MINNEAPOLIS – John Blackwell had a career-high 11 rebounds with 25 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, with 12th-ranked Wisconsin defeating Minnesota 74-67 on Wednesday night.
John Tonjae added 18 points and seven boards to the Badgers (23–7, 13–6). They came in third in the Big Ten, with a top four seed, and double-by was on display along with the conference tournament.
Wisconsin, a national free throw shooting leader, has now reached 21 at 24.
Brennan Rigsby led the Gophers (15–15, 7–12) with 18 points, while Lu’cye Patterson added 15 points to Wisconsin in Minnesota’s ninth straight. Dawson Garcia, the Big Ten’s fourth leading scorer, scored 14 points in his final home game with a 17-6 shooting.
Take home
Wisconsin: Starter Max Cruzmitt’s second straight game, the Badgers endured an offensive lull by committing only two turnovers in the resilient second half, when an 11-point lead was a two-point deficit.
Minnesota: Finding scores beyond Garcia was a grind for Gophers, the only big 10 teams averaged under 70 points per game. Rigsby was a slow spot, having a career-high 20 points and a go-ahead three-pointer with a 67-65 victory at Nebraska on Saturday.
Important moments
Patterson sent him to the bench with four fouls and 8:48 left, hitting three pointers with a 53-51 lead ahead of Minnesota.
Key Statistics
Garcia’s three-pointer on opening possessions recorded a 2,000-point mark in his five-year college career. He is 10th on Minnesota’s all-time best scoring list with 87 games.
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Wisconsin will close the meeting against Pennsylvania on Saturday. Minnesota will end at Rutgers on Sunday.
Dave Campbell
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