Field Level Media
19 Feb 2025, 17:27 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
John Tonje had 31 points and Steven Crowl added 20 as No. 11 Wisconsin won its fifth straight and also ended a nine-game losing streak against Illinois with a 95-74 Big Ten victory Tuesday night in Madison, Wis.
John Blackwell added 16 points for Wisconsin (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten), which had not beaten the Illini in exactly six years, a 64-58 win at home on Feb. 18, 2019.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points and Ben Humrichous added 13 for Illinois (17-10, 9-8 Big Ten). Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who entered averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game, was held to just six points.
Gibbs-Lawhorn hit a 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game at 50-45, but Wisconsin boosted the margin to 64-53 on a three-point play by Tonje.
The Badgers hit six of eight shots over a six-minute stretch, extending the lead to 84-67 on Crowl's open layin underneath with just over five minutes remaining.
Blackwell's 3-pointer put the Badgers up 91-72 with 2:22 left.
Tonje hit 9 of 15 shots, including 3 of 5 from deep, and 10 of 12 from the line. Wisconsin shot 52.3 percent, including 10 of 24 from 3-point range.
The Badgers also had a dominating 48-28 edge on points in the paint.
Wisconsin capitalized on illness and injury for a 39-30 advantage on the boards over the Illini, No. 2 in the country in rebound margin at 10 per game. Center Tomislav Ivisic, who has been battling the flu, did not start, and had just seven points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr, second with 6.6 boards per game, broke his wrist in a 79-65 loss to Michigan State on Saturday.
Nolan Winter had a game-high eight rebounds for Wisconsin and Crowl pulled down seven.
Wisconsin went in front 29-17 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the first half when Max Klesmit's 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run.
Xavier Amos' 3-pointer put the Badgers up 45-35, but the Illini closed the half with a 6-2 run.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationGENEVA, Switzerland: The humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo is worsening, with around 350,000 displaced people left without shelter...
McALLEN, Texas: A county in Texas has approved an election that will let people living near SpaceX decide whether to create a new city...
MOSCOW, Russia: A U.S. citizen has been detained at a Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges, according to a report by Russian Telegram...
TAIPEI, Taiwan: A deadly gas explosion tore through a department store food court in Taichung, Taiwan, killing four people and injuring...
LOS ANGELES, California: Two crew members ejected from a Navy jet before it crashed into the ocean near San Diego this week. A sportfishing...
GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization is pushing for bold, tobacco-style warning labels on alcoholic beverages across...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Igloo is recalling over a million of its rolling coolers across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada after reports...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal agencies from using paper straws, declaring they...
BELLEVUE, Washington: T-Mobile will roll out its satellite-to-cell service powered by SpaceX's Starlink in July, aiming to eliminate...
(Photo credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images) Richie Saunders scored a game-high 22 points and BYU led for all but 26 seconds of a 91-57...
(Photo credit: Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) John Tonje had 31 points and Steven Crowl added...
(Photo credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images) Joe Buck will be on the play-by-play call of his first national baseball game since 2021...