contribution from Tonje ultimately bridged the gap between victory and defeat.
Wisconsin will now prepare for the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Big Ten Title Game Michigan Loss Recap
Continue reading...
The game saw both teams struggle shooting the basketball -- just 22.1% for Wisconsin and 32.2% for Michigan. Down the stretch, the Wolverines executed on the most important sequences. Fueled by seven tallies from guard Tre Donaldson, Dusty May's group finished the contest on an 11-2 scoring run to clinch its first conference tournament title since the 2018 season.
Much like the second half, the opening 20 minutes of play featured a back-and-forth scoring pattern. The two teams combined for just 44 total points, with Wisconsin shooting 21.6% from the floor and 16.6% from three, compared to Michigan's 28.13% and 17.65% rates, respectively. In a defensive masterclass, sophomore John Blackwell led all first-half scorers with 11 points. He fueled UW to a 23-21 edge at intermission.
Veteran Max Klesmit and Blackwell rattled off six unanswered points to extend Wisconsin's advantage to eight, 29-21, to open the second half. Dusty May's crew retaliated with a pair of three-point jumpers to cut the deficit to five. The Badgers then countered with six straight free throws from star wing John Tonje and bench leader Kamari McGee. With 13 minutes to spare, UW held an 11-point lead and appeared to control the game's momentum.
Over the ensuing four minutes, however, Michigan piloted a 7-0 burst and held Greg Gard's group to zero points. Donaldson and big man Danny Wolf delivered clutch baskets to tie the game at 45. From then on, the two teams traded buckets until the score read 53-53 at the 1:34 mark.
From then on, Michigan commanded the finish from the free-throw line. Tonje and Blackwell missed all four of their shot attempts in the final 33 ticks of regulation, while center Vladislav Goldin, Donaldson and Wolf successfully closed the game from the charity stripe.
Blackwell finished with a game-best 18 points, five rebounds and a steal off 6-of-17 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Tonje, who went scoreless in the first half, dropped nine points off an abysmal 1-of-14 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep. Klesmit also struggled with 12 tallies and two rebounds off 4-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-10 from outside. Nolan Winter, Steven Crowl, Carter Gilmore and McGee combined for 14 points.
Wisconsin did control the glass with nine more offensive rebounds, six more total rebounds and four more free throws. The shooting splits and lack of consistent offensive contribution from Tonje ultimately bridged the gap between victory and defeat.
Wisconsin will now prepare for the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Big Ten Title Game Michigan Loss Recap
Continue reading...
