Badgers beat stubborn Purdue 62-55


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Frank Kaminsky scored 21 points and Josh Gasser added 15 as fourth-ranked Wisconsin held off stubborn Purdue 62-55 on Wednesday night.

The Badgers (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten) pulled away from a 45-all tie with a 9-2 run to open a 54-47 lead on Gasser's free throw with 3:19 left.

Wisconsin, which has won eight straight since an 80-70 loss at home to Duke in early December, maintained a two-possession lead the rest of the way.

The Badgers offset a 43.6 percent shooting night by making 25 of 31 free throws, including 15 in the final 9:11.

Jon Octeus had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for Purdue (10-6, 2-1). A.J. Hammons and Isaac Hass added 11 points apiece. The Boilermakers were trying to become the first Big Ten opponent to win four games at the Kohl Center.

The win was the 159th in the Big Ten for coach Bo Ryan, which is a school record.

Sam Dekker became the 17th player in school history to surpass  the 1,000 points in his career.