Senior center A.J. Hammons scored a game-high 24 points as No. 14 Purdue held off Wisconsin for a 61-55 win Tuesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams.

Hammons, a 7-foot reserve, had 11 points in the first half, including a three-point play that evened the score at 24 with six seconds left until intermission. He shot 9-for-14 overall from the field as the Boilermakers took advantage with size on the inside, scoring 34 points in the paint.

Purdue (13-1, 1-0 Big Ten) played a sloppy first half, committing 10 turnovers on 32 possessions. However, the Boilermakers wound up with a 36-26 rebounding advantage, which offset their 16 turnovers. Wisconsin (8-6, 0-1) gave the ball away only seven times.

Junior forward Nigel Hayes scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Badgers, who lost their league opener for the first time in 13 seasons.

Hayes scored nine points in the first half, including a reverse layup that gave Wisconsin a 17-16 lead.

Sophomore forward Vince Edwards added eight points for Purdue, and sophomore guard Dakota Mathias drained two 3-pointers in the closing minute that put the game out of reach.

Freshman forward Alex Illikainen scored a career-best 10 points for Wisconsin.