Happ scores 20, rallies No. 12 Badgers past Rutgers 69-64

MADISON — Ethan Happ scored 20 points and D'Mitrik Trice added 14 as No. 12 Wisconsin rallied to beat Rutgers 69-64 on Monday night.

Nate Reuvers finished with 10 points, and Happ, who scored 12 second-half points, shot 10 of 17 from the field as Wisconsin (8-1, 2-0 Big Ten) closed out the win by hitting five of its last six shots.

Eugene Omoruyi scored 17 points and had eight rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (7-2, 0-2), who lost to a ranked opponent for the second straight game. Geo Baker and Peter Kiss added 15 and 12 points, respectively, for Rutgers, which shot 13 of 32 in the second half.

Khalil Iverson energized Wisconsin in the second half with a jumper, a steal and layup on consecutive possessions as the Badgers closed within a point, 31-30, with 19:18 remaining.

Reuvers, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 18:05 left that gave Wisconsin its first lead of the game at 35-33.

The Scarlet Knights shot 53.8 percent from the field in the first, with Carter contributing 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting as Rutgers built a 31-26 halftime lead.

Caleb McConnell made a layup with 2:28 left in the first half to give Rutgers a nine-point lead at 24-15.

Big picture

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights are good inside and from the perimeter. Sophomore Peter Kiss has a nice scoring touch and isn't afraid to roam the perimeter to find a good shot.

Shaq Carter is confident under the basket - scoring nine first-half points in the paint.

Leading scorer Geo Baker, who averages 14.5 points per game, has good sense of his mid-range shooting ability.

Wisconsin: The Badgers overcame a second-half deficit for the third straight game.

The Badgers' sluggish start against Rutgers included no first-half assists and 1-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

Up next

Wisconsin plays intrastate rival Marquette on Saturday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Rutgers returns home to host Fordham in a non-conference game Saturday.