John Tonje scored 31 points and No. 11 Wisconsin beat Illinois 95-74 on Tuesday night to earn its fifth straight victory and end its recent run of futility in this series.
Wisconsin (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) had lost its last nine matchups with the Fighting Illini, including an 86-80 defeat Dec. 10 at Illinois. Wisconsin had won 15 straight meetings immediately before that stretch.
Tonje’s big performance came three nights after he had 32 points in a 94-84 win at No. 13 Purdue, which was ranked seventh at the time. He’s the fourth player in school history to score at least 30 points in consecutive games.
Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl added a season-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. John Blackwell had 16 points.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points, Ben Humrichous 13 and Will Riley 11 for Illinois (17-10, 9-8).
