03/14/26 02:37:00
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03/14 14:35 CDT Lendeborg makes a tiebreaking 3 as No. 3 Michigan tops No. 23
Wisconsin 68-65 in Big Ten semis
Lendeborg makes a tiebreaking 3 as No. 3 Michigan tops No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65
in Big Ten semis
By JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- Yaxel Lendeborg made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds
remaining, and No. 3 Michigan beat Nick Boyd and No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 on
Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Aday Mara scored 16 points and Elliot Cadeau had 15 as top-seeded Michigan
(31-2) avenged its only conference loss from the regular season, a 91-88
setback against Wisconsin on Jan. 10. Mara also grabbed eight rebounds and
blocked five shots.
Michigan is going for its second straight Big Ten Tournament title and fifth
overall. It will play UCLA or No. 18 Purdue in Sunday's final.
Lendeborg got off to another slow start after he had just six points in
Friday's quarterfinal victory over Ohio State. But the Big Ten player of the
year began to assert himself right before halftime, and he connected on the
biggest shot of the game.
Lendeborg grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Cadeau for a 3 with 45
seconds left, giving Michigan a 65-62 lead. But Boyd responded with a tying 3
for Wisconsin.
With the United Center crowd standing in anticipation, Michigan tried to find
Lendeborg inside on its last possession. But Lendeborg ended up coming back
outside before getting a pass from Cadeau and drilling the winning 3.
Wisconsin's Austin Rapp made six 3-pointers while scoring each of his 18 points
in the second half. Boyd had 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting a day after he
scored a career-high 38 points in a wild overtime victory over No. 9 Illinois.
The Badgers (24-10) had reached the Big Ten tourney final in each of the past
two years, losing to the Wolverines in 2025.
Shaking off a sluggish start, Michigan closed the first half with a 10-2 run.
Lendeborg made a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying it at 28. It was his
first basket of the game.
The Wolverines were shooting 26.7% (8 for 30) from the field at the break, but
the Badgers weren't much better at 32.3% (10 for 31).
Up next
Michigan beat UCLA and Purdue in back-to-back games in mid-February. It routed
the Bruins 86-56 before winning 91-80 at Purdue.
___
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