MADISON, Wis. —
The Wisconsin men's basketball team suffered its first setback of the season, falling to Michigan, 67-64, on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
John Tonje led the Badgers (8-1, 0-1 Big Ten) in scoring for the sixth time this season with 18 points. The graduate student has now scored in double figures in all nine games this season.
John Blackwell had a standout individual performance, tallying 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Kamari McGee once again made a strong impact off the bench, recording a plus-minus of +10, the lone Badger in the plus column.
The Badgers got out to a hot 17-8 start, thanks in part to an emphatic Tonje slam off a turnover.
Bucky used the momentum to come alive on defense before the break, holding Michigan (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) to zero field goals across the period's final eight minutes. The Badgers used an 11-2 run – forcing a Michigan timeout – before taking a six-point lead into the half.
The sides went back-and-forth out of the half, with Michigan reclaiming the lead. Blackwell put an end to their streak, sparking a 6-0 personal run that included put-back layups on consecutive possessions. His four offensive rebounds mark a new career-high.
The game came down to the wire, as Michigan used a 6-0 run in the last two minutes to carve out a three-point lead.
UW's three-point heave at the buzzer rattled off the back iron, as the Wolverines ultimately bested the Badgers.
Quotable:
Wisconsin sophomore guard John Blackwell (on responding to the first loss of the season): "I think we are going to respond great. I think we have a great group of vets who have been through this. I mean, you're not going to win every game. We're going to be just fine. We're going to build off this loss, take it on the chin and just seep moving forward."
Wisconsin graduate student John Tonje (on he and John Blackwell leading): "I think me and John (Blackwell) were just trying to be aggressive like always and make a play. I thought during the course of the game they were going to lock into guys like us, so just finding ways to be aggressive and impactful in any way down the stretch."
Wisconsin sophomore forward Nolan Winter (on pick-and-roll defense): "We just weren't physical enough, weren't intent on the ball screen with what we were doing. It's on both of us as bigs and we know that. We've already talked and we know we have to be better and Steve (Crowl) knows he has to stay out of foul trouble, because we need him and the presence that he brings us."
Up Next:
Wisconsin faces in-state rival No. 5 Marquette on Saturday in Milwaukee.
