Maryland looked to get their fourth win over a top 15 team but their bid fell short tonight in the 61-55 loss to Wisconsin.
The Terps were down by 18 at halftime but staged a second half run that saw them get within three with 11:45 left. But in the end, Maryland could overcome Micah Potter’s 23 points and 12 rebounds.
“Potter was really good tonight,” said Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon.
Maryland started off the game cold shooting 2-7 in the early minutes while the Badgers made three of their first five shots. Wisconsin would push the score to 14-4 before Maryland’s offense started getting warmed up.
Throughout the first half, Maryland’s perimeter defense force Wisconsin to go late into the shot clock. It allowed the Terps to stay within shouting distance and then the offense found a spark and went on a 5-0 run that would cut the deficit to eight points but Wisconsin responded with three point play by Potter.
After Darryl Morsell hit two free throws, Potter got another three point play putting the Badgers up 33-18. A Trevor Anderson 3-pointer with 57 seconds left gave the Badgers a 16 point lead at 36-20 but the Badgers weren’t done. Tyler Wahl hit a jumper at the buzzer giving Wisconsin an 18 point lead at halftime.
“We lost the game right before halftime,” said Turgeon.
The Terps weren’t done. They would open the half with back to back three pointers by Aaron Wiggins (18 points) and Hakim Hart. That was followed by a Morsell dunk bringing the Terps within 38-28. Wisconsin would respond with a D’Mtrik Trice but Morsell would come down and hit a three-pointer bringing Maryland within single digits with 15:22 left in the game.
Later in the half, a Wiggins pull-up jumper would cap a 9-0 Maryland run that pulled the Terps to within three points at 43-40. “Got to give my guys credit, they battled,” said Turgeon.
But the struggles with Potter continued. The Badger big man would get a three point play on a tip-in followed by a three pointer and the Badger lead ballooned back up to 12.
Maryland made a late 10-2 cutting Wisconsin’s lead to 57-50 and could’ve gotten closer but the Terps couldn’t knock down three point shot attempts from Donta Scott and Wiggins.
Notes:
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- Eric Ayala shot 1-10 including 0-4 from the three-point line.
- Wisconsin outrebounded Maryland 38-31
- Terps hit 7 three-pointers in the second half after only hitting 2 in the first half
