Purdue 69, No. 16 Wisconsin 56: D.J. Byrd matched a season high with 22 points and pulled down a season-best eight rebounds as the visiting Boilermakers rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit to shock the Badgers.
Byrd hit a season high-tying six 3-pointers and Terone Johnson added 16 points for Purdue (14-15, 7-9 Big Ten), which ended a three-game road losing streak.
Jared Berggren paced Wisconsin (20-9, 11-5) with 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The loss dropped the Badgers into a third-place tie with Ohio State – two games behind first-place Indiana – with two games left to play.
Wisconsin appeared to be on the verge of improving to 12-0 on Senior Day under coach Bo Ryan after a 3-pointer from Ben Brust gave them a 32-19 cushion, but the Boilermakers held the Badgers to two field goals over the remainder of the first half to pull within 36-31 at the break. After spotting Wisconsin the first four points of the second half, Purdue closed to within one when Byrd drained two 3-pointers during a stretch in which the Boilermakers hit five consecutive shots.
Purdue pulled ahead on six straight points from Johnson and took a 52-45 lead with 10:43 remaining on another 3-pointer by Byrd. Wisconsin scored five of the next seven points, but could get no closer than four as Byrd scored seven of the Boilermakers’ final 13 points to hold off the Badgers.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Purdue improved to 10-8 against the Badgers in the Ryan era, remaining the only Big Ten team with a winning record against him during his Wisconsin tenure. … The Badgers missed their final 17 3-point attempts and finished 6-for-28 beyond the arc. … The Boilermakers became only the third unranked Big Ten team over the last 71 games to defeat Wisconsin at home.
Purdue | Wisconsin | |
D.J. Byrd 22 | Scoring | Jared Berggren 13 |
Ronnie Johnson 8 | Assists | Ryan Evans 4 |
D.J. Byrd 8 | Rebounds | Jared Berggren 8 |
D.J. Byrd 4 | Free Throws Made | Jared Berggren 4 |
Sandi Marcius 3 | Steals | Mike Bruesewitz 3 |
A.J. Hammons 1 | Blocks | Jared Berggren 4 |