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The Wisconsin Badgers rolled to a 70-63 triumph over the Northwestern Wildcats in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
Fueled by strong offensive contributions from sophomore center Nolan Winter and First-Team All-Big Ten wing John Tonje, the Badgers controlled the offensive tempo throughout the second half of play. After shooting under 40% from the field and 25% from deep in the first half, UW improved to shoot 44% from the floor and 38.5% from outside in the closing frame.
Greg Gard's group also forced the Wildcats into tough offensive situations to close the contest. The Wildcats shot just 34.6% from the field and 25% from outside in the final 20 minutes to go along with seven turnovers.
Northwestern did jump out to a quick 8-3 edge in the opening minutes, but the Badgers quickly retaliated with a 19-9 scoring spurt courtesy of baskets from five different playmakers. The Wildcats then cut the deficit to one, 31-30, before Wisconsin closed the half on a 6-0 run, fueled by both Winter and Tonje, to establish a 37-30 halftime advantage.
The Badgers rode that late-half momentum into the second frame. They effectively spread the ball to all of their primary playmakers, balancing their scoring from all three levels. That and strong defense powered the team to a 15-point lead by the 8:00-minute mark.
Wisconsin led by as many as 18 points later in the half before easing up its on-ball pressure on the defensive end. Northwestern closed in strong from, but it was too little, too late.
Both Winter and Tonje led the Badgers with 18 points, plus collected 13 combined rebounds. In his first game back from injury, program veteran Max Klesmit notched nine points in 23 minutes of action, while Kamari McGee and John Blackwell accounted for eight points apiece.
Northwestern's Nick Martinelli poured in a game-best 22 points in what may be the final game of his college career. Wildcats guard K.J. Windham also added 14 off the bench.
The Badgers will now advance to play the UCLA Bruins at 2:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday. The winner of that bout will advance to the semifinal round of the 2025 Big Ten 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 Basketball Northwestern Big Ten Tournament win Recap Stats
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Fueled by strong offensive contributions from sophomore center Nolan Winter and First-Team All-Big Ten wing John Tonje, the Badgers controlled the offensive tempo throughout the second half of play. After shooting under 40% from the field and 25% from deep in the first half, UW improved to shoot 44% from the floor and 38.5% from outside in the closing frame.
Greg Gard's group also forced the Wildcats into tough offensive situations to close the contest. The Wildcats shot just 34.6% from the field and 25% from outside in the final 20 minutes to go along with seven turnovers.
Northwestern did jump out to a quick 8-3 edge in the opening minutes, but the Badgers quickly retaliated with a 19-9 scoring spurt courtesy of baskets from five different playmakers. The Wildcats then cut the deficit to one, 31-30, before Wisconsin closed the half on a 6-0 run, fueled by both Winter and Tonje, to establish a 37-30 halftime advantage.
The Badgers rode that late-half momentum into the second frame. They effectively spread the ball to all of their primary playmakers, balancing their scoring from all three levels. That and strong defense powered the team to a 15-point lead by the 8:00-minute mark.
Wisconsin led by as many as 18 points later in the half before easing up its on-ball pressure on the defensive end. Northwestern closed in strong from, but it was too little, too late.
Both Winter and Tonje led the Badgers with 18 points, plus collected 13 combined rebounds. In his first game back from injury, program veteran Max Klesmit notched nine points in 23 minutes of action, while Kamari McGee and John Blackwell accounted for eight points apiece.
Northwestern's Nick Martinelli poured in a game-best 22 points in what may be the final game of his college career. Wildcats guard K.J. Windham also added 14 off the bench.
The Badgers will now advance to play the UCLA Bruins at 2:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday. The winner of that bout will advance to the semifinal round of the 2025 Big Ten 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 Basketball Northwestern Big Ten Tournament win Recap Stats
Continue reading...
