by CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Dekker scored 17 points, Frank Kaminsky added 16 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 Wisconsin beat Michigan 71-60 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Friday.
Dekker and Kaminsky, the Big Ten Player of the Year, combined to score all their team’s points in a decisive 9-2 run that broke a 54-all tie late in the second half. The top-seeded Badgers (29-3) opened the tournament on a winning note and will meet Penn State or Purdue in the semifinals on Saturday.
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Zak Irvin led Michigan (16-16) with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ricky Doyle scored 12 and Spike Albrecht added 10 points for the Wolverines, who lost despite shooting 52 percent and committing just five turnovers.
Wisconsin, which beat Michigan in overtime in January, simply got all it could handle. The Badgers closed the first half on an 18-4 run to take a five-point lead, but the Wolverines hung in until the closing minutes.
Back-to-back layups by Kaminsky with about five minutes left put the Badgers ahead for good. He also made a big play after Doyle scored for Michigan, diving for a loose rebound to keep the possession alive. That led to a 3 by Dekker to make it 61-56 with 3:42 left.
Irvin then turned the ball over. Dekker made two free throws to push the lead to seven with 2:27 left after rebounding his own missed jumper, and the Badgers hung on from there.
The way the first half ended, it looked like Wisconsin might run away with this one. Michigan, which jumped on Illinois early in Thursday’s win, was leading 22-13 with 8:11 remaining after Albrecht pulled up for a 3-pointer. But Wisconsin took over after that.
Dekker started the big run with a dunk and layup, and Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation) nailed back-to-back 3s to make it 31-26 in the closing minute, drawing big cheers from the Badgers’ fans.
Kaminsky had eight points and eight rebounds in the first half. Dekker scored eight, including six during that run.
