GREATER OZARKS MFA

03/13 16:31 CDT Boyd scores career-high 38 as No. 23 Wisconsin rallies to beat No. 9 Illinois 91-88 in OT Boyd scores career-high 38 as No. 23 Wisconsin rallies to beat No. 9 Illinois 91-88 in OT By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) --- Nick Boyd scored a career-high 38 points, John Blackwell added 31 and No. 23 Wisconsin rallied from 15 down in the second half to beat No. 9 Illinois 91-88 in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. It was tied at 80 in overtime when Boyd scored in the paint and Austin Rapp nailed a 3 to give Wisconsin a five-point lead with 2:33 remaining. The Badgers were up by four with about a minute left when Boyd rebounded a missed 3 by Rapp. That led to two free throws for Blackwell, making it 87-81 with 46 seconds left. Illinois got within 90-88 on David Mirkovic's layup with six seconds remaining. Wisconsin's Braeden Carrington then missed a free throw and hit the second to make it a three-point game before Illinois' Keaton Wagler missed a long 3 at the buzzer. The Badgers (24-9) advanced to the semifinals against No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines, seeking their second straight Big Ten Tournament title, held off Ohio State 71-67. Boyd surpassed his previous high of 36 points in a win against Providence on Nov. 27. Blackwell, coming off a career-best 34 a day earlier against Washington, became Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer in Big Ten Tournament games with 144 points. Wagler and Mirkovic each scored 19 for Illinois (24-8). Andrej Stojakovic had 17 points and seven rebounds. Illinois appeared to be in good shape leading 60-45 midway through the second half, only to have Wisconsin charge back. The Badgers trailed 67-63 when Blackwell made a 3, Boyd hit two free throws and Rapp made two more to put them on top 70-67 with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. Stojakovic then hit a tying 3 for Illinois. It was tied at 76 when Stojakovic rebounded a missed 3 by Wisconsin's Aleksas Bieliauskas and drove for a layup to put Illinois on top with just over a minute remaining. Blackwell then hit two tying free throws. Wagler missed a hook for Illinois, and Blackwell missed a long 3 just before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Up next Wisconsin faces No. 3 Michigan in a semifinal on Saturday. Wisconsin handed Michigan its first loss when it beat the Wolverines 91-88 in Ann Arbor on Jan. 10. -__ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.