IOWA HOLDS ON TO FACE ILLINOIS
Luka Garza scored 24 points, Joe Wieskamp made two key baskets late and No. 5 Iowa fended off Wisconsin 62-57 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night in Indianapolis.
The third-seeded Hawkeyes (21-7) rallied from a six-point halftime deficit behind Garza. Their all-time leading scorer dominated inside, making 10 of 15 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws.
Iowa advanced to face third-ranked Illinois in Saturday’s semifinals.
The game was tied at 52 when Wieskamp maneuvered into the paint to take advantage of a size mismatch with close-range baskets on consecutive possessions, the latter for a 56-52 lead with 2:35 remaining. He finished with 10 points. Iowa had a 38-20 edge in points in the paint.
The sixth-seeded Badgers (17-12) never recovered.
D’Mitrik Trice led Wisconsin with 19 points, but with the Badgers trailing by four in the final minute, he was unable to inbound the ball in five seconds, sealing the outcome.
MICHIGAN 79, MARYLAND 66
Michigan coach Juwan Howard was ejected midway through the second half after getting into a shouting match with the Maryland bench, and the No. 4 Wolverines beat the Terrapins to reach the Big Ten semifinals.
Mike Smith scored 18 points and set a Big Ten Tournament record with 15 assists for top-seeded Wolverines (20-3). Michigan rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit and will face No. 9 Ohio State in Saturday’s semifinals.
Michigan swung the game by ending the first half on a 16-2 run and starting the second half on an 11-4 spurt.
But during a timeout with 10:44 to go, Howard walked toward midcourt and shouted toward the Maryland bench. The refs called two technical fouls on Howard and another on Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon, who was not ejected.
After the game, Howard apologized for his actions — and also placed blame on the other bench.
Eric Ayala scored 19 points to lead the eighth-seeded Terrapins (16-13).
OHIO STATE 87, PURDUE 78 (OT)
Seth Towns scored six of his season-high 12 points in overtime, and the No. 9 Buckeyes beat the No. 21 Boilermakers in the quarterfinals.
Duane Washington Jr. scored 20 points for the Buckeyes (20-8), who led by 18 at halftime.
Trevion Williams finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Boilers (18-9), which saw its five-game winning streak end. ✶