Nolan Winter and John Tonje lead No. 18 Wisconsin over Northwestern
70-63
[March 14, 2025]
By MARK AMBROGI
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nolan Winter and John Tonje each
scored 18 points to lead No. 18 Wisconsin to a 70-63 victory over
Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.
The Badgers (24-8), seeded fifth, will face No. 4 seed UCLA in Friday’s
quarterfinals.
|
Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (66) drives to the basket on
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter (31) and Steven Crowl (22) during the
second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of
the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 13,
2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) |
|
Winter hit 4 of 5 shots and 9 of 10 free
throws.
Nick Martinelli led the No. 13 seed Wildcats (17-16) with 22
points. Jordan Clayton added 10 points.
Leading by eight points, Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit hit a 3-pointer
to push the lead to 53-42. Kamari McGee followed that with a
3-pointer to push the lead to 56-42 with 8:58 remaining. Two
more 3-pointers by Tonje gave the Badgers a 62-46 edge.
The Badgers shot 41.5% from the field while holding the Wildcats
to 37%.
Free throws were nearly even with the Wildcats making 18 of 22
while the Badgers were 18 of 23.
Wisconsin held a 37-30 lead at halftime.
Takeaways
Northwestern: Trailing by as many as 18 points in the second
half, the Wildcats kept fighting down the stretch to narrow the
final deficit. The Wildcats closed the game with a 12-2 run.
Wisconsin: The Badgers shot better in the second half and
committed only 10 turnovers. Wisconsin had a 17-5 edge in points
off turnovers.
Key moment
Leading 50-42, Klesmit’s 3-pointer started a 14-4 run that
increased the lead to 64-46.
Key stat
After going 3 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half,
Wisconsin sank 5 of 13 3-pointers in the second half, including
four in a row in a key stretch.
Up next
Northwestern coach Chris Collins said his team is too beat up
physically and decided as a team not to accept an NIT or College
Basketball Crown bid. |
|
|
