University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, January 28
Madison, WI
8:00 PM
University of Minnesota
10-11,3-7Big Ten
63
at
67
Wisconsin
15-6,7-3Big Ten
1
2
F
Minnesota
35
28
63
Wisconsin
17
50
67
Team Stats
MINN
Wisc
FG%
.460
.396
3FG%
.407
.419
FT%
.545
.727
RB
30
29
TO
11
13
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Gophers Fall In Tight Game to Badgers
1/28/2026 10:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobby Durkin scored a season-high 20 points and Isaac Asuma added 16 points, as Minnesota (10-11, 3-7) led Wisconsin 35-17 at the half, but the Badgers (15-6, 7-3) rallied for a 67-63 win at the Kohl Center.
Minnesota, playing without leading scorer Cade Tyson, led by as many as 20 points in the first half. The Badgers were limited to five field goals in that opening 20 minutes, and Durkin's 17 first-half points equaled Wisconsin's team total. The Badgers scored the first 10 points of the second half and outscored Minnesota 20-4 to pull within two points with 10:37 left, but the Gophers were able to build as much as an eight-point lead (47-39) before a 12-3 run gave UW its first lead since 3-2. The lead changed hands six times over the final six minutes, but John Blackwell scored the final seven points during a 7-2 run to secure the comeback win.
Durkin made 7-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 three-pointers, to finish with his season-high 20 points, while Asuma scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Langston Reynolds finished with 12 points and team-leading totals of eight rebounds and five assists, while Grayson Grove had nine points, tied his career high with six rebounds, and added three steals and a pair of assists. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson finished with four points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists, and Kai Shinholster had two points and two boards. As a team, Minnesota finished 23-of-50 (.460) from the field, including 11-of-27 (.407) from three-point range, and 6-of-11 (.545) at the free throw line.
Blackwell led the Badgers with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Nick Boyd had 21 points and five assists. Boyd had 19 points in the decisive second half, while Blackwell had 18 points after the half. The Badgers finished 19-of-48 (.396) from the field, including 13-of-31 (.419) from distance, and 16-of-22 (.727) at the line. Wisconsin was 9-of-15 from three-point range in the second half.
Minnesota opened the game by jumping out to an 11-3 lead with an 11-0 run, as Durkin scored the first eight points and Grove connected on his second three-pointer of the season. Carrington made a three to end Minnesota's run, but Durkin answered with his second three-pointer to reach double-figures with 11 points and Grove scored on a layup for a 16-6 advantage. Wisconsin opened the game 2-of-13, while the Gophers were 6-of-13. Reynolds added a pair of free throws and a layup to extend the lead to 20-6, making it an extended run of 20-3.
Rohde connected on UW's third three-pointer to cut it to 20-9, but Durkin beat the shot clock on his third three-pointer and Reynolds made another layup for a 25-9 lead, forcing Greg Gard to call timeout with 8:11 left in the half. Shinholster put the Gophers up 27-9 with a 17-foot jumper, but the Badgers answered with a 4-0 run, and Niko Medved called time out. Crocker-Johnson came up with a steal and drove the length of the court for a layup and a 29-13 lead, and Asuma and Durkin added late three-pointers to give Minnesota a 20-point lead at 35-15 before Boyd scored to cut the halftime deficit to 18 points.
Durkin equaled the Badgers with 17 points in the first half, making 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-5 from behind the arc, while Reynolds had six points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Grove had five points, four boards, and two steals. As a team, Minnesota made 13-of-30 (.433) first-half field goals, including 6-of-16 (.375) three-pointers, and 3-of-3 free throws. The Gophers held a 20-19 rebounding edge, and had a 12-2 advantage in the paint.
Wisconsin was led by Blackwell's five points at the break, as the Badgers made 5-of-28 (.179) field goals, including 4-of-16 (.250) three-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws. Wisconsin was 1-of-12 (.083) inside the three-point line.
Wisconsin opened the second half with a 10-0 run, trimming the lead to eight, as Minnesota was scoreless until a Reynolds layup with 14:18 remaining made it 37-27. The Badgers pulled within 37-32, but Asuma scored in the lane to put the Gophers up by seven with 11:40 left. A Blackwell three-pointer cut it to two, making it a 20-4 run to open the second half, but Asuma answered with a three at the other end for a 42-37 lead. A pair of Blackwell free throws cut it to three, but Asuma made a jumper in the paint and then knocked down his second three-pointer of the half for a 47-39 lead. Boyd responded with five-straight points to once again pull UW within three points, but Grove scored on a layup for a 49-44 lead with 7:48 remaining.
A Reynolds free throw put the Gophers up 50-45, but Carrington's four-point play pulled the Badgers within one points, and Boyd's baseline jumper with 6:22 left put UW in front 51-50. Trailing for the first time since 3-2, Asuma drained his third three-pointer of the second half to put the Gophers back in front, but Boyd answered with a three and then added a pair of free throws for a 56-53 lead. Durkin's first points of the second half, a three-pointer from the top of the key, tied the score with 4:48 left, and a pair of free throws by Crocker-Johnson gave the Gophers a 58-57 lead with 3:07 left.
Nolan Winter's three-pointer put the Badgers back in the lead, but Reynolds drained a three from the top of the key for a 61-60 lead with 2:17 remaining. Blackwell made a pair of free throws with 1:00 left for a one-point lead, and his three-pointer with 0:19 left made it 65-61 and Medved called a timeout with 15 seconds left. Grove's tip-in dunk on a missed three-point attempt by Asuma cut it to 65-63 with 9.7 seconds remaining, but Blackwell made a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
The Gophers travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be streamed on Peacock.
