It was the first border battle of the season between the rival No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Senior Payton Willis tried to lead a comeback effort with a game-high 17 points, but sophomore standout Johnny Davis had other plans.

The Gophers were coming off a double-digit loss to Ohio State, a game in which they got out-rebounded 48-22 and allowed 20 offensive boards. The rebounding was much more balanced, but an offensive board by Davis with just over a minute left turned into a huge one.

Davis dominated on the boards and grabbed 15, including three offensive, to go along with 16 points to lead the Badgers to a 66-60 win.

Rebounding was clearly a point of interest from head coach Ben Johnson leading up to Sunday’s matinee. Though Minnesota went into the half down seven, they had the edge in rebounding 17-15. Wisconsin ultimately had a 32-30 edge by the final buzzer, but that Davis offensive rebound was the biggest of the game.

The Gophers were never out of this contest, even after being down nine points with just over six minutes left. Minnesota didn’t quit.

The Gophers went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to just two points. That was the closest the game would get, as Minnesota failed to score over the last 2:23 of the game.

After missing the previous three games with an ankle injury, redshirt senior Eric Curry returned to the lineup. Curry made an immediate impact on the court both on offense with his mid-range jumper and his presence in the paint on defense.

Curry provided eight points and six boards, but it was Willis who hit big shots down the stretch. Sophomore Jamison Battle had a quiet 14 points and wasn’t fully involved in the final minutes.

Minnesota is back at home on Wednesday as they host No. 6 Purdue, who is coming off a game-winning three from sophomore Jaden Ivey to beat No. 16 Ohio State.