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Wisconsin 78, Minnesota 70

[February 14, 2014] MADISON, Wis. — No. 21 Wisconsin 78, Minnesota 70: Ben Brust scored 20 points and Frank Kaminsky added 17 points and six rebounds as the host Badgers avenged last month's 13-point loss to the Golden Gophers.

Freshman Nigel Hayes had 15 points for Wisconsin (20-5, 7-5 Big Ten), which has won three straight games following a stretch in which it lost five of six. Sam Dekker contributed 10 points and seven rebounds to help the Badgers reach the 20-win mark for the eighth consecutive season.

Andre Hollins paced Minnesota (16-9, 5-7) with 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Malik Smith shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 14 points off the bench for the Golden Gophers, who have lost 16 of the last 17 against the Badgers in Madison.

Minnesota trailed 35-28 at halftime after Daquein McNeil hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Badgers extended their lead to 15 with just under six minutes remaining. The Golden Gophers rallied late and cut the deficit to five on Hollins' 3-pointer with 1:20 left, but the Badgers converted eight of their final 10 foul shots to seal the victory.

Wisconsin, which lost 81-68 at Minnesota on Jan. 22, shot 48.8 percent from the field and forced 13 turnovers. Deandre Mathieu had eight points, six rebounds and six assists for the Golden Gophers, who failed to record their first season sweep of the Badgers since 2008-09 despite shooting 9-of-17 from 3-point range.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dekker has scored in double figures in each of his four career games against the Golden Gophers. … Minnesota F Maurice Walker came in as his team's leading scorer and rebounder over the last five games, but the Badgers held him to five points and two rebounds. … Wisconsin, which visits Michigan on Sunday, improved to 75-2 over its last 77 games when leading or tied with five minutes remaining.


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