Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Excessive Level Panthers ahead Owen Aquino (8) drives to the basket in opposition to Wisconsin Badgers ahead Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) through the second half of a primary spherical recreation of the lads’s 2026 NCAA Event at Moda Heart. Necessary Credit score: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Pictures PORTLAND, Ore. – Chase Johnston made his first 2-point basket of the season with 11.7 seconds remaining and Twelfth-seeded Excessive Level earned its first NCAA Event win with a 83-82 victory over Wisconsin within the West Area on Thursday.
Panthers ahead Owen Aquino blocked Nick Boyd’s driving layup with 2.1 seconds left remaining and Cam’Ron Fletcher missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one, however the Panthers’ Terry Anderson intercepted Wisconsin’s full-court move to finish the sport.
Boyd had 27 factors and John Blackwell scored 20 of his 22 factors within the first half for fifth-seeded Wisconsin (24-11), which has misplaced its final 4 NCAA appearances as a No. 5 seed.
Johnston had 14 factors, 11 within the second half, and was 4 of 6 from distance. He has made 69 area objectives this season, 68 3-pointers.
Terry Anderson had 15 factors and 11 rebounds and Fletcher had 14 factors for 11 boards for the Twelfth-seeded Panthers (31-4), who had been making their second match look at school historical past, their second straight.
Austin Rapp scored 12 factors for Badgers, who led 70-62 on Boyd’s layup with seven minutes left earlier than Johnston and Anderson made threes to chop the deficit to 70-68.
Boyd’s layup gave the Badgers an 82-78 lead earlier than Johnston hit a 3. Wisconsin couldn’t get the ball inbounds with 54.6 seconds remaining, however Aquino missed a brief shot to provide Wisconsin possession.
Boyd missed a layup with 16 seconds remaining, and Johnston broke free to take an extended move for his profitable layup.
Excessive Level made 15 of 40 3-pointers. Johnston and Martin made 4, and Fletcher hit three.
The Badgers had been 9 of 23 from distance, 39.1 p.c, after residing on the perimeter many of the season. They made 400 3-pointers getting into the match, the second-most in NCAA Division I behind Alabama (405).
Wisconsin led 15-5 on Blackwell’s 3-pointer 5 minutes into the sport as Excessive Level missed 9 of its first 10 three-point makes an attempt. Cam’Ron Fletcher’s three with 1:11 left within the first half tied it at 39-39 earlier than Blackwell’s layup gave the Badgers a 41-39 lead at half.
–Jack Magruder, Subject Stage Media
