Wisconsin guard John Blackwell erupted for a career-high 30 points in UW’s 87-84 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday.

The Wisconsin Badgers narrowly defeated the UT Rio-Grande Valley Vaqueros 87-84 tonight. The Vaqueros already gave No. 14 ranked Creighton a tough time at home and kept this game close until the very end against the red-hot Badgers.

Tonje coming off a 41-point effort in a win over Arizona, hit four free throws to give Wisconsin an 82-77 lead with just over two minutes remaining. DK Thorn hit a deep 3-pointer that pulled the Vaqueros within 85-84 with 1:02 left.

Sophomore guard John Blackwell was the story of the night. The Michigan native exploded for a career-best 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. 20 of those points arrived in the second half of UW’s tight win, including 14 during the team’s game-altering 14-5 scoring surge midway through the final frame.

The Vaqueros (3-3) entered with a three-game winning streak. Tonje coming off a 41-point effort in a win over Arizona, hit four free throws to give Wisconsin an 82-77 lead with just over two minutes remaining.