John Tonje poured in 33 points and helped No. 19 Wisconsin rally for an 81-75 win over Pitt on Sunday night in the Greenbrier Tip-Off championship game in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
Tonje scored 25 of those points in the second half on 9-of-11 shooting en route to his second game of 30 or more points this season.
Kamari McGee was also a big spark for the Badgers (7-0), burying a clutch 3-pointer in the corner with 2:54 to play to give Wisconsin a 74-70 lead. He finished with 10 points.
John Blackwell scored 14 and Nolan Winter added 11 for Wisconsin, which trailed by as many as 14 in the first half before battling back.
The Badgers are now 3-0 this season when down at the half and off to their best start since the 2014-15 campaign, when they finished as the national runner-up.
The Panthers (6-1) came in riding the high of their best start since the 2018-19 season, winning their first six games by double figures.
Ishmael Leggett led the Panthers with 17 points. Cameron Corhen added 16 points while Jaland Lowe chipped in 15.
The Panthers lost one of their top players early on as Damian Dunn came off the court with a hand injury just over two minutes in and did not return.
After trailing 34-27 at the half, the Badgers tied the score at 38-38 with 15:47 to go on a drive to the basket by McGee.
Pitt responded with a 6-0 run and led 44-38 after a 3-pointer from Amsal Delalic with 15:02 to go.
The Badgers rallied again and led 51-50 after Tonje hit a layup with 11:15 to go.
It was a tightly contested game from there on a night when there were five ties and eight lead changes.
Max Klesmit pulled up for a 3-pointer with a defender guarding him and knocked it down for a 60-58 Wisconsin lead with 8:28 to go. Lowe tied the score on a fadeaway jumper with 7:27 left.
McGee’s 3-pointer in front of the Wisconsin bench with 6:02 remaining made it 65-62.
In a showdown between two contenders in their respective conferences, the Panthers led 25-11 with 7:29 to play after a 3-pointer from Guillermo Diaz Graham.
Rather than fold, the Badgers responded, making five of their last seven shots of the half, including a layup by Winter with 1:33 to go that cut the Pitt lead to seven.
–Field Level Media
