The No.16 University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten) defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes (13-10, 4-8) 74-63 Saturday afternoon, securing a Big Ten road win with a strong defensive effort.
Graduate student John Tonje led the team in scoring with 22 points, also contributing six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore John Blackwell added 19 points and six rebounds.
Graduate student Steven Crowl led the team in rebounds with eight, also generating three steals on defense. The entire Badger squad made their presence felt, with the whole team contributing to the final score.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Badgers held Hawkeyes senior Payton Sandfort to seven points and held the team to a 38.1% shooting percentage overall.
The Badgers kicked off the game with a Blackwell 3-pointer jump shot before Iowa went on an 8-0 run, making the score 8-3. The first half remained close, with the largest lead occurring within the first five minutes of the game in favor of the Hawkeyes 11-5. This set the tone for the remainder of the game.
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Both teams found success shooting in the first half, trading baskets throughout. The Hawkeyes’ fast-paced play generated six turnovers for the Badgers in the first half. With three seconds left, a shot from Hawkeye Pryce Sandfort gave Iowa a 39-37 lead going into halftime.
The second half was a different story, as the Badgers started 0-for-5 from the three-point line. Despite this, the Badgers found success on defense and inside the paint. The second half saw a total of five lead changes.
Momentum switched in favor of the Badgers after a 3-pointer from Tonje extended the Badgers lead to 65-59 with 5:44 minutes left in the game. With the help of their free-point shooting, the Badgers maintained their lead, going 82.4% from the free-point line. A basket from Wisconsin senior Kamari McGee with 0:38 seconds left led to a final score of 74-63.
In another Big Ten showdown, the Badgers look to continue their winning streak against the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon.