MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Wisconsin men's basketball team took down No. 3 ranked, and top-seeded, Purdue, 76-75, in overtime on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Chucky Hepburn scored a lay-up at the buzzer to force overtime and
Max Klesmit scored the game-winning floater in the final seconds to clinch the win.
The Badgers will be seeking their fourth Big Ten Tournament championship and will make their eighth all-time appearance in the Big Ten Championship game, the second-most in conference history.
Hepburn led Wisconsin with 22 points, four assists and three steals while teammate
AJ Storr chipped in 20, including a highlight-reel putback dunk that tied the game in the overtime period. Storr has now scored 66 points in three tournament games on the weekend, just six shy of the UW single-tournament record. Klesmit finished with 12 point, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
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The two sides fought it out for the entirety of the game, with Purdue leading 65-64 with 0:06 left on the clock. Zach Edey hit one of two free throws setting the stage for Hepburn's heroics. After a Wisconsin timeout, Hepburn caught the inbounds pass and curled to the rim to score the buzzer beater that sent the game to OT.Â
It remained a back and forth battle between the Badgers and the Boilermakers in overtime, mirroring the pace of the game up until that point. However, Klesmit hit a floater with five seconds remaining in overtime to seal the win for UW.
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