Wisconsin continues hot stretch, fends off Rutgers’ rally
Nick Boyd scored 32 points and dished out nine assists Saturday as Wisconsin built a 26-point second-half lead before holding off a fierce comeback by visiting Rutgers for a 96-87 Big Ten Conference win in Madison.
The Badgers (13-5, 5-2) led 71-45 at the 13:27 mark of the second half after a 3-pointer by Jack Janicki. But the Scarlet Knights (9-9, 2-5) stormed back and drew within 81-74 with 4:30 remaining on two foul shots by Bryce Dortch.
However, Wisconsin finally stemmed the tide by ripping off seven straight points. Boyd sank two foul shots with 2:57 left for a 14-point lead and the Badgers were able to log their fourth straight victory.
John Blackwell added 19 points for Wisconsin and Nolan Winter contributed 18, connecting on all six of his field-goal tries. The Badgers finished 29 of 60 (48.3%) from the field, including 12 of 30 (40%) on 3-pointers, and made 26 of 29 foul shots.
Harun Zrno scored a career-high 21 points for Rutgers, connecting on 5 of 9 3-pointers. Jamichael Davis added 12 and Tariq Francis came off the bench for 15 points, all in the second half. The Scarlet Knights shot 47.6% (30 of 64) from the field and 12 of 30 (40%) from 3-point range.
The pregame storyline concerned Wisconsin's ability to stay on its current roll. It entered with three straight conference wins, including an upset of then-No. 2 Michigan last Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Most of the first half was a continuance of Badgers dominance, fueled by accurate 3-point shooting. Six different players made at least one shot from deep as Wisconsin converted 8 of 15.
Blackwell canned a pair of 3-pointers during an early 11-0 run that made it 16-7 Badgers. Boyd sank a 3-pointer that started a 24-9 run over the final 8:24 of the half. Winter drilled a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining that put Wisconsin ahead 51-29 at the break.
In the first half, Rutgers coughed up seven turnovers that led to 14 points and also gave up seven offensive rebounds that the Badgers cashed in for 14 points.