Badgers get by Wolverines in overtime
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Frank Kaminsky scored eight of his 22 points in overtime, and No. 6 Wisconsin held off Michigan 69-64 on Saturday night.
Derrick Walton's 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 57, but the Badgers never trailed in the extra session. Kaminsky opened the scoring in overtime with a three-point play, and a 3-pointer by Josh Gasser put the Badgers (18-2, 5-1 Big Ten) ahead by six.
Michigan (12-8, 5-3) is without standout guard Caris LeVert, who is out for the season following foot surgery, but the Wolverines pushed Wisconsin throughout with an inspired effort. The Badgers led by 11 in the second half before Michigan rallied.
Sam Dekker scored 15 points for Wisconsin.
Walton scored 17 points for Michigan, and Zak Irvin added 12.
Wisconsin led by four in the final minute of regulation but helped the Wolverines by missing a couple free throws. Then the Badgers left Walton a bit too open on the left wing for the 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime.
But Michigan had no real answer for Kaminsky. Even when the Wolverines were in a zone defense, the 7-footer was a threat near the basket, and the Badgers kept their cool. Wisconsin turned the ball over six times in the first half but only twice after that.
Wisconsin scored the final nine points of the first half, taking a 30-23 lead on a 3-pointer by Nigel Hayes in the final seconds.
It was 38-27 before the Wolverines scored 11 straight points to tie it. Michigan conceded a few open shots from the perimeter, and the Badgers had a hard time taking advantage, finishing 7 of 21 from 3-point range.
Ricky Doyle, Mark Donnal and Max Bielfeldt combined for 19 points and 13 rebounds, holding their own against Kaminsky, but it wasn't until Walton and Irvin began scoring more consistently that the Wolverines looked like they had a good shot at pulling off the upset.