The Wisconsin Badgers scored 50 second-half points to rally from a 18-point first half deficit and beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 67-63 at the Kohl Center on Wednesday.
Wisconsin found themselves in a deep hole early, scoring just 17 points in the first half. But the Badgers clawed back, shooting 70% from the fieldand 60% from 3-point range during a furious second-half comeback.
John Blackwell, who broke Minnesota’s heart with a buzzer-beater earlier in the month, tortured the Gophers again Wednesday night. He dominated down the stretch and ended the game with 23 points, including four 3-pointers and eleven free throws.
“We couldn’t put our heads down, or we were gonna lose that game,” Blackwell said postgame.
Nick Boyd added 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half.
“Down 18 at half… when we come out, we just gotta communicate,” Boyd said.
The Badgers struck first, as Nolan Winter hit a 3 from the top of the key before the Gophers proceeded to go on an 11-0 run to give them an early edge.
The Badgers leaned heavily on the 3-point shot in the first half, all to little avail. Wisconsin attempted 16 shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes and connected on just four.
While the 3-point shots failed to fall, Wisconsin’s biggest first-half issue came inside the arc. The Badgers made just one field goal inside the 3-point line the entire half. The rest of their meager 17 points game from free throws.
With Wisconsin struggling mightily, Minnesota dominated through forward Bobby Durkin, who scored 17 of the Gophers 35 first-half points. Minnesota led 35-17 at the half.
To add to a treacherous first half, freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas exited with a foot injury 10 minutes into the game. Bieliauskas did not play for the rest of the game and had a boot on his left foot after the game.
Starting down a deep deficit, the Badgers needed to light a fire under them for any chance of a comeback. Wisconsin found a new gear, opening the second half on a 9-0 run. The Badgers, now playing more aggressively, refused to let Minnesota play any sort of bully ball.
As Wisconsin closed the gap, this installment of the Border Battle became increasingly intense, culminating with double technical fouls on Boyd and Minnesota’s Kai Shinholster on a Boyd drive to the basket at the 13:55 mark.
With Bieliauskas out, Wisconsin was forced to rely more on their bench depth, and head coach Greg Gard turned to guards Braedon Carrington and Jack Janicki to slug through the second half. Both Carrington and Janicki, while not making much impact in the box score, played over 20 minutes of solid, winning basketball. Janicki was particularly impactful on the defensive end, playing lockdown defense and drawing a charge with 5:10 that ignited the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin continued to keep their foot on the gas, with Blackwell scoring the last seven points of the game, including a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a four point lead. Minnesota tried to give a final effort when Isaac Asuma threw up a corner three but did not connect.
This win marked Wisconsin’s 11th straight against Minnesota, the longest win streak against the Gophers in school history. The Badgers will continue Big Ten play with a matchup against Ohio State on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Kohl Center.
