INDIANAPOLIS – In Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State in the regular-season final last week, Badgers coach Greg Gard noted his team’s lack of bite.

That wasn’t a problem Thursday.

The Badgers rebounded from their worst defensive performance of the season by clamping down on Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

More: Box score | UW schedule | Big Ten

The 18th-ranked Badgers scored a 70-63 win, holding the Wildcats to 37% shooting that included 5-for-20 shooting (25%) from three-point range.

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Graduate guard John Tonje and sophomore forward Nolan Winter finished with 18 points each for the Badgers. Senior guard Max Klesmit, who missed the previous three games with a lower leg injury, had nine points in 23 minutes.

Tonje and graduate center Steven Crowl led the team with seven rebounds each.

Junior forward Nick Martinelli led Northwestern with 22 points. The Wildcats dropped to 17-16.

With the win No. 5 seed Wisconsin (24-8) advances to the quarterfinals. It will face No. 4 seed UCLA at approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The Badgers didn’t trail for the final 29 minutes and led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Check jsonline later today for more on the game,

It’s starting to rain threes for Badgers

Wisconsin’s three-point shooting hasn’t been a major factor in the game until the last few minutes. A three from Nolan Winter and two by Kamari McGee during a 4 ½ minute stretch has helped the Badgers increase their lead to a game-high 14 points.

Wisconsin 56, Northwestern 42 at 8:48 mark

Wisconsin continues to rack up fouls on Wildcats

One trend from the first half has continued into the second. The Badgers continue to draw whistles from the officials.

For the game Northwestern has been called for almost twice as many fouls as the Badgers, 19-10, and in the second half hold the dubious distinction of holding an 8-4 edge in that category

Wisconsin hasn’t been able to take advantage of it yet, but it was in the bonus with about 13 minutes left. At this rate multiple Wildcats are going to foul out.

UW leads, 50-38, with 11:49 to play.

Nolan Winter cleans glass, leads UW with 10 points

Winter hit three of four shots in the first half and was 4 for 4 from the free throw line for a game-high 10 points at the break. All of his buckets came from point-blank range with two coming on putbscks and the other on roll to the basket that yielded another easy two.

He and Steven Crowl are doing the job on the glass. Winter has two offensive rebounds. Crowl has three. Wisconsin has seven overall.

Those second chance have led to 13 second-chance points, which has helped the team offset 39.3% shooting that includes 3 for 12 from three-point range.

Another key? Drawing fouls. Northwestern committed 11 fouls in the half and had four players with two fouls at the break. As a result the Badgers went to the line 15 times and made 12 of those attempts.

Tonje beats buzzer, gives UW seven-point halftime lead

John Tonje had a relatively quiet first half. He was 2 for 4 from the floor but scored all of his points during the final 4 minutes.

During that stretch Wisconsin increased its lead from 29-28 to 37-30 at the half. Tonje stuck a turnaround jumper in the face of Nick Martinelli at the buzzer to give the Badgers their largest lead of the day.

Northwestern, meanwhile, went scoreless for the final 2:57.

Badgers board work key during run

Wisconsin is on a 13-6 run that has given it a 24-19 lead with 7:38 to go in the half.

Offensive rebounding has been vital to this stretch of the game. UW has eight second-chance points during the run, Nolan Winter has two putbacks.

He and Steven Crowl have three rebounds each.

Slow start for the Badgers

Wisconsin has hit two of its first nine shots and hasn’t scored for 2 minutes 50 seconds. The team is down, 14-9, with 11:39 to go in the first half. Max Klesmit, in his first game after a three-game absence due to a lower leg injury, has four points and has played 7 minutes.

Here is what you need to know about the matchup.

How can I watch or listen to the Wisconsin-Northwestern Big Ten tournament game?

The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analysis) and Rick Pizzo (sideline) will handle the call.

The matchup can be heard on AM-97.3 in Milwaukee and on AM-1310 and FM-101.5 in Madison. Matt Lepay (play-by-play) and Brian Butch will call the action. The contest can also be heard on the Varsity app or on Sirius XM channel 84.

 Wisconsin Badgers probable starters

25 – John Blackwell, 6-4, G, 15.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg

11 – Max Klesmit, 6-4, G, 9.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.7 apg

9 – John Tonje, 6-5, G, 18.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg

22 – Steven Crowl, 7-0, C, 9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.5 apg

31 – Nolan Winter, 7-0, F, 9.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg

Wisconsin: Schedule || Roster || Statistics

More: With Max Klesmit set to return, here is a look at his impact on the Wisconsin basketball team

Northwestern Wildcats probable starters

2 – Nick Martinelli, 6-7, F, 20.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg

34 – Matthew Nicholson, 7-0, C, 5.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 apg

3 – Ty Berry. 6-3, G, 10.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg

11 – Jordan Clayton, 6-2, G, 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.7 apg

20 – Justin Mullins, 6-6, G, 4.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg

Northwestern: Schedule || Roster || Statistics

Wisconsin-Northwestern prediction

Will we get the Wisconsin team that was held to 25 points in the first half against Northwestern earlier this season or the one that scored 50 in the second half of the 75-69 win? We think it’s going to be the latter and that the return of Klesmit is going to jump start the team.

Northwestern, which defeated Minneota in a first-round game Wednesday, is a scrappy bunch that has remained competitive despite its personnel losses, but it is going to have a hard time keeping up if the Badgers get going offensively.

Final: Wisconsin 77, Northwestern 65.

A look back at UW’s win over Northwestern in February

A look back at UW’s loss to Penn State in the regular season finale