Nick Boyd scored 27 points and Nolan Winter added 18 as No. 24 Wisconsin pulled away late for an 84-71 victory over Iowa on Sunday.
Bennett Stirtz’s layup trimmed Iowa’s deficit to 68-65, but Austin Rapp hit a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 10-point Wisconsin run. Boyd’s layup put the Badgers ahead 78-65 with just under four minutes remaining.
John Blackwell hit four free throws after a deadball technical foul to extend the lead to 82-69 with 1:02 left.
Rapp scored 14 points and Blackwell had 13 for Wisconsin (19-8, 11-5 Big Ten), which bounced back from an 86-69 loss at Ohio State.
Stirtz had 23 points for Iowa (19-8, 9-7), which was coming off a 57-52 win at home over No. 9 Nebraska. Alvaro Folgueiras and Tate Sage scored 11 apiece.
Wisconsin shot 53.8%, including 10 of 24 beyond the arc. The Badgers hit 18 of 20 free throws, including 14 of 15 in the second half. Boyd shot 9 of 16 and Winter 8 of 11.
Stirtz opened the second half with a 3 to put Iowa up 44-41, but Wisconsin answered with an 11-0 run, going in front 51-44 on Boyd’s driving layup.
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Andrew Rohde’s 3-pointer put the Badgers in front 64-57, but Stirtz hit a jumper and followed with a steal and layup to make it 64-61.
Wisconsin, which trailed by nine early, was within 41-40 at halftime despite Blackwell being limited to 10 scoreless minutes with two fouls.
Boyd and Winter combined for 29 of Wisconsin’s first-half points, making 11 of 16 shots, while the rest of the team was 4 for 12.
Next, Iowa hosts Ohio State on Wednesday, and Wisconsin plays at Oregon.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
