Max Klesmit's fast start propels Wisconsin past No. 3 Marquette - ESPN

MADISON, Wis. — Max Klesmit scored all 21 of his points before halftime, Steven Crowl added 16 and Wisconsin capitalized on its rebounding superiority to beat No. 3 Marquette 75-64 on Saturday.

Wisconsin (6-2) beat Marquette (6-2) for a third straight season in this in-state rivalry between schools separated by just 79 miles. This marks the first three-game winning streak for either team in the 130-game series since the Badgers won four straight from 1998-2001.

After trailing by 16 in the closing seconds of the first half, Marquette went on a 17-2 run to get the margin down to one with 14:46 left in the game. But the Golden Eagles never could grab the lead and failed to make a basket for more than seven minutes at one point in the second half, enabling Wisconsin to regain its double-digit advantage.

Marquette cut the lead to 67-62 on a Tyler Kolek 3-pointer with 3:52 left, but the Golden Eagles got no closer the rest of the way.

Kam Jones scored 19 and Kolek added 11 for Marquette. AJ Storr had 13 and Tyler Wahl 10 for Wisconsin, which outrebounded the Golden Eagles 38-23 and outscored them 18-2 in second-chance points.

Klesmit had never scored more than 19 points in a game since transferring from Wofford to Wisconsin before the start of last season. He shot 6 of 9 overall on Saturday, 5 of 8 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 on free-throw attempts.

His big first half helped Wisconsin take a 46-33 lead at the break. Klesmit's career scoring high is 27 points, something he did twice at Wofford.

Jones sank a 3-pointer with two seconds left and made another to start the second half and spark a Marquette comeback. Wisconsin's lead was down to one with 14:46 remaining.

Jones missed a 3-pointer that would have given Marquette its