Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
AJ Storr had 19 points and Steven Crowl added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Wisconsin pulled away for a 78-66 victory over visiting Rutgers in a Big Ten matchup Thursday night.
Wisconsin (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) had lost seven of its previous nine games after getting off to a 16-4 start and reaching No.6 in the country in late January.
The Badgers, who finished with a 14-3 mark at home, close out the regular season at third-ranked Purdue on Sunday.
Freshman John Blackwell had 17 points and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Reserve guard Kamari McGee, who missed the previous 11 games with a broken toe, had 11 points in 10 minutes, hitting all five of his shots.
Storr hit 8 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 beyond the arc, for his 25th straight game in scoring double figures.
Wisconsin erased a 49-47 deficit with a 12-point run, capped by back-to-back layups by McGee. Crowl’s layup put the Badgers up 77-58 with 2:23 left.
The Badgers, who lost the first matchup at Rutgers, 78-56, in mid-February, had a 39-31 advantage on the boards, including 13 offensive rebounds.
Wisconsin also had a 34-24 edge on points in the paint.
Jeremiah Williams had 16 points and Gavin Griffiths chipped in 14 for Rutgers (15-15, 7-12), which has lost five of its last six.
Rutgers, which trailed 34-32 at the half, put together a 13-3 run, going in front 47-40 on Griffith’s 3-pointer.
Rutgers jumped out in front early, taking a 24-15 lead on a jumper by Williams.
Blackwell scored five points during a 15-2 run that put the Badgers up 30-26 with 2:34 left in the half.
–Field Level Media