WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — In the championship game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off, No. 19 Wisconsin overcame a late first-half deficit to defeat Pittsburgh 81-75 on Sunday night, thanks to a remarkable performance from John Tonje, who scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half.

Adding to Wisconsin’s efforts were John Blackwell with 14 points, Nolan Winter contributing 11, and Kamari McGee adding 10 points to the mix. This victory marks a strong start for the Badgers, as they enjoy a 7-0 record— the first such start since the 2014-15 season, which culminated in a loss to Duke in the national championship game.

For Pittsburgh, Ishmael Leggett led the scoring with 17 points, while Cameron Corhen and Jaland Lowe chipped in with 16 and 15 points, respectively, bringing the team’s record to 6-1.

Wisconsin faced a challenging start, trailing by as much as 14 points late in the first half. Tonje, a transfer from Missouri, overcame a shaky beginning—missing his first six shots and remaining scoreless for the first 12 minutes—to score 11 points in a rapid three-minute span. This surge helped Wisconsin gain a 51-49 lead, their first since making the opening basket of the game.

McGee further solidified Wisconsin’s lead with a crucial 3-pointer with 6:19 to go in the game, pushing the score to 65-62 before they maintained the advantage for the remainder of the contest.

A significant moment in the game came when Pittsburgh cut the deficit to just one point at 71-70 following a 3-pointer from Zack Austin with 3:30 left on the clock. Wisconsin, however, responded strongly and finished the game with a 10-5 run to secure the victory.

A notable statistic was Wisconsin’s strong shooting in the second half, where they connected on 60% of their field goal attempts (18 of 30), a dramatic improvement after failing to make any of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half.

Looking ahead, Pittsburgh is set to face Ohio State on Friday, while Wisconsin will host Chicago State the following Saturday.