John Tonje matched his career high with six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, and No. 18 Wisconsin tied the Big Ten Tournament single-game record by making 19 3s in an 86-70 victory over fourth-seeded UCLA on Friday.
Tonje also had nine rebounds and four assists. He was 9 of 10 from the field and a perfect 6 for 6 on 3s as the Badgers (25-8) advanced to Saturday’s first semifinal game against No. 7 Michigan State.
John Blackwell added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while making four 3s. Six Badgers made at least one shot from beyond the arc. Iowa also made 19 3s against Northwestern three years ago.
Sebastian Mack scored 18 points for the Bruins (22-10), who head into the NCAA Tournament with a 4-4 mark in their last eight games. Kobe Johnson had 14 points.
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Wisconsin seized control by closing the first half with a flurry of 3s to build a 48-29 cushion.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: Coach Greg Gard’s revamped offense has certainly paid dividends this season, and it was never more evident than during Friday’s shooting display. Now comes the bigger test: winning a third game in three days, this time against a top-10 foe.
UCLA: It was a miserable first Big Ten tourney game for the Bruins. They shot 32.4% from the field, couldn’t defend the 3-point line and spent most of the day staring at double-digit deficits. Now UCLA will find out if this loss damages its NCAA seeding.
John Tonje drains his sixth 3-pointer of the game, extending Wisconsin’s lead over UCLA
Key moment
Wisconsin turned a competitive game into a blowout by making five consecutive 3s during the decisive 15-7 run late in the first half.
Key stat
Wisconsin made 12 3-pointers in the first half while UCLA had only 11 total baskets.
Up next
The Badgers will try to even the season series against the Spartans after losing in East Lansing on March 2. The Bruins head home to get their NCAA Tournament draw.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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