Michigan tops No. 11 Wisconsin 67-64 as Badgers take their 1st loss

Vladislav Goldin scored a career-high 24 points — including three straight baskets inside down the stretch — and Michigan defeated No. 11 Wisconsin 67-64 on Tuesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Michigan (7-1, 1-0) won its sixth straight and handed Wisconsin (8-1, 0-1) its first loss of the season.

Goldin, a 7-foot-1 graduate student who followed new Michigan coach Dusty May from Florida Atlantic, scored 17 points after halftime and put the Wolverines ahead for good on a layup with 1:35 left.

Danny Wolf added 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals for Michigan. John Tonje scored 18 and John Blackwell 16 for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit missed three shots in the last 73 seconds that would have tied the game or put the Badgers ahead.

Michigan led 67-64 when Goldin missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2.6 seconds left. Tonje got about one-third of the way up the court before firing a desperation shot that bounced off the back rim at the buzzer.

Takeaways

Michigan: The Wolverines withstood a scoreless performance from Tre Donaldson, who had been averaging a team-high 13 points per game. After shooting just 7-of-33 from the floor in the first half, Michigan was 16-of-26 in the second half.

Wisconsin: The Badgers shot only 34.4% from the floor. They also made just 73.7% of their free throws (14 of 19). Wisconsin entered the night shooting a Division I-best 86.4% on free throws.

Key moment

Goldin took over the game in the closing minutes. His dunk cut Wisconsin’s lead to 64-63 with 2:23 left. After a steal by Michigan’s Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr. found Goldin for a lay-in that put the Wolverines ahead. Goldin capped his personal 6-0 run by making a hook shot with 22.9 seconds remaining.

Key stats

Michigan blocked 11 shots. This was its first game with at least 10 blocks since Nov. 23, 2022, when the Wolverines had 13 against Jackson State.

Up next

Both teams play again Saturday, with Michigan hosting Iowa, and Wisconsin visiting No. 5 Marquette.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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