Wisconsin's John Blackwell (25) drives past Pittsburgh's Ishmael Leggett (5) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Sunday Nov. 24, 2024, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson)

The Associated Press

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — John Tonje scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half, and No. 19 Wisconsin came back to beat Pittsburgh 81-75 in the championship of the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Sunday night.

John Blackwell added 14 points, Nolan Winter had 11 and Kamari McGee scored 10 for Wisconsin. The Badgers’ 7-0 start is the first since the 2014-15 season, when they lost to Duke in the national championship.

Ishmael Leggett scored 17 points, Cameron Corhen added 16 and Jaland Lowe had 15 for Pittsburgh (6-1).

Wisconsin trailed by as many as 14 points late in the first half. Tonje scored 11 points in a three-minute stretch, including a layup with 11:15 remaining, to give the Badgers a 51-49 lead, their first since scoring the game’s first basket.

McGee’s 3-pointer with 6:19 remaining put Wisconsin ahead 65-62, and it didn’t trail again.

Takeaways

Wisconsin: Tonje, a transfer from Missouri, missed his first six shots and went scoreless over the first 12 minutes, putting Wisconsin in a double-digit hole. He went 9 of 11 after halftime, finished 11 of 19 overall and made all 10 free-throw attempts.

Pittsburgh: Damian Dunn, Pittsburgh’s third-leading scorer at 13 points per game, landed awkwardly after a shot attempt two minutes into the game, limped off the court and did not return.

Key moment

After Pittsburgh pulled within 71-70 on Zack Austin’s 3-pointer with 3:30 left, Wisconsin finished the game on a 10-5 run.

Key stat

Wisconsin shot 60% (18 of 30) from the floor in the second half after missing all 10 3-point attempts in the first half.

Up next

Pittsburgh plays at Ohio State on Friday while Wisconsin hosts Chicago State on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH (6-1): Corhen 7-8 2-2 16, G.Diaz Graham 3-8 1-1 8, Dunn 0-1 0-0 0, Leggett 6-15 5-6 17, Lowe 6-17 2-4 15, Austin 3-5 0-0 8, Delalic 4-4 0-0 9, Cummings 1-1 0-0 2, J.Diaz Graham 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-60 10-13 75.

WISCONSIN (7-0): Crowl 3-9 0-2 6, Winter 5-7 0-0 11, Blackwell 5-11 4-4 14, Klesmit 1-7 4-6 7, Tonje 11-19 10-10 33, McGee 4-5 0-0 10, Janicki 0-1 0-0 0, Amos 0-0 0-0 0, Gilmore 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-60 18-22 81.

Halftime–Pittsburgh 34-27. 3-Point Goals_Pittsburgh 5-23 (Austin 2-4, Delalic 1-1, G.Diaz Graham 1-6, Lowe 1-7, J.Diaz Graham 0-1, Leggett 0-4), Wisconsin 5-20 (McGee 2-3, Winter 1-3, Klesmit 1-5, Tonje 1-5, Gilmore 0-1, Janicki 0-1, Blackwell 0-2). Rebounds–Pittsburgh 27 (Leggett 8), Wisconsin 29 (Crowl 9). Assists–Pittsburgh 11 (Lowe 5), Wisconsin 12 (Klesmit 5). Total Fouls–Pittsburgh 19, Wisconsin 16. A–1,112