Wisconsin rallies to beat Illinois in OT, advances to Big Ten semifinals
The Badgers beat Illinois 91-88 in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday
CHICAGO (WSAW) - The Wisconsin Badgers used a second half surge to storm from behind and beat Illinois 91-88 in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
The Badgers jumped out to an early lead before Illinois went on a first half run. While Wisconsin went cold, they never totally fell off, trailing at halftime by six at 36-30.
Illinois stormed out to start the second, leading by as many as 15. However, Wisconsin’s electric guard duo of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd helped engineer a comeback to tie the game and force overtime at 78-78.
In the extra period, Wisconsin got a few big buckets from Boyd before Austin Rapp poured in a three to go up five. Illinois made a late push, cutting the game to two with eight seconds left. However, the Illini’s game-tying three attempt at the buzzer would clang out, giving the Badgers their second win over Illinois in OT this season at 91-88.
Boyd led Wisconsin with 38 points, a new Badgers’ Big Ten Tournament record. Blackwell wasn’t too far behind with 31 points.
The Badgers advance to play top seed Michigan in the semifinals on Saturday. The game tips at 12:00 p.m. and can be seen on CBS/WSAW.
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