Northwestern Falls To Wisconsin For Fifth Loss In Six Games
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Johnny Davis scored 27 points to help No. 8 Wisconsin beat Northwestern 82-76 on Tuesday night.
Wisconsin (15-2, 6-1 Big Ten) earned its seventh straight win, building on its best start since it was also 15-2 during the 2014-15 season.
Chucky Hepburn banked home a 60-foot heave at the halftime buzzer for two of his 14 points, while Tyler Wahl also scored 14 and Brad Davison finished with 13 for the Badgers.
Northwestern was unable to build on its 64-62 win at Michigan State on Saturday, losing for the fifth time in six games. Chase Audige scored 23 points for the Wildcats (9-7, 2-5), and Boo Buie had 19.
Audige's driving layup trimmed Wisconsin's lead to three in the final seconds in the first half, but Hepburn's long-range bank shot as time expired made it 41-35 at the break.
The Badgers carried the momentum into the second half. Layups for Wahl and Steven Crowl made it 47-37 with 18:26 left.
The Wildcats pulled within four on Buie's 3-pointer with 48 seconds left. Davis then missed two foul shots, but Pete Nance missed a wild shot for Northwestern at the other end. Wahl made two foul shots to help Wisconsin hold on in the final seconds.
Crowl finished with 10 points in the Badgers' seventh straight win in the series against the Wildcats.
Ryan Young had 13 points for Northwestern. Nance finished with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists after he missed the victory over the Spartans with an ankle injury.
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: This is a typical Wisconsin team, only with a little more scoring punch. The Badgers have scored at least 70 points in every game during their win streak. Davis is silky smooth, and delivered at a couple key moments down the stretch.
Northwestern: The Wildcats played hard all the way to the end, but they were unable to run down the deeper Badgers.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Hosts No. 14 Michigan State on Friday night.
Northwestern: Visits No. 4 Purdue on Sunday afternoon.
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