March 10, 2006

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Marco Killingsworth and Marshall Strickland dominated the second half Friday, combining for 28 points, as Indiana held off Wisconsin 61-56 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

It was the Hoosiers' fifth straight win since coach Mike Davis announced his resignation last month. Killingsworth scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, while Strickland added 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Killingsworth finished with 12 rebounds.

Indiana (18-10) also solidified its hopes for an NCAA tournament bid by reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2003. It now faces No. 7 Ohio State, after the top seed survived a scare from Penn State 63-56.

Fourth-seeded Wisconsin (19-11) was led by Alando Tucker with 20 points and eight rebounds. Brian Butch added 12 points, and freshman Kevin Gullikson scored all 10 of his points in the first half.

It's the first time in three years the Badgers have not played for the tournament title, and they must now wait until the postseason to try for their fourth straight 20-win season.

Indiana, the fifth seed, shot 31.8 percent from the field, endured a 9:18 scoring drought, was 1-of-10 on 3-pointers and scored a season-low 15 points.

But the Hoosiers trailed only 19-15 at halftime, primarily because Wisconsin shot 25 percent from the field and Tucker was limited to nine minutes because of foul trouble.

In the second half, the Hoosiers were much more proficient. They quickly tied the score twice, at 19 and 21, retook the lead when Marco Killingsworth posted up for a layup with 17:41 left and needed less than five minutes to match their first-half scoring total. By then, the Hoosiers led 30-24.

Indiana extended the lead to as much as nine points twice, but the Badgers countered with a 9-1 run midway through the second half to retake a 46-45 lead. After Michael Flowers' driving layup gave Wisconsin a 49-48 lead with 6:48 left, the Hoosiers scored seven straight points to make it 55-49 and never trailed again.