Minnesota, playing without leading scorer Cade Tyson, led by as many as 20 points in the first half. The Badgers were limited to five field goals in that opening 20 minutes, and Durkin's 17 first-half points equaled Wisconsin's team total. The Badgers scored the first 10 points of the second half and outscored Minnesota 20-4 to pull within two points with 10:37 left, but the Gophers were able to build as much as an eight-point lead (47-39) before a 12-3 run gave UW its first lead since 3-2. The lead changed hands six times over the final six minutes, but John Blackwell scored the final seven points during a 7-2 run to secure the comeback win.
Durkin made 7-of-8 field goals, including 5-of-6 three-pointers, to finish with his season-high 20 points, while Asuma scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Langston Reynolds finished with 12 points and team-leading totals of eight rebounds and five assists, while Grayson Grove had nine points, tied his career high with six rebounds, and added three steals and a pair of assists. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson finished with four points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists, and Kai Shinholster had two points and two boards. As a team, Minnesota finished 23-of-50 (.460) from the field, including 11-of-27 (.407) from three-point range, and 6-of-11 (.545) at the free throw line.
Blackwell led the Badgers with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Nick Boyd had 21 points and five assists. Boyd had 19 points in the decisive second half, while Blackwell had 18 points after the half. The Badgers finished 19-of-48 (.396) from the field, including 13-of-31 (.419) from distance, and 16-of-22 (.727) at the line. Wisconsin was 9-of-15 from three-point range in the second half.
Minnesota opened the game by jumping out to an 11-3 lead with an 11-0 run, as Durkin scored the first eight points and Grove connected on his second three-pointer of the season. Carrington made a three to end Minnesota's run, but Durkin answered with his second three-pointer to reach double-figures with 11 points and Grove scored on a layup for a 16-6 advantage. Wisconsin opened the game 2-of-13, while the Gophers were 6-of-13. Reynolds added a pair of free throws and a layup to extend the lead to 20-6, making it an extended run of 20-3.
Rohde connected on UW's third three-pointer to cut it to 20-9, but Durkin beat the shot clock on his third three-pointer and Reynolds made another layup for a 25-9 lead, forcing Greg Gard to call timeout with 8:11 left in the half. Shinholster put the Gophers up 27-9 with a 17-foot jumper, but the Badgers answered with a 4-0 run, and Niko Medved called time out. Crocker-Johnson came up with a steal and drove the length of the court for a layup and a 29-13 lead, and Asuma and Durkin added late three-pointers to give Minnesota a 20-point lead at 35-15 before Boyd scored to cut the halftime deficit to 18 points.
Durkin equaled the Badgers with 17 points in the first half, making 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-5 from behind the arc, while Reynolds had six points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Grove had five points, four boards, and two steals. As a team, Minnesota made 13-of-30 (.433) first-half field goals, including 6-of-16 (.375) three-pointers, and 3-of-3 free throws. The Gophers held a 20-19 rebounding edge, and had a 12-2 advantage in the paint.
Wisconsin was led by Blackwell's five points at the break, as the Badgers made 5-of-28 (.179) field goals, including 4-of-16 (.250) three-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws. Wisconsin was 1-of-12 (.083) inside the three-point line.
Wisconsin opened the second half with a 10-0 run, trimming the lead to eight, as Minnesota was scoreless until a Reynolds layup with 14:18 remaining made it 37-27. The Badgers pulled within 37-32, but Asuma scored in the lane to put the Gophers up by seven with 11:40 left. A Blackwell three-pointer cut it to two, making it a 20-4 run to open the second half, but Asuma answered with a three at the other end for a 42-37 lead. A pair of Blackwell free throws cut it to three, but Asuma made a jumper in the paint and then knocked down his second three-pointer of the half for a 47-39 lead. Boyd responded with five-straight points to once again pull UW within three points, but Grove scored on a layup for a 49-44 lead with 7:48 remaining.
A Reynolds free throw put the Gophers up 50-45, but Carrington's four-point play pulled the Badgers within one points, and Boyd's baseline jumper with 6:22 left put UW in front 51-50. Trailing for the first time since 3-2, Asuma drained his third three-pointer of the second half to put the Gophers back in front, but Boyd answered with a three and then added a pair of free throws for a 56-53 lead. Durkin's first points of the second half, a three-pointer from the top of the key, tied the score with 4:48 left, and a pair of free throws by Crocker-Johnson gave the Gophers a 58-57 lead with 3:07 left.
Nolan Winter's three-pointer put the Badgers back in the lead, but Reynolds drained a three from the top of the key for a 61-60 lead with 2:17 remaining. Blackwell made a pair of free throws with 1:00 left for a one-point lead, and his three-pointer with 0:19 left made it 65-61 and Medved called a timeout with 15 seconds left. Grove's tip-in dunk on a missed three-point attempt by Asuma cut it to 65-63 with 9.7 seconds remaining, but Blackwell made a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
The Gophers travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State on Sunday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be streamed on Peacock.
Highlights: Gophers 63, Wisconsin 67
Wednesday, January 28
Highlights: Gophers 57, Nebraska 76
Saturday, January 24
Highlights: Gophers 74, Ohio State 82
Tuesday, January 20
Highlights: Gophers 67, Illinois 77
Saturday, January 17