Steven Crowl scored 20 points and the 13th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers held off host Minnesota 68-67 on Wednesday night to move into a tie for the Big Ten lead.
Payton Willis hit the second of two free throws to bring Minnesota even at 62-62 with 2:35 left when Wisconsin’s leading scorer Johnny Davis picked up his fifth foul.
Jordan Davis and Crowl scored to put Wisconsin (22-5, 13-4 Big Ten) up 66-62, but Willis countered with a layup with 49 seconds remaining. Brad Davison hit two free throws with 18 seconds left make it 68-64 and the Gophers turned it over on their next possession.
Wisconsin’s Chucky Hepburn missed two free throws with eight seconds left and Luke Loewe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Gophers.
Wisconsin improved to 13-1 in games decided by six points or less to move into a first-place with No. 4 Purdue. The Badgers play at Rutgers on Saturday, then host Purdue on Tuesday. Wisconsin won at Purdue 74-69 in early January.
Crowl, a 7-foot sophomore center, hit 7 of 9 shots, finishing one point short of his career high. Tyler Wahl had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Johnny Davis had 12 points and nine boards as Wisconsin had a 38-19 advantage on the glass. Crowl, Wahl and Davison all are Minnesota natives.
Jamison Battle had 17 points, but just three in the second half, for the Gophers (13-13, 4-13). Willis and E.J. Stephens each scored 13 and Sean Sutherlin added 11.
Minnesota scored eight straight points on a pair of 3-pointers by Willis sandwiched around two free throws by Eric Curry to tie it 59-59 with 4:27 left.
Wisconsin went in front 59-51 when Davison’s layin capped a 12-4 run.
Minnesota hit nine of its first 12 shots, but led by just 20-15. Stephen’s 3-pointer ahead of the buzzer brought the Gophers within 38-36 at the break.
Battle had 14 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting for Minnesota, which had 14 assists on 14 field goals.
Wisconsin, which made 15 of 27 shots for 56 percent in the first half, got 10 points apiece from Wahl and Crowl for a 24-12 advantage on points in the paint.
–Field Level Media