Bronson Koenig paces No. 17 Wisconsin past Michigan

MADISON, Wis. -- Tough, physical battles are what players and coaches come to expect game after game in the Big Ten Conference.

Tuesday night was a perfect example for Michigan and No. 17 Wisconsin.

Senior guard Bronson Koenig scored a team-high 16 points to help Wisconsin fend off the scrappy Wolverines with a 68-64 Big Ten win at the Kohl Center.

Koenig scored 13 points in the second half to help the Badgers rally from an eight-point deficit.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, actually tougher in some aspects than we thought," said senior forward Nigel Hayes, who scored 13 points for the Badgers.

"But that's what we expect in the Big Ten. Grind it out type of games. Unfortunately, it turns into these football games sometimes. We have to make sure we take care of our end of things."

Senior forward Vitto Brown registered 13 points and sophomore forward Ethan Happ added 11 for Wisconsin (15-4, 4-1 Big Ten), which has won two straight games.

Senior guard Zak Irvin scored a game-high 20 points for the Wolverines (12-7, 2-4), who have lost five consecutive games in the series against the Badgers. Senior guard Derrick Walton Jr. had 15 points in the loss.

The Badgers shot 45.3 percent from the field and Michigan made 43 percent of its shots from the floor.

The Wolverines hit 7-of-8 field goals to open the second half as Irvin and sophomore forward Moritz Wagner helped the offense pick up steam.

A pair of Wagner free throws tied the score at 28 with 16:36, and his layup at 16:04 gave Michigan its first lead of the game at 30-28.

Wisconsin went more than six minutes without a field goal, but the Badgers pulled within two at 38-36 during a 6-0 run, which included four points from freshman guard D'Mtrik Trice.

The Badgers stayed in contention as sophomore forward Ethan Happ had a layup and free throw with 8:16 to even the score at 43.

Junior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdul-Rahkman and senior guard Duncan Robinson drained back-to-back 3-pointers to put Michigan back on top at 49-43.

But the Badgers made baskets on three straight possessions to even things up again. Koenig scored four straight points, capped by a layup with 5:16 left to tie the score at 49.

Koenig took control for the Badgers with 10 points during a 2:06 span, including back-to-back 3-pointers to push Wisconsin to a 55-49 lead.

Koenig said he was happy that he found his scoring touch, even though it took a bit of time to kick into gear.

"I was pretty frustrated the whole game because I wasn't getting many looks and I knew I had to get myself going somehow, especially with how the game was going," Koenig said.

"I told myself to keep staying aggressive. I've taken over game before, so I knew I was capable of it and I just needed to stay confident and stay on the attack."

But the Wolverines never let up. Irvin's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6 seconds to go, pulled Michigan within two points at 66.

Koenig sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 4 seconds remaining in the game.

Michigan coach John Beilien said he was pleased with his team's effort.

"We really competed right to the last second," Beilein said. "I'm proud that that's a good step for us. If you don't compete in this league really, really hard, you're not going to win in this league. This is as difficult place to win, up 6 points with 6 (minutes) to go, and I've seen that movie before.

"They did a great job down the stretch. We did not make some shots, they made some shots and that's the story."

Michigan entered the game as the top-ranked NCAA Division I team with fewest fouls per game at 14.2. The Wolverines committed 21 fouls against Wisconsin and the Badgers had double-bonus opportunities with 12:05 left in the game.

The Badgers shot 58 percent (14 of 24) from the free-throw line in the victory.

Beilein watched three starters -- Watson, Wagner and junior forward DJ Wilson -- foul out in the final 1:14 of the game.

It was a situation that bewildered Beilein.

"It's all confusing, confusing," he said. "We lead the country in not fouling. It was confusing what happened, so we'll just let it go."

Meanwhile, Brown scored nine first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field to pace the Badgers.

Irvin scored the Wolverines' first six points, as Michigan stayed closed throughout the first half.

Irvin drilled a 3-pointer right before the shot clock expired with 8:02 left in the half to pull Michigan within three points at 19-16.

Abdur-Rahkman's 3-pointer tied the score, but that basket was the final field goal of the half for the Wolverines, who missed their final six shot attempts.

Brown scored four points during a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 25-21 lead at the break.

NOTES: Michigan and Wisconsin will play a second regular-season game on Feb. 16 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... The most recent win for the Wolverines against the Badgers was a 77-70 victory on Jan. 18, 2014 in Madison. ... Wisconsin has won 17 of the last 19 games against Michigan in the series between the teams. ... The Wolverines entered the game against Wisconsin as the top-ranked NCAA Division I team in these statistical categories: Fewest fouls per game at 14.2 and fewest turnovers per game at 9.1.