No. 7 Purdue drops second straight with home loss to No. 16 Wisconsin

Field Level Media|published: Sat 15th February, 15:37 2025

Feb 15, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Kamari McGee (4) drives the ball around Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

John Tonje scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half to lift No. 16 Wisconsin to a 94-84 road victory over No. 7 Purdue on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.

Tonje made 10 of 15 shots from the floor -- including 4 of 9 from 3-point range -- to offset a 30-point performance by Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Boilermakers. Kaufman-Renn sank 12 of 16 shots to go along with five assists and four rebounds.

Max Klesmit scored 17 points and Nolan Winter added 12 for the Badgers (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten), who erupted for 58 points in the second half en route to recording their fourth straight victory. Wisconsin shot a robust 61.5 percent from the floor.

Jack Janicki, who entered the game averaging 1.7 points, sank three of four shots from 3-point range and finished with 11 points off the bench. He received additional playing time following the ejection of Kamari McGee in the first half.

Fletcher Loyer scored 15 points and C.J. Cox had 13 for the Boilermakers (19-7, 11-4), who have lost two straight following an 11-1 stretch.

Braden Smith drained a jumper to give Purdue a 50-47 lead before Tonje ignited an 11-0 run by Wisconsin. Tonje converted a four-point play and sandwiched baskets around John Blackwell's 3-pointer.

Janicki sank a pair of 3-pointers in a 92-second stretch to extend the Badgers' lead to 71-60 midway into the second half. Purdue chipped its deficit down to six points at 75-69 before Tonje halted the momentum with an emphatic dunk.

Myles Colvin drained a 3-pointer to trim Wisconsin's lead to 86-79 with 1:02 to play. However, the Badgers effectively sealed the win at the charity stripe.

McGee was ejected after officials deemed he used excessive force below the waist in his bid to break through a screen by Kaufman-Renn with 6:20 remaining in the first half. Kaufman-Renn sank a pair of free throws and made a layup to extend Purdue's lead to 35-26.

Tonje, however, drained a jumper and a 3-pointer to help Wisconsin close its deficit to one at halftime.

--Field Level Media

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