MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Ethan Happ had 15 points and 13 rebounds to help the No. 19 Wisconsin men's basketball team avenge a loss to Minnesota with a 56-51 victory Wednesday night, the Badgers' sixth straight win overall.
D'Mitrik Trice hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining and 3 seconds left on the shot clock to give Wisconsin (17-6, 9-3 Big Ten) a 52-46 lead and seal a fourth consecutive victory at rival Minnesota. Gophers coach Richard Pitino fell to 2-9 in his career against the Badgers, who were held to a season-low 34.5 field goal percentage (19 for 55).
Jordan Murphy (16 points, 19 rebounds) and Daniel Oturu (12 points, 11 rebounds) each had a double-double, but Minnesota (16-7, 6-6) missed 12 of 13 attempts from 3-point range, including three in the final 76 seconds.
Brad Davison had 10 points for the Badgers despite a 2-for-12 shooting performance, and his fellow Minnesota native
Nate Reuvers pitched in nine points, eight rebounds and seven blocks as part of a vintage effort on defense by coach
Greg Gard's team.
Gabe Kalscheur's 3-pointer was the first make for the Gophers, but they didn't get any to fall over the entire rest of this physical game. The Badgers weren't called for a foul until 1:10 into the second half, much to the consternation of the Williams Arena crowd.
The Gophers didn't get to the free-throw line until Murphy's three-point play with 9:11 remaining capped a 7-0 spurt and cut the lead to 37-34, but they were only within one possession three more times over the rest of the game. Trice made them pay when he made his big shot, stretching his arms out wide and pointing to his forearm as if to signal a dose of ice water in his veins.
With eight games remaining, the Badgers have climbed into position as a legitimate contender for the regular-season conference title with some recent slip-ups by Michigan and Michigan State. They're tied with the Spartans for third place but just one game behind the Wolverines for first. The most valuable development from this performance was the ability to win a Big Ten game on a rival's home court despite such a rough shooting night.
Wisconsin: Travels to face No. 7 Michigan, after winning the first matchup 64-54 on Jan. 19.
