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Donaldson helps Michigan rally to beat Badgers for Big Ten title

Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit (11) looks to drive on Michigan guard Tre Donaldson (3) during the first half in the Big Ten Conference tournament championship game in Indianapolis on Sunday. The Wolverines won 59-53. (AP photo)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tre Donaldson and Vladislav Goldin each scored 11 points and No. 22 Michigan closed Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament championship game on an 11-2 run to beat No. 18 Wisconsin 59-53 and claim its first tourney crown since 2018.

Donaldson also had eight assists one day after driving the length of the court for the winning layup with less than a second to go in the semifinal round. Michigan (25-9) won three games in three days to give coach Dusty May a title in his first season in Ann Arbor.

Goldin was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player.

John Blackwell scored 18 points and Max Klesmit added 12 to lead the Badgers, who have not a won the tourney crown since 2015. John Tonje added nine points and seven rebounds on an tough shooting day.

Both teams were coming off close, emotional victories and each looked sluggish most of the game. Wisconsin opened the second half on a 15-6 run to take a 38-27 lead, then watched the Wolverines use a 7-0 spurt to tie the score at 45 with 5:50 left. Goldin made two free throws with 46 seconds left to break a 53-all tie and Michigan led the remainder.

Takeaways

Wisconsin: Two days after tying a tourney single-game record with 19 3-pointers, the Badgers shot just 15 of 68 (22%).

Michigan: The Wolverines lost the rebounding battle overall, but won it late and that proved the difference as they overcame fatigue to grind out a victory.

Key moment

Donaldson’s 3 with 1:52 left finally gave Michigan the lead and the confidence to close it out.

Key stat

Wisconsin was a dismal 7 of 39 (17.9%) from 3-point range.

ST. JOHN’S 82

CREIGHTON 66

NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John’s made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton for its first Big East Tournament title in 25 years.

Zuby Ejiofor added 20 points for the top-seeded Red Storm, who reached 30 wins for the third time in program history. They earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making 72-year-old Hall of Famer Rick Pitino the first coach to take six schools to the Big Dance.

Florida 86

Tennessee 77

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points as fourth-ranked Florida won its fifth Southeastern Conference Tournament title and first since 2014 Sunday, beating the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers.

DUKE 73

LOUISVILLE 63

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in three seasons under Jon Scheyer.

It was Duke’s 23rd ACC title overall.

Sion James added 15 points for Duke, which played its final two tournament games without ACC player of the year Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown due to injuries.

Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 29 points on five 3s for Louisville, which was playing in its first ACC final since joining the league in 2014.

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