IOWA CITY, Iowa — John Tonje shone in a pivotal match by scoring 22 points, while John Blackwell contributed 19, propelling No. 21 Wisconsin to a 74-63 triumph over Iowa on Saturday.
Tonje’s performance was key, notably during a closing surge where he netted 11 points in a decisive 16-4 run that secured the victory for the Badgers (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten), marking their third consecutive win. He recorded 5-of-11 shooting from the field and notably excelled at the free-throw line, making 9 of 10 attempts, with eight in a row during the final seven minutes of the game.
Defensively, Wisconsin was impressive, holding Iowa (13-10, 4-8) to just one field goal in the final 7½ minutes, despite struggling offensively themselves in the second half, shooting only 8-for-27.
For Iowa, Pryce Sandfort was the standout scorer with 14 points, followed closely by Josh Dix with 13 points and Drew Thelwell contributing 11. Payton Sandfort, who typically averages 16.6 points during Big Ten games, managed only seven points on a challenging 2-for-11 shooting performance.
Observations from the game highlighted Wisconsin’s position; being in fourth place in the conference, they needed a victory on the road to stay competitive against the top teams. Their shooting was effective overall at 29 of 61, combined with a strong defensive effort that managed to stifle Iowa’s scoring in the crucial closing moments.
Consistency has been a challenge for Iowa, which has struggled following the season-ending injury of leading scorer and rebounder Owen Freeman. They’ve now lost six out of their last seven games, often remaining competitive until the closing minutes, as seen in a recent 90-81 loss to No. 7 Purdue.
The turning point of the match came when Tonje scored seven straight points, kicking off Wisconsin’s final charge. His free-throw prowess helped build a substantial lead, capped by a 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining that extended Wisconsin’s advantage to 65-59.
A key statistic from this matchup was notable in contrast to a previous encounter: Wisconsin had dominated Iowa in earlier meetings, making 21 of 31 three-point attempts in a 116-85 victory on January 3, which marked Iowa’s most significant loss of the season. In this game, Wisconsin managed 12 of 35 from beyond the arc.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin is set to face Purdue next Saturday, while Iowa will visit Rutgers on Wednesday.
