MADISON, Wis. (AP) — John Blackwell scored a career-high 30 points and John Tonje added 19 as No. 19 Wisconsin rallied to beat UT Rio Grande Valley 87-84 Monday night.
Wisconsin overcame a 52-48 halftime deficit to extend its season-opening winning streak to five games. The Vaqueros (3-3) entered with a three-game winning streak. Tonje coming off a 41-point effort in a win over Arizona, hit four free throws to give Wisconsin an 82-77 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
DK Thorn hit a deep 3-pointer that pulled the Vaqueros within 85-84 with 1:02 left. After each team missed a jumper in the lane, Blackwell hit two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to put Wisconsin up 87-84.
Hasan Abdul Hakim scored 19 points and Trey Miller 12 for UTRGV. UT-Rio Grande Valley: The Vaqueros refused to fold when Wisconsin made a second-half run and took a five-point lead with just over 3 1⁄2 minutes remaining, making it one-possession game down the stretch. Wisconsin: The Badgers did not play nearly as well as they did against Arizona, but toughened down the stretch, holding UTRGV to 11 second-half field goals.
Hasan Abdul Hakim hit a 3-pointer to put UTRGV up 61-54, but the Vaqueros went scoreless for more almost four minutes as Wisconsin rallied and tied it a 61. Wisconsin, which entered shooting a nation-leading 90% in free throws, hit its first 11 from the line before Steven Crowl missed the second of two. The Badgers finished 27 of 32.
Wisconsin faces Central Florida in the openin.