Badgers battle to beat Gophers 68-60

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is 1-0 in the Big Ten after beating 14th-ranked Minnesota 68-60 last night at the Kohl Center.

The Gophers were up by one with seven minutes to go. But Wisconsin battled back, and had a one-point lead with just over a minute left when Jordan Taylor made a three-point play to create some breathing room. And the Badgers hit their free throws down the stretch to win their seventh straight game.

Wisconsin only committed two turnovers, made all but one of its 18 free throws, and had a season-high nine blocked shots. Taylor led the Badgers with 22 points. Senior Jon Leuer scored his one-thousandth career point in the first half, and ended up with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Devoe Joseph and Ralph Sampson-the-Third each had 14 for Minnesota, which out-rebounded the Badgers 41-24. Former Marquette forward Trevor Mbakwe had 11 points and 11 rebounds, as the Gophers dropped to 11-2 overall and play at Michigan State Friday. Wisconsin is also 11-2, and will play at Illinois on Sunday.

Minnesota freshman Center Maurice Walker will miss the rest of the 2010-2011 season after suffering a knee injury last week verus South Dakota. The Gophers announced yesterday that Walker has a torn posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus that will require surgery. Walker was averaging 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Tags: proam, basketball