Jordan Taylor scored 21 points, helping Wisconsin beat in-state rival Marquette 69-64 on Saturday.
With the Badgers leading comfortably going into the final 2 minutes, the Golden Eagles made a late charge, cutting the lead to two on Jimmy Butler's 3-pointer with 20.3 seconds left. But Taylor went 5-for-6 from the line in the final 20 seconds to help put away the game for Wisconsin.
Jon Leuer added 17 points for Wisconsin (8-2), which played its familiar brand of smothering defense and deliberate offense. Wisconsin's significant size advantage allowed the Badgers to outscore the Golden Eagles 21-9 on second-chance points.
Butler scored 15 for Marquette (7-3).
The Badgers outrebounded the Golden Eagles only 32-28 but made the most of a 15-10 edge in offensive rebounding. Of the Badgers' 21 second-chance points, 16 came in the second half.
Marquette got a quiet seven points from guard Vander Blue, a freshman from Madison, Wis., who originally committed to Wisconsin before going to Marquette. Blue was coming off his best game yet, scoring 21 points in a victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday night.
Wisconsin is 9-4 in its last 13 games against its in-state rival, though the Golden Eagles had won two of the last three. The Badgers now hold a 64-53 edge.
The Badgers seized control early in the second half with their best player on the bench.
Leuer picked up his third foul with 17:44 left and came out of the came. With Leuer watching from the bench, Wisconsin went on a 12-5 run to take a 48-39 lead with 11:41 remaining.
Leuer returned to the game with 10:41 left and made an immediate impact, driving in the lane for a dunk.
Marquette tried to rally in the final 2 minutes. Darius Johnson-Odom came up with a steal and a fast-break dunk to cut the lead to 63-57 with 1:56 left. Butler's late 3-pointer made it a game, but Taylor's free-throw shooting put the game away.
Wisconsin held a two-point lead at halftime, as Leuer and Taylor scored nine points each in the first half. Leuer had a pair of 3-pointers in the first half.
