No. 18 Wisconsin faced No. 7 Michigan State in Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinal. The Badgers (26-8) were able to hold off a tenacious Spartans (27-6) team to move on to the league title game.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Box Score
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Game Summary
Michigan State opened the game hot, taking a 13-4 lead four minutes into the game. Two 3-pointers from Jase Richardson highlighted the opening run. State continued to lead throughout the first half. Their lead was still eight on a pair of Richardson free throws with 9:40 left in the half.
Wisconsin first tied the game at 32 each and took a lead soon thereafter on a Steven Crowl 3-pointer. A pair of John Tonje free throws gave the Badgers a 37-33 lead at halftime.
Wisconsin pushed the lead to six in the early seconds of the second half, but the teams largely battled back and forth from there. Michigan State reeled off eight points in a row to lead 45-41. But the Badgers answered with the next 11 points to lead 52-45.
The teams battled to the final shot, with Jeremy Fears Jr's 3-point try to tie the game being blocked to seal the Badger victory.
Wisconsin was led by John Tonje, who tallied 32 points, including four 3-pointer and a 12 of 12 performance at the foul line. John Blackwell added 14 points. Carter Gilmore contributed 10 points and five assists.
State was led by freshman Jase Richardson, who had 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 points and six assists. Tre Holloman added 10 points for the Spartans.
Wisconsin now faces the winner of Maryland and Michigan for the Big Ten Tournament title tomorrow. That game will be played at 3:30 EST on CBS. Michigan State's NCAA Tournament situation is secure, with the Spartans projected as a No. 2 seed in the most recent ESPN Bracketology.
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