Wisconsin’s quest for a Big Ten title will have to wait until at least this weekend.
The No. 5 Badgers (13-2 Big Ten, 25-3 overall) had their 10-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night, suffering a 59-53 defeat at the hands of No. 14 Maryland (11-4, 23-5).
Senior guard Dez Wells led the Terrapins, scoring 27 points after going 9-17 from the floor and 7-7 at the free throw line. Freshman sensation Melo Trimble had 16 points as well for Maryland, who now moves to 17-1 at home this season.
Senior forward Frank Kaminsky posted 18 points and eight rebounds for UW, and junior forward Sam Dekker added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Sophomore forward Nigel Hayes finished with double-digit scoring as well for the Badgers, finishing the night with 10 points.
The loss was UW’s first with sophomore Bronson Koenig starting at point guard. Koenig struggled offensively, going just 2-12, including 2-7 from beyond the arc.
Wisconsin, who came into the game with a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a win, struggled mightily on offense in the first half, scoring a season-low 20 points. The Badgers rarely drove to the basket and settled for a lot of jumpers in the game’s first 20 minutes, shooting just 29.6 percent from the floor and going an abysmal 1-11 from 3-point range.
The Terrapins, on the other hand, came out of the gates firing on all cylinders on offense, making 12 of their first 17 shots.
Though Maryland cooled off toward the end of the first half, it still took a 31-20 lead into the locker room. The 11-point deficit was the largest of the season for the Badgers.
Wisconsin, however, refused to go down without a fight.
The Badgers came out strong to start the second half, using a 13-4 run to whittle the lead down to one. The two teams continued to trade blows, with UW tying the game at 47-47 with 6:36 left in regulation.
But Wisconsin wasn’t able to complete the comeback, as the Terrapins finished the game on a 12-6 run, with Wells and Trimble scoring six points apiece during this stretch.
The Badgers will return to Madison for a Sunday afternoon matchup with Michigan State in their final home game of the season, during which they will honor the team’s seniors. They’ll look to clinch a share of the Big Ten title for the 18th time in school history and the fourth time under head coach Bo Ryan.
