National Basketball Association
Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 60
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Where: Kohl Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Officials:
# Earl Walton, # Lamar Simpson, # Larry Scirotto
Attendance:
13850
By Field Level Media
Steven Crowl scored 17 points and Chucky Hepburn added 16 as No. 14 Wisconsin held off Minnesota 63-60 in a Big Ten matchup on Tuesday night in Madison, Wis.
Minnesota, which trailed by 15 early in the second half, pulled within 54-53 on Jamison Battle's layup with 8:34 left to cap an 11-0 run. The Gophers then missed their next seven field-goal attempts before Dawson Garcia's layup cut the gap to 63-58 with 48 seconds left.
Ta'Lon Cooper's layup brought the Gophers within 63-60 with 27 seconds left. Minnesota rebounded Crowl's missed free throw with nine seconds remaining, but Hepburn came up with a steal before the Gophers could get off a last-second shot.
Wisconsin (11-2, 3-0 Big Ten) played most of the game without Tyler Wahl, the team's leading scorer and rebounder. Wahl left with 11:10 left in the first half and did not return due to what was announced as a lower-body injury. Wahl made just 1 of 5 shots and had two points and two rebounds before departing.
Cooper scored 16 points, Garcia 14 and Battle 13 for Minnesota (6-7, 0-3). The Gophers played for the first time in 12 days after their previous scheduled game was canceled due to travel-related issues.
Freshman Connor Essegian added 11 points off the bench for Wisconsin, which won its sixth straight game. The Badgers scored 21 points off 20 Minnesota turnovers.
Minnesota had a 40-24 edge on the boards, including 11 offensive rebounds for a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points.
Crowl hit a 3-pointer and scored underneath to cap a 7-0 run at the start of the second half, putting Wisconsin up 39-26. Battle sank consecutive 3-pointers that brought the Gophers within 49-42 with 13:10 remaining.
Wisconsin closed the first half with an 8-0 run for a 32-26 lead at the break as the Gophers went scoreless over the final 3:10.
Crowl, a junior who had a career-high 25 points in the Badgers' 76-66 win over Western Michigan on Friday, picked up two fouls 13 seconds apart and sat the final 5:53 of the half.
Minnesota hit just one of its first nine shots but then scored on four consecutive possessions for an early 13-9 lead.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Minnesota |
|
Wisconsin |
Ta'Lon Cooper 16 |
Scoring |
Steven Crowl 17 |
Ta'Lon Cooper 3 |
Assists |
Chucky Hepburn 4 |
Jamison Battle 9 |
Rebounds |
Jordan Davis 8 |
Dawson Garcia 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Connor Essegian 4 |
Jaden Henley 2 |
Steals |
Chucky Hepburn 5 |
Ta'Lon Cooper 2 |
Blocks |
Max Klesmit 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Minnesota
|
60 |
43.6 |
5-14 |
7-11 |
7 |
37 |
2 |
5 |
20 |
Wisconsin
|
63 |
43.6 |
8-20 |
7-9 |
9 |
24 |
2 |
13 |
9 |