John Tonje poured in 32 points as No. 18 Wisconsin snapped No. 7 Michigan State’s eight-game winning streak with a 77-74 Big Ten tournament semifinal victory Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis.
Tonje delivered 11 points in five minutes during a defining second-half stretch for the Badgers (26-8), who advanced to the title game as the No. 5 seed for the second year in a row. They will face No. 22 Michigan, who rallied to beat No. 11 Maryland 81-80 in the other semifinal matchup.
John Blackwell added 14 points. Carter Gilmore contributed 10, five assists and three blocks, including a crucial rejection in the final seconds off the bench for Wisconsin.
Freshman Jase Richardson paced top-seeded Michigan State (27-6) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Jeremy Fears Jr. added 14 points and six assists and Tre Holloman scored 10.
Michigan State darted to a 13-4 lead in the first four minutes as Richardson and Jaden Akins drilled back-to-back 3-pointers. The Spartans hit their first three 3-pointers, while the Badgers missed four of their first five. However, the tide gradually turned as the first half wore on.
Michigan State went 1-for-7 from long range for the rest of the half as the Spartans scored just nine points in the final 10 minutes. The Badgers finally took their first lead, 35-33, when Steven Crowl swished a 3-pointer with 1:12 left. Tonge, who led all scorers with 13 in the first half, added two free throws to give Wisconsin a 37-33 halftime edge.
The Spartans pushed the pace early in the second half and went on a 12-2 spree — capped by Coen Carr’s slam of a Fears lob that gave them a 45-41 lead with 15:55 to play.
Tonje stopped Michigan State’s run with a fadeaway. Then, as the teams headed to their benches for a media timeout, Holloman stopped by Wisconsin’s huddle to jaw. He was given a technical that sparked an 11-0 Badgers run.
Tonje sank both technical free throws, then canned a 3-pointer. Gilmore drove from the top of the key for a ferocious two-handed slam, then Tonje plowed into traffic for a layup that moved their lead to 52-45 with 12:51 to go.
Then both sides started hitting big shots. The Spartans forged a 60-60 tie on Richardson’s three free throws with 6:18 to go, but Blackwell answered with a physical drive for a 3-point play and Michigan State never caught up again.
The Spartans got as close as 75-74 on Fears’ pair of free throws with 14.9 seconds to go, but Tonje swished two free throws. Holloman tried to tie it with a 3-pointer at the top of the key, but Gilmore flew out to tip the shot.
Tonje missed his first two free throws of the night and Fears steamed up the floor, but Tonje reached in and stripped the ball as Fears tried a 35-foot runner just before the horn.
–Field Level Media
