Badgers Hold Off UW-Milwaukee

Jared Berggren scored 17 points to help No. 14 Wisconsin fend off a second-half surge from in-state rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a 60-54 victory on Tuesday night.

Jordan Taylor scored 14 for Wisconsin (9-2), including a critical 3-pointer with just over 40 seconds left to help put the game away. Ryan Evans scored a career-high 16 points for the Badgers, who have won three straight to recover from consecutive losses earlier in the season.

Berggren hit a key three-pointer later in the game, along with Taylor. But Berggren credits Taylor for leading the team to victory.

“He’s our leader, an All-American, things like that for a reason, he’s a great player,” said Berggren. “When it comes down to it, you know it’s probably going to be him taking shots a lot of times, but if I find myself open, and the ball’s in my hands in a position I need to take a shot, I’m always confident to do that.”

Tony Meier scored 15 points, playing a key role in a second-half comeback for Wisconsin-Milwaukee (8-3).

Leading 31-20 at halftime, the Badgers pushed their lead to 44-27 on a three-point play by Evans with 15:17 left.

But the Panthers went on a 16-1 run that included two 3-pointers, an inside score and a three-point play by Meier, cutting Wisconsin’s lead to 45-43 with 9:27 left.