Nigel Hayes scored 20 points and Vitto Brown added a career-high 18 as Wisconsin defeated Nebraska 72-61 Wednesday night for its sixth-consecutive victory.

Brown hit the first of three consecutive 3-pointers for the Badgers (15-9, 7-4 Big Ten) as they took the lead for good with a 13-2 spurt midway through the first half. The junior forward made 6 of 7 field goals, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range, and grabbed five rebounds.

Freshman Glynn Watson Jr. scored 16 points to lead the Cornhuskers (13-12, 5-7), who were without second-leading scorer Shavon Shields. The senior guard/forward, who had made 106 consecutive starts, missed the game after suffering a head injury against Rutgers on Saturday.

Bronson Koenig added 12 points for Wisconsin and Zak Showalter chipped in 10.