MADISON, Wis.: Johnny Davis had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds and took over the game in the final minutes as No. 11 Wisconsin beat Minnesota 66-60 on Sunday.
Wisconsin (17-3, 8-2 Big Ten) earned its ninth win in its last 10 games to tie Illinois (15-5, 8-2) for the Big Ten lead, with No. 10 Michigan State (16-4, 7-2) just a half-game behind. Wisconsin visits Illinois on Wednesday.
The Badgers improved to 10-1 in games decided by six points or fewer.
Minnesota (11-7, 2-7) trailed by nine early in the second half but rallied to tie the game at 60-all on a pair of E.J. Stephens free throws with 2:23 left.
Thats when Davis put the game on his shoulders and scored the games final six points.
Davis put Wisconsin ahead for good by making a driving layup with 2:10 left. After Minnesotas Payton Willis missed a 3-point attempt with 1:48 left, Steven Crowl misfired from 3-point range on Wisconsins ensuing possession but Davis chased down the offensive rebound and drew a foul.
Davis made one of two free throws to make it 63-60 with 55 seconds left. After Stephens missed a jumper eight seconds later, Davis got the rebound and hit a stepback jumper on the other end of the floor to make it 65-60 with 23 seconds remaining. Davis completed the games scoring by hitting one of two free throws with nine seconds remaining.
Minnesota lost for the sixth time in seven games despite welcoming back Eric Curry, who missed three games with an ankle injury. Curry had eight points and six rebounds in 34 minutes.
Payton Willis scored 15 of his 17 points after halftime for Minnesota. Jamison Battle had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Stephens added 11 for the Gophers.
Tyler Wahl scored 15, Brad Davison 14 and Crowl 11 for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin tied the all-time series with Minnesota at 104-all, not including games that were vacated. This marks the first time since 1973 that Minnesota hasnt led the series.
BIG PICTURE
Minnesota: The Gophers had an inspired effort on the road as they rallied to tie the game after trailing almost the entire way, but they couldn’t slow down Davis or make the big shots in the closing minutes.
Wisconsin: The Badgers continued to show a knack for delivering in close games. They now face a tough part of their schedule with trips to Illinois and Michigan State looming in their next three games.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Wisconsin went 2-0 this week, which could be enough to get the Badgers back in the top 10.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: At No. 24 Illinois on Wednesday.
Minnesota: Hosts No. 6 Purdue on Wednesday.
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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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