CHICAGO (Interstat) — John Blackwell scored 34 points to lead Wisconsin to an 85-82 victory over Washington in a Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game Thursday afternoon at United Center. The Badgers, who improved to 23-9, held off a late charge from the Huskies, who fell to 16-17 before an announced crowd of 16,157.

Wisconsin led 43-33 at halftime behind strong early shooting. Washington’s Zoom Diallo and Hannes Steinbach fueled a second-half rally, finishing with 24 and 25 points, respectively. The Huskies dominated inside with 40 paint points and cut a double-digit deficit to one possession late, but the Badgers secured the win at the free-throw line. Nick Boyd added 23 points and nine assists for Wisconsin.