IOWA CITY, Iowa — No. 18 Iowa closed the game on a 22-5 run and beat Wisconsin 68-62 Monday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Player of the Game: Luka Garza

Wisconsin struggled against the Iowa big man as he posted 21 points and 18 rebounds to lead the way for the Hawkeyes. The Badgers threw several guys at him but couldn’t overcome his ability or all the fouls called in his favor. Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter each battled Garza tough and he finished the game shooting just 6-for-17 (35.9 percent) — a season-low for him. But both UW bigs were in foul trouble much of the night as Garza drew 12 fouls by himself and shot 13 free throws — two more than Wisconsin as a team.

The good: The first 12:47 of the second half

Brad Davison drilled a pair of 3-pointers to open the second half and turned a tie game in a 36-30 advantage. The Badgers kept the pressure on, eventually building their lead to 12 on a D’Mitrik Trice 3-pointer. It was a nice night for the junior guard, who finished with a team-high 16 points, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.

The not so good: The final 7:13 of the second half

The Badgers scored just five points over the final 7:13 of the game, blowing a big lead and losing a game they had right there for the taking. The Badgers first basket of the rough stretch didn’t come until a Brevin Pritzl layup with 1:47 left. But a 3-point play by guard Joe Toussaint seconds later gave the Hawkeyes their first lead of the half at 60-59. Another Wisconsin miss was followed by a Joe Wieskamp layup for a 3-point lead. During a timeout, officials reviewed the play and called Davison for a flagrant foul for — according to Davison — hooking the leg of a player going around a screen. That gave Iowa two free throws and the ball, effectively ending Wisconsin’s chances at tying the game.

Stat of the Game: 28

That’s how many fouls Wisconsin was called for during the game. It was a season-high and led to Davison fouling out, while Trice, Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter all finished with four fouls.

What they said:

Brad Davison was dealing with a left hip injury he suffered against Purdue. He said it was the closest he’s come to not playing in a game. Here’s what he said about why he played:

“Playing basketball, wearing the Wisconsin jersey, it’s something I do with pride. Every chance you get to represent the university, play for our coach, play for my teammates, that’s something you only get 30 to 40 games a year. You don’t want to miss out on those opportunities, because it means a lot to me and it means a lot to those guys in that locker room to put on that jersey, so regardless of how you may be feeling, you want to be out there with your guys.”

In Case You Missed It

— Guard Kobe King did not make the trip to Iowa City. Wisconsin put out a statement that said the sophomore was dealing with a personal issue and Greg Gard did not expand on it much afterwards:

“He’s back in Madison dealing with a personal matter,” Gard said. “That’s all I really know or can say right now. There’s really no timeline on anything.”

Trice said afterwards that there were caught off guard by King’s decision not to travel or play.

“Yeah, it did for the most part,” Trice said. “We weren’t really sure why. We still don’t really know why.”

Trice was asked if they expect to get him back at some point.

“I’m hoping we get him back,” he said. “I hope he attends to whatever he has to get figured out.”

What’s next?

Wisconsin (12-9, 5-5) will host Michigan State (15-5, 7-2) on Saturday at the Kohl Center.