MINNEAPOLIS _ Wisconsin showed its Big Ten championship mettle against its No. 1 rival.
Sophomore forward Ethan Happ led the way with a remarkable performance after a frustrating first half.
Playing a Minnesota team coming off back-to-back road losses and desperate for a victory, in front of a sellout crowd at Williams Arena, the 17th-ranked Badgers overcame poor shooting early to hold off the Golden Gophers, 78-76, in overtime Saturday.
The game featured 18 ties and 17 lead changes.
Senior guard Bronson Koenig (11 points) buried a 3-pointer coming out of a timeout to give UW a 77-76 lead with 44 seconds left.
Happ then rebounded a miss and was eventually fouled. He made 1 of 2 free throws with 12.9 seconds left and helped harass Akeem Springs into missing a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
When the buzzer sounded, Happ collapsed to the floor in apparent jubilation.
UW (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten) moved into a first-place tie with Maryland (17-2, 5-1), which was idle Saturday.
The Badgers extended their winning streak to six games in the series, including three in a row at Williams Arena. UW last won three consecutive road games against the Gophers from Jan. 10, 2006 to Feb. 3, 2008.
Minnesota (15-5, 3-4) suffered its third consecutive loss since moving into the top 25 on Jan. 9.
Happ entered the day 8-for-23 in his last two games and hit just 2 of 6 shots and scored five points in the opening half.
He was almost unstoppable in the second half. Happ scored 14 consecutive points to keep UW in the game and finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Happ hit 11 of 19 shots, including 9 of 14 after halftime, and made 6 of 9 free throws.
Nigel Hayes hit 9 of 18 shots and added 21 points and five rebounds for UW.
The Badgers beat the Gophers with a 50-50 performance. They shot 50 percent from 3-point range (7 of 14) and 50 percent overall (31 of 62).
Guard Zak Showalter added seven points, three rebounds and two assists. Senior Vitto Brown, playing with a brace on his right knee, contributed seven rebounds and two points in 17 minutes.
Freshman Amir Coffey scored nine of his 19 points in the first half to help the Gophers build a 34-32 lead.
Springs, a transfer from UW-Milwaukee, made just his second start of the season and killed UW. Springs hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 11.4 seconds left in regulation and finished 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points.
Dupree McBrayer added 14 points for the Gophers, who hit 9 of 17 3-pointers (52.9 percent).
Junior guard Nate Mason hit just 3 of 14 shots and had only eight points but had a game-high 10 assists.
The Gophers' offensive struggles in the last two games, both losses, were a distant memory after the first 20 minutes
Led by Springs, who hit 2 of 2 3-point attempts, the Gophers hit 4 of 6 3s and 14 of 28 shots overall en route to building a 34-32 halftime lead.
Coffey hit 4 of 7 shots, Springs hit 3 of 6, Jordan Murphy hit 2 of 3 and McBrayer hit 2 of 3.
By contrast, UW hit 3 of 6 3-pointers but just 13 of 31 shots overall (41.9 percent).
UW lead by as many as five points in the half but the Gophers took their first lead, 15-14, on a basket by Coffey with 10:32 left in the half.
The lead changed four times in the final 5:25 of the half.
Hayes scored to give UW a 30-28 lead with 3:36 left, but the Badgers scored just two points the rest of the way. The reason? UW hit 1 of 3 shots _ a drive by Showalter _ and turned the ball over three times.
UW missed a chance early in the second half to build on a two-point lead but consecutive turnovers killed those possessions.
The Gophers took a five-point lead, 45-40, on a 3-pointer by freshman Eric Curry with 13:28 left, but a 3-pointer by D'Mitrick Trice (four points, three assists) and a basket inside by Happ allowed UW to get back to even in a span of 27 seconds.
The game remained close, with Happ carrying UW's offense.
He scored 14 consecutive points for UW to help the Badgers pull into a 57-57 tie.
Jordan Hill's 3-pointer from the corner gave UW a three-point lead, but McBrayer answered to pull Minnesota within 60-59 with 7:28 left.
UW had a chance to break a 64-64 tie when Happ posted up but he was called for traveling, the Badgers' 10th turnover of the game, with 3:43 remaining.
After a Minnesota turnover, Hayes scored inside to give UW a 66-64 lead with 2:59 left.
Neither team scored again until Happ made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:54 left.
Mason missed back-to-back shots and UW had the ball and a three-point lead when Hill was called for traveling with 22.2 seconds left.
Springs buried a 3-pointer form the left wing to pull Minnesota even at 67-67 with 11.4 seconds left.
Koenig brought the ball up for UW but lost the ball as he went up for a jumper left of the circle, with the clock winding down.
Coffey gained possession of the ball and appeared to be fouled by Hill but after a review the officials ruled time had expired.
Overtime.
Two free throws by Bakary Konate, a 57.9 percent free-shooter, and a banked jumper by Coffey, gave the Gophers a 71-69 lead with 3:36 remaining.
Koenig buried a 3-pointer to give UW a 72-71 lead but Mason, fouled by Koenig, hit two free throws with 2:28 left to put the Gophers up one.
After Happ missed in the lane, Springs drew a foul with 1:43 left. He made 1 of 2 free throws for a two-point edge.
UW got a basket inside by Hayes with 1:25 left.
Curry hit a baseline jumper with 59.3 seconds left to put the Gophers up, 76-74.
UW called a timeout with 53.8 seconds left and the Badgers ran a play for Koenig.
Coming of a screen on the left wing, Koenig buried a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to give UW a 77-76 lead.
Now Minnesota needed a timeout, with 38.7 seconds left.
Coffey missed a contested drive against Hayes and Happ grabbed the rebound with 24 seconds left.
After a foul by Coffey, UW broke the Gophers' full-court pressure easily. Hill passed to Happ down low and Happ decided to pull the ball out.
He was fouled with 12.9 seconds left.
Happ entered the day 50 percent from the line but was 5 of 7 against the Gophers to that point.
He banked in the first but missed the second.
UW's defense on the final possession was terrific and Springs, 3 of 5 from 3-point range in the game, missed a contested 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
