Wisconsin continues hot stretch, fends off Rutgers’ rally

Nick Boyd scored 32 points and dished out nine assists Saturday as Wisconsin built a 26-point second-half lead before holding off a fierce comeback by visiting Rutgers for a 96-87 Big Ten Conference win in Madison.

The Badgers (13-5, 5-2) led 71-45 at the 13:27 mark of the second half after a 3-pointer by Jack Janicki. But the Scarlet Knights (9-9, 2-5) stormed back and drew within 81-74 with 4:30 remaining on two foul shots by Bryce Dortch.

However, Wisconsin finally stemmed the tide by ripping off seven straight points.