“[The coaches] just talked about going out there and being confident,” Rigsby said. “Just doing what I do and just trying to bring energy to the team and the crowd.”

In the second half, Rigsby had eight points during a 19-5 run to erase an 11-point deficit. The Gophers took a 53-51 lead on Lu’Cye Patterson’s three-pointer with 8:33 to play, but they weren’t able to build on that momentum.

The Badgers (23-7, 13-6) answered with a 19-9 run to pull away late Wednesday. They went 21-for-24 from the foul line and scored 38 points in the paint. John Blackwell, John Tonje and former Eastview standout Steven Crowl combined for 53 points.

In crunch time, the Gophers struggled on free throws (8-for-15 in the game) and allowed too many offensive rebounds to extend Wisconsin’s possessions (13 second-chance points).

“Those little things down the stretch, we can’t have those,” said Patterson, who finished with 15 points. “You can see that comes back to bite you.”

Wisconsin has nine straight wins in the Border Battle, including 80-59 against the Gophers in Madison on Jan. 10. But the Gophers played in front of the program’s first sellout at home since Feb. 16, 2020, against Iowa.