IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tony Perkins’ layup with 1.3 seconds left gave Iowa an 88-86 overtime win over No. 20 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Perkins, who had 16 of his 18 points in the second half and overtime, drove the right side of the lane, nearly losing the ball before recovering to hit the winning shot. Iowa’s Payton Sandfort then intercepted Carter Gilmore's inbounds pass to close the win.
Wisconsin had a chance to take the lead with 15 seconds left and the score tied at 86, but Max Klesmit missed a 3-pointer.
Owen Freeman led Iowa (15-11, 7-8 Big Ten) with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Sandfort had 18 points. Josh Dix scored 17.
Steven Crowl had 22 points to lead Wisconsin (17-9, 9-6). AJ Storr had 21 points and Chucky Hepburn scored 18.
Wisconsin opened the game by outscoring the Hawkeyes 17-6 in the first four minutes. The Badgers made 12 of their first 15 shots, building a 13-point lead before Iowa rallied. The Hawkeyes made seven of their last nine shots of the half, getting to within 47-43 at halftime.
Iowa built a nine-point lead on two occasions in the second half, then the Hawkeyes went almost six minutes without a field goal. Wisconsin took a 78-76 lead with 1:02 remaining on Tyler Wahl’s layup, then Iowa tied the game on Perkins’ drive with 42 seconds remaining.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the closing seconds of the second half. Hepburn missed a 3-point attempt with 14 seconds left, and then Perkins missed on a drive to the basket with two seconds left.
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: The Badgers came in having lost four of their last five games and had a chance to take control late as the Hawkeyes faded, but missed key shots down the stretch. They scored the first points of overtime, but didn’t score in the final 1:46.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have either been slow starters or slow finishers for most of the Big Ten season. They were both in this game and it almost proved costly. Iowa wore down in the second half — Perkins and Freeman played the entire half — as the Badgers rallied. But the Hawkeyes made big shots late in the overtime and scored a crucial win to help any postseason hopes.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Hosts Maryland on Tuesday night.
Iowa: Visits Michigan State on Tuesday night.