Northwestern rides hot start to beat Wisconsin 60-52. MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A switch to a zone defense may be just what Northwestern needed to get going in Big Ten play. At the least, the zone has given the Wildcats a spark during a tough road stretch. Derek Pardon scored 17 points on 8-of-8 shooting, and Northwestern rode a game-opening 18-1 run to beat Wisconsin 60-52 on Thursday night. Scottie Lindsey added 14 points for the Wildcats (14-10, 5-6 Big Ten), who held the Badgers without a field goal until Brad Davison's 3 with 13:38 left in the first half ended Northwestern's spurt.