Badgers beat UT Rio Grande Valley; Blackwell, Tonje power comeback win
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 18: John Blackwell #25 of the Wisconsin Badgers scores over Tommy Gankhuyag #33 of the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in the second half of the game at Kohl Center on November 18, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joh
MADISON, Wis. - John Blackwell scored a career-high 30 points and John Tonje added 19 as No. 19 Wisconsin rallied to beat UT Rio Grande Valley 87-84 Monday night.
Wisconsin overcame a 52-48 halftime deficit to extend its season-opening winning streak to five games. The Vaqueros (3-3) entered with a three-game winning streak.
Tonje coming off a 41-point effort in a win over Arizona, hit four free throws to give Wisconsin an 82-77 lead with just over two minutes remaining. DK Thorn hit a deep 3-pointer that pulled the Vaqueros within 85-84 with 1:02 left.
After each team missed a jumper in the lane, Blackwell hit two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to put Wisconsin up 87-84.
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Hasan Abdul Hakim scored 19 points and Trey Miller 12 for UTRGV.
Takeaways
UT-Rio Grande Valley: The Vaqueros refused to fold when Wisconsin made a second-half run and took a five-point lead with just over 3 ½ minutes remaining, making it one-possession game down the stretch.
Wisconsin: The Badgers did not play nearly as well as they did against Arizona, but toughened down the stretch, holding UTRGV to 11 second-half field goals.
Key moment
Hasan Abdul Hakim hit a 3-pointer to put UTRGV up 61-54, but the Vaqueros went scoreless for more almost four minutes as Wisconsin rallied and tied it a 61.
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Key stat
Wisconsin, which entered shooting a nation-leading 90% in free throws, hit its first 11 from the line before Steven Crowl missed the second of two. The Badgers finished 27 of 32.
Up next
Wisconsin faces Central Florida in the opening round of the Greenbrier Tip-Off tournament Friday, and UT-Rio Grande Valley hosts LeMoyne on Monday.