Five stats that defined Wisconsin basketball’s narrow win vs. Ohio State

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Wisconsin basketball pocketed a nail-biting 70-68 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Fueled by sharp free throw shooting, a flurry of hoops from John Blackwell and Steven Crowl and Ohio State’s slow start, Wisconsin established a 37-20 lead at the break. However, OSU roared back in the second half. It turned what was once a blowout into a battle of free throws in the final minute.

Wing John Tonje kept Wisconsin alive offensively down the stretch. UW still prevailed despite two critical misses from Blackwell at the charity stripe. In the process, Wisconsin extended its win streak to six and helped head coach Greg Gard secure his 200th career win with the program.

After collecting its fourth Big Ten win of the 2024-25 slate, Wisconsin now sits at 14-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Here are five stats that defined UW’s clutch win over Ohio State:

1. 25 made free throws

Without this type of effort from the charity stripe, Wisconsin doesn’t win this game. The Badgers made 13 of their 25 attempts in the first half to overcome a miserable 2-of-11 (18.2%) mark from deep.

UW then converted on 12 of 14 looks from the line in the second half. Blackwell misses two key attempts down the stretch, but the Badgers won the game in the mentioned free throw exchange. The nation’s leading team in free throw percentage continued to bolster that status. The trait will continue to prove critical as Wisconsin progresses through its Big Ten schedule.

2. 17 points from John Tonje

The two-time Big Ten Player of the Week erupted in the second half. Without his contributions from the 5:26- 4:17 minute marks in the second half, the Badgers may have been unable to hold their lead against a hungry Buckeye offense. Tonje made a pair of free throws at 5:26, another pair at 4:50, then drilled a three-pointer at 4:17. Those points were the Badgers’ last before the final minute.

Tonje also importantly went 10-of-10 from the free throw line. His aggressiveness and…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-stats-defined-wisconsin-basketball-132728648.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-15 13:27:00

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