Garza leads No. 5 Iowa past Wisconsin in Big Ten tourney

Iowa can count on all-time leading scorer Luka Garza as an offensive cornerstone, but it helps to have another player who can deliver in crunch time.

Joe Wieskamp was that guy on Friday night. He made two key inside baskets late and had a last-minute blocked shot that secured the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes’ 62-57 in over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Garza did his part, scoring 24 points. But Wieskamp impressed teammates and coaches with his grit, especially considering he injured his right ankle in the regular-season finale five days ago.

“Phenomenal. He stepped up in big-time moments today,” said guard Jordan Bohannon, who had 11 points.

“I was really impressed with him,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I didn’t see anything at all in his performance that looked like he was a step slow or favoring anything. He was out there competing and having fun.”

Iowa (21-7) advanced to face No. 3 Illinois (21-6) in Saturday’s semifinals.

“This is what every college athlete dreams of, playing in March, playing in the Big Ten Tournament, playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Wieskamp said. “It was going to take a lot to hold me out of this. … I gave it my all.”

Garza dominated inside, making 10 of 15 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws.

The game was tied at 52 when Wieskamp took advantage of Garza drawing the inside defense away from the paint. Wieskamp maneuvered inside with a size mismatch for close-range baskets on consecutive possessions, the latter for a 56-52 lead with 2:35 remaining. He finished with 10 points. Iowa had a 38-20 edge in points in the paint.

The third-seeded Hawkeyes made just 2 of 20 3-pointers, and trailed by six points at halftime because of eight turnovers and 17 missed shots.

“It was ugly, I’m not going to lie to you,” Bohannon said.

The sixth-seeded Badgers (17-12), who entered the tournament having lost five of six, dropped another close game because they couldn’t make clutch shots.

“We’re…