Nolan Winter and John Tonje lead No. 18 Wisconsin over Northwestern 7063
Mar 13, 2025
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Nolan Winter and John Tonje each scored 18 points to lead No. 18 Wisconsin to a 70-63 victory over Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.The Badgers (24-8), seeded fifth, will
face No. 4 seed UCLA in Fridays quarterfinals.Winter hit 4 of 5 shots and 9 of 10 free throws.Nick Martinelli led the No. 13 seed Wildcats (17-16) with 22 points. Jordan Clayton added 10 points for Northwestern.Leading by eight points, Wisconsins Max Klesmit hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 53-42. Kamari McGee followed that with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 56-42 with 8:58 remaining. Two more 3-pointers by Tonje gave the Badgers a 62-46 edge.The Badgers shot 42% from the field while holding the Wildcats to 37%.Free throws were nearly even with the Wildcats making 18 of 22 while the Badgers were 18 of 23 from the line.Wisconsin held a 37-30 lead at halftime. Both teams shot 39% in the first half. The difference was the Badgers made 12 of 15 free throws compared to 6 of 7 for the Wildcats. TakeawaysNorthwestern: Trailing by as many as 18 points in the second half, the Wildcats kept fighting down the stretch to narrow the final deficit. The Wildcats closed the game with a 12-2 run.Wisconsin: The Badgers shot better in the second half and committed only 10 turnovers overall. Wisconsin had a 17-5 edge in points off turnovers.Key momentLeading 50-42, Klesmits 3-pointer started a 14-4 run that increased the lead to 64-46.Key statAfter going 3 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half, Wisconsin sank 5 of 13 3-pointers in the second half, including four in a row in a key stretch. Up nextWisconsin will play No. 4 seed UCLA in Fridays Big Ten quarterfinals. Northwestern will await a possible NIT or College Basketball Crown bid.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less