No. 14 Wisconsin Beats Minnesota 52-45
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Jordan Taylor scored 22 points to lead No. 14 Wisconsin to a 52-45 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night that clinched a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament for the Badgers.
Both teams shot poorly, there were 43 fouls called and the teams combined to shoot 58 free throws.
But the Badgers (22-8, 11-6 Big Ten) found their shooting touch in the second half to secure at least a fourth-place finish in the conference.
Minnesota (17-13, 5-12) led 23-16 at halftime. But Wisconsin opened the second half on a 16-4 run and pushed the lead to 44-34 with just under 7 minutes to go on consecutive 3-pointers.
Andre Hollins led the Gophers with 18 points, while Ralph Sampson III finished with eight points to give him 1,004 for his career.
Ryan Evans added 12 points for the Badgers.
(© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)
