BTN.com staff, December 28, 2013
The Big Ten closed out the nonconference season with a 5-1 record on Saturday, highlighted by Wisconsin's 80-43 win over Prairie View A&M. With the victory, the Badgers finished the nonconference slate with a perfect 13-0 record.
Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan and Minnesota all posted impressive wins, while Nebraska had the only loss of the day.
[ MORE: View Saturday's full Big Ten scoreboard ]
ILLINOIS 74, UIC 60 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Rayvonte Rice led a furious second-half comeback on Saturday, scoring 28 points as the University of Illinois beat the University of Illinois-Chicago 74-60. Trailing by 10 at halftime, the Fighting Illini went on an 8-0 run over the first 1:04 of the second half to erase the deficit and seize momentum. Rice scored seven points in 58 seconds a few minutes later to turn a two-point deficit into a five-point lead – Illinois' first lead of the game.
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: How about the body control and hangtime by @IlliniHoops' Joseph Bertrand? WATCH – http://t.co/VZCvOMcv7W
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) December 28, 2013
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Joseph Bertrand rises for an @IlliniHoops dunk. #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/DuC22UYupk
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) December 28, 2013
MICHIGAN 88, HOLY CROSS 66 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Glenn Robinson III scored a career-best 23 points Saturday night and Michigan finished its nonconference schedule with an 88-66 victory over Holy Cross. Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert each added 16 for the Wolverines (8-4), who won their second straight and pushed their winning streak over unranked opponents at Crisler Center to 20 games.
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Check out the no-look pass from Nik Stauskas to Jon Horford. @umichbball #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/ytGbIeEKrk
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) December 28, 2013
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Glenn Robinson III drives for nice two-handed slam. @umichbball #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/hQ2UwZp4WH
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) December 29, 2013
MICHIGAN STATE 101, NEW ORLEANS 48 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Keith Appling scored 16 of his career-high tying 27 points in the first half to help No. 5 Michigan State pull away and rout New Orleans 101-48 Saturday. The Spartans (11-1) struggled for several minutes before taking control with a 12-0 run midway through the first half. They led 44-27 at halftime and easily added to their comfortable cushion in the second half, finishing with their highest-scoring game since beating Nebraska-Omaha 110-68 two years ago.
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Keith Appling gets ahead of the pack and slams it down on @MSU_Basketball fastbreak. WATCH – http://t.co/XBXf011wbQ
— Michigan State on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) December 28, 2013
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Gary Harris explodes for And-1 finish. What. A. Play. @MSU_Basketball #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/wLy3MB7kvE
— Michigan State on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) December 28, 2013
MINNESOTA 65, TEXAS A&M-CC 44 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Andre Hollins scored 18 points and Austin Hollins added 13 as Minnesota finished non-conference play with a 65-44 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday night. Minnesota (11-2) went on an 18-2 run early in the first half, and remained in control despite stretches of sloppy play. The Gophers shot 12 of 22 from the line and 37 percent from the field.
How do you run a picture-perfect alley-oop? Just like this! WATCH Austin Hollins's two-handed flush @GopherBball – http://t.co/qx4htOjw0H
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 29, 2013
CINCINNATI 74, NEBRASKA 59 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Justin Jackson had his third straight double-double, and Cincinnati used its free-throw shooting and defense to overcome a poor shooting game by top scorer Sean Kilpatrick on Saturday, pulling away to a 74-59 victory over Nebraska. The Bearcats (11-2) have won four in a row since back-to-back losses to New Mexico and Xavier. Terran Petteway scored 22 points and Ray Gallegos matched his season high with 18 points for Nebraska (8-4).
WISCONSIN 80, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 43 | RECAP | BOX | PLAY-BY-PLAY
(AP) Sam Dekker had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his third career double-double as No. 4 Wisconsin cruised past Prairie View A&M, 80-43, on Saturday. The Badgers (13-0) closed out their nonconference schedule with their best start since the 1913-14 squad went 15-0. Ben Brust scored 11 for Wisconsin, while Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes added 10 points apiece.
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Ben Brust's range is limitless. Want proof? OK, here it is. @BadgerMBB. #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/yCDQlq8kzR
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) December 28, 2013
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Sam Dekker flashes athleticism on this @BadgerMBB slam. #orvillemoment WATCH – http://t.co/DxPmYCGBxY
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) December 28, 2013
INSTANT HIGHLIGHT: Trust us, you have to see this Sam (Slam?) Dekker transition alley-oop. @BadgerMBB WATCH – http://t.co/srmKsm49sa
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) December 28, 2